Skandapurana 3.1.14

The venerable Sūta said:

Having bathed in Amṛtavāpī and worshipped Ekāntarāghava,

a man with subdued senses should then go to Brahmakuṇḍa to bathe.

In the middle of the bridge, on the Gandhamādana mountain,

there is a great sacred ford known as Brahmakuṇḍa, a cure for all poverty;

it destroys tens of millions of murders of a brahmin.

The sight of Brahmakuṇḍa destroys the entire flood of sins.

What need has he of many sacred fords, what need of austerities, what need of sacrifices,

and what need has he of great gifts—he who gazes upon Brahmakuṇḍa?

A single ritual ablution in Brahmakuṇḍa is the cause of attaining Vaikuṇṭha.

He by whom the ash produced from Brahmakuṇḍa is applied, O brahmins,

the three gods Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara attend upon him.

Whoever makes the tripuṇḍra mark with the ash produced from Brahmakuṇḍa—

absolute liberation rests in his hand; there is no doubt about this.

Or if even an atom of that ash is borne upon one's forehead,

just by that much his liberation would occur; no doubt is to be entertained here.

That mortal who smears himself with the ash of that kuṇḍa,

whether Śaṃkara knows how to describe the fruit of his merit or not!

Whoever does not bear the ash produced from Brahmakuṇḍa

will fall into the Raurava hell as long as the moon and stars endure.

That lowest of men who does not apply ash from Brahmakuṇḍa

as anointment or as a tripuṇḍra mark has never any happiness.

Whoever is devoted to reviling the ash produced from Brahmakuṇḍa,

a wise man should infer illegitimate mixture in his birth.

This ash produced from Brahmakuṇḍa purifies the world;

the human being who declares it equal to or less than any other ash,

a wise man must infer confusion of caste in his birth. (13)

Even when this ash originating from the Brahmakuṇḍa is readily available,

the man who applies the tripuṇḍra with any other ash— (14)

a wise man must infer confusion of caste in his birth.

Whatever mortal never applies this ash, (15)

a wise man must infer confusion of caste in his birth.

Whoever gives to a brahmin the ash born from the Brahmakuṇḍa, (16)

by him the earth bounded by the four oceans has been given.

No doubt should be entertained in this matter; I swear it thrice! (17)

It is true, it is true, it is true again; with arm raised it is declared:

Apply the ash originating from the Brahmakuṇḍa, O best of brahmins! (18)

For this purifying ash arose from the sacrifice of Brahmā.

Long ago, indeed, the blessed Brahmā, the grandfather of all the worlds, (19)

in the presence of all the gods on Mount Gandhamādana,

performed all the sacrificial rites to avert the curse of the Lord. (20)

Having performed in accordance with rule all the sacrifices with generous sacrificial gifts,

Brahmā was swiftly freed from the curse of Śambhu, O best of brahmins! (21)

Those men who, having approached this sacred ford, take their ritual ablution,

they attain union with Mahādeva; there is no doubt. (22)

The seers said:

O disciple of Vyāsa, of great wisdom, skilled in the meaning of the Purāṇas!

Against the creator of the fourteen worlds, the four-faced one, (23)

for what offense did Śambhu curse the husband of Bhāratī?

And what kind of curse was formerly given to him by Hara?

Tell us all this in truth, O sage, out of affection. (24)

The auspicious Sūta said:

Long ago, a quarrel arose mutually between Brahmā and Viṣṇu, (25)

as they praised themselves in rivalry over a certain cause:

“I am the creator; there is no creator other than me on the surface of the earth!” (26)

Thus Brahmā spoke to Hari, and likewise Hari to Brahmā.

In this way, a very great dispute proceeded between the two in the past. (27)

In the meantime, O brahmins, as the two were quarreling with each other,

to destroy their pride and for the awakening of the two gods, (28)

a liṅga manifested between them, self-luminous and devoid of affliction.

Seeing that liṅga, amazed, Brahmā and Viṣṇu mutually (29)

made an agreement, O brahmins, in the presence of the gods in ancient times:

“This great liṅga without beginning or end that is seen before us, (30)

resembling endless suns, equal in radiance to endless fire—

whichever of the two of us shall see the top and bottom of this liṅga, (31)

he shall be superior in the world, the creator of the world, and its lord.

I will go upward, searching for the end of the liṅga; (32)

go down below, O Hari, to search for its base!”

Hearing his words, the husband of Ramā said: “So be it.” (33)

Having thus made the agreement, the two departed to search.

Viṣṇu, in the form of a boar, went below to search; (34)

the husband of Bhāratī, assuming the nature of a swan, flew upward.

Then Viṣṇu, having searched the lower worlds for many groups of years,

returned to the place and spoke in the presence of the gods. (35)

Viṣṇu said:

“I did not see the beginning of this liṅga,” speaking the truth. (36)

Having searched upward, Brahmā also came there;

and having arrived, the four-faced one uttered a deceitful statement: (37)

Brahmā said:

“I saw the end of this liṅga”—falsely indeed.

Hearing that statement of the two, Brahmā and Viṣṇu, Maheśvara

laughed and spoke thus to the four-faced one who spoke falsely: (38)

Īśvara said:

“Because you spoke an untruth in front of me, O four-faced one, (39)

therefore let there be no worship of you in the world, anywhere, at any time!”

Then the blessed Parameśvara spoke again to Viṣṇu: (40)

"Because you spoke the truth, O Hari, lord of Kamalā,

therefore your worship shall be equal to mine, there is no doubt."

Then Brahmā, dejected, spoke to Śaṃkara:

"O Lord, treasure-house of compassion, forgive my offense!

One offense ought to be forgiven by masters, lords of the universe."

Then Maheśvara spoke, consoling Brahmā:

Īśvara said:

"My words cannot be false, O Brahmā; listen to what I will tell you:

Go quickly, my child, to Mount Gandhamādana;

perform sacrifices there for the pacification of the fault of lying.

Then, your sin washed away, you will be [restored], there is no doubt.

By virtue of that, O Brahmā, in Vedic and also in domestic rites,

there will always be worship for you, but there will be no worship for you in images."

Having spoken thus, the divine Lord disappeared right there.

Then Brahmā went to Mount Gandhamādana, O brahmins,

and with sacrifices worshipped the creator of sacrifices, the lord of Pārvatī,

for eighty-eight thousand years, O best of sages,

with all the sacrifices such as the Pauṇḍarīka, with bountiful priestly fees;

in the presence of Indra and all the gods, he sacrificed to Śiva.

Gratified by this, Śambhu granted him a boon:

Īśvara said:

"Your fault of false speech has been destroyed here by performing these sacrifices;

O four-faced one, in Vedic and domestic rites,

your spotless worship will take place, O Brahmā, but there will be no worship for you in images.

This sacrificial place of yours will from this day attain fame as 'Brahmakuṇḍa'

in this threefold world, holy and destroying sin.

Whoever performs a ritual ablution even once in the sacred ford named Brahmakuṇḍa,

for him the bolt of the door of liberation is broken at that very moment, O Brahmā.

Applying to his forehead the sacred ash produced from Brahmakuṇḍa,

breaking open the door-leaf of illusion, one will go to the door of liberation.

He who does not apply to his forehead the sacred ash arisen from Brahmakuṇḍa

is not a son born of his father's seed in his mother.

From applying the sacred ash produced from Brahmakuṇḍa, O Brahmā,

ten thousand murders of a brahmin are destroyed, as well as ten thousand drinkings of liquor;

ten thousand defilements of the guru's bed are destroyed, as well as ten thousand thefts of gold;

ten thousand associations with them are destroyed; I have spoken the truth, O Brahmā.

By the power of applying the sacred ash produced from Brahmakuṇḍa,

bhūtas, pretas, piśācas, and other spirits perish in a mere moment."

Having spoken thus, the divine Lord disappeared right there.

When the sacrifices were completed, the sages of subdued senses,

the gods headed by Indra, along with siddhas, cāraṇas, and kinnaras,

and other hosts of gods on Mount Gandhamādana,

resorting to that sacrificial ground attended by Rudra himself,

remained there continually, knowing its glory.

Then Brahmā, having completed the sacrifices with plentiful priestly fees according to rule,

went to Satyaloka, having obtained his wish from Śiva.

From that time forward, the gods, sages, and best of brahmins, / coming to Brahmakuṇḍa, performed sacrifices according to the ordinances. / Therefore, mortals wishing to sacrifice should perform sacrifices right here. / Revered by humans, gods, and lords of sages, bringing an end to all transmigratory existence, O brahmins, / this auspicious pool of the lotus-born [Brahmā] takes away all sin and grants all desired aims. / Thus ends the fourteenth chapter, named 'The Description of the Release from Brahmā's Curse, in the Praise of Brahmakuṇḍa', in the Setumāhātmya of the Brahmakhaṇḍa in the glorious Skandapurāṇa, a collection of eighty-one thousand verses.