Skandapurana 3.1.27

The glorious Sūta said:

A man, having joyfully performed ritual ablution according to rule

in the Yamunā, the Gaṅgā, and at Gayā, should then proceed to Koṭitīrtha.

Koṭitīrtha is exceedingly meritorious, renowned throughout all the worlds,

bestowing all prosperity, pure, and destroying all sin.

For it destroys bad dreams and removes great sins;

it pacifies great obstacles and brings great peace to men.

By mere remembrance of it, all human sins are destroyed.

It was created in sport by Rāma himself with the tip of his bow.

In ancient times, Rāma, son of Daśaratha, having slain Rāvaṇa in battle,

in order to be freed from the sin of killing a brahmin, on Mount Gandhamādana

established a liṅga, desiring to bestow grace upon the worlds.

Searching for pure water to bathe this liṅga,

the son of Daśaratha did not find water there close at hand.

Thinking, 'What water is suitable for bathing the liṅga?

The liṅga must be bathed by me with fresh water,'

having resolved thus in his mind, the descendant of Raghu there, with the tip of his bow,

pierced the earth swiftly, remembering the Jāhnavī in his mind.

That tip of Rāma's bow then reached the netherworld.

Then that best of archers pulled up his bow.

And as the bow was being drawn up from the surface of the earth by the descendant of Raghu,

the Gaṅgā, remembered by the descendant of Kakutstha, came out from that cavity.

With that water, the descendant of Raghu bathed that liṅga.

Because it was fashioned in ancient times by the very tip of Rāma's bow,

therefore that sacred ford is celebrated in the three worlds as Koṭi.

Whatever sacred fords there are here on Mount Gandhamādana,

a man should first bathe in those sacred fords, freed from taint,

and then bathe at Koṭi for release from remaining sins.

Whatever flood of sins is not destroyed by bathing in other sacred fords,

accumulated through many crores of births and residing in the bones,

all that is destroyed by a ritual ablution at Koṭi, without a doubt.

If a man should bathe first here at Koṭi, O twice-born,

for him who is liberated, the other sacred fords are indeed useless.

The seers said:

O Sūta, knower of the truth of all matters, disciple of Vyāsa, lord of sages,

dispel a certain doubt of ours, O best of Purāṇa narrators.

If for a mortal who has bathed at Koṭi another sacred ford is useless,

for what purpose do men bathe in sacred fords like Dharmatīrtha?

Passing over all those sacred fords,

why do men not perform their ritual ablution right here at Koṭi? Tell us that!

The glorious Sūta said:

Oh, what a secret has been asked by you, O lords of sages!

What Śambhu formerly told Nārada when he inquired,

that I shall declare, O best of sages; listen with faith.

Whether traveling by chance, or engaged in a pilgrimage to sacred fords,

if a lowest of men, having seen or heard of a sacred ford or a temple of a god

along the way, O best of the twice-born, does not visit it out of delusion,

there is no expiation for him: so have proclaimed the supreme seers.

If a man going to Setu does not bathe in the others,

he must be cast out by the twice-born due to the faults of bypassing sacred fords, as one of low caste.

Therefore, one must indeed bathe in these, such as Cakratīrtha, O twice-born.

And having bathed in these sacred fords, for the purpose of release from remaining sins,

ritual ablution must be performed here at Koṭitīrtha by self-controlled men.

And having performed ritual ablution in the Koṭi [tīrtha], one should not remain on Gandhamādana;

freed from sin, one should return from Gandhamādana that very moment.

Indeed, long ago Rāma too, with the water produced in Koṭitīrtha,

having bathed Rāmanātha, and having himself bathed there indeed,

freed from the sin of killing a brahmin, immediately with his younger brother,

mounted the Puṣpaka [chariot] and went to Ayodhyā, surrounded by the monkeys.

Therefore, having bathed in the Koṭi [tīrtha], a man, freed from the remainder of his sins,

should return that very moment, just as Rāma, son of Daśaratha, did.

For this best of tīrthas is renowned in all the worlds,

which was created by the descendant of Raghu for the ceremonial bath of Rāmanātha,

where the goddess Jāhnavī is herself present,

and where Rāma, the saving Brahman, bathed with reverence.

By whom can the greatness of that Koṭitīrtha indeed be told,

where having bathed long ago, Kṛṣṇa, desiring the welfare of the world,

was freed from the sin of killing his maternal uncle Kaṃsa?

By whom indeed is the greatness of that Koṭitīrtha told?

The seers said:

For what reason did the joy of the Yadus kill his maternal uncle Kaṃsa,

for the pacification of whose guilt, O Sūta, the noble-minded one bathed in the Koṭi [tīrtha]?

Śrī Sūta said:

Famous as Vasudeva, son of Śūra in the family of Yadu,

there was [a man]; he married Devaka's daughter, renowned as Devakī,

and mounting a chariot, set out long ago for his own city.

Then Kaṃsa became the charioteer of Ānakadundubhi.

Then a bodiless voice spoke to Kaṃsa the charioteer,

who was driving his sister and his brother-in-law in the excellent chariot:

"This woman whom you drive here in your chariot, O tamer of foes—

her eighth child will kill you, without a doubt."

Hearing this celestial voice, Kaṃsa seized his sword

and made an effort to kill his sister, O best of the twice-born.

Then Vasudeva spoke to Kaṃsa, consoling him:

Vasudeva said:

"I will give to you, O Kaṃsa, the sons born of her.

Do not harm this sister of yours; for you have no fear from her."

Hearing that statement, Kaṃsa then desisted from killing her,

and went to his own city together with Devakī and Vasudeva.

With fetters bound to their feet, both Devakī and Vasudeva

the evil-minded Kaṃsa then placed in a prison.

Then after a long time, Devakī indeed from Vasudeva

bore six sons in succession, O best of sages.

As they were born and given by Vasudeva, Kaṃsa killed them.

When the six sons born of Devakī's womb had been slain

by Kaṃsa of cruel mind and devoid of compassion, O best of the twice-born,

Śeṣa became the seventh embryo in Devakī's womb then.

Then Goddess Māyā, impelled by Viṣṇu,

transferred that embryo into Rohiṇī, who was staying in the house of Nandagopa.

"Devakī's seventh embryo has fallen from her womb"—

thus there arose a great belief in the world, by Viṣṇu's divine play.

Afterward, Viṣṇu entered the state of an embryo in Devakī's womb.

Then, when ten months had passed, Hari, the imperishable,

renowned as Kṛṣṇa, was born from Devakī's womb,

his four arms splendid with conch, discus, mace, and sword,

diademed, wearing a forest garland, destroying the sorrow of his parents.

Beholding Hari, the Lord, Ānakadundubhi praised him:

Vasudeva said:

"You are the universe; you alone are the Lord of the universe; the womb of the universe; in you resides the universe.

You are the great, the primal matter, the cosmic form, the self-ruler, and the sovereign; you, O Blessed One, are everything!

Thus, to Nārāyaṇa, the abode who is the cause of the world, of boundless stride,

bearing the auspicious bow Śārṅga, discus, sword, and mace, disguised as a mortal man, salutations, salutations!"

To that Vasudeva, son of Śūra, who was thus praising him, Hari then [spoke]:

spoke, gladdening both him and Devakī, O best of brahmins:

Hari said:

“I will slay Kaṃsa; do not fear, O parents!

Yaśodā, the wife of the cowherd Nanda, gave birth to a daughter,

my Māyā, who deludes all worlds, on the preceding day.

Having placed me upon her bed, and taking that daughter

of Yaśodā, bring her to Devakī’s bed, O best of Yadus.”

Thus addressed by Kṛṣṇa, he did just so, O brahmins.

The daughter Māyā, lying on Devakī's bed, wept.

Then, hearing the sound of the infant, Kaṃsa, his mind agitated,

came to the lying-in chamber, seized that baby girl,

and dashed her against a stone, pitiless and shameless.

Then, wrenching herself from his hands, possessing eight great arms with weapons,

the great goddess, exceedingly wrathful, summoned Kaṃsa and spoke:

Māyā said:

“O Kaṃsa, sinful soul, evil-minded, foolish-witted!

Somewhere or other your enemy, the taker of your life, exists.

Search out your own death, that enemy, O Kaṃsa, without delay!”

Having spoken thus, that goddess, attaining divine abodes

and receiving worship from human beings, became the bestower of desired boons.

Hearing the goddess’s words, Kaṃsa too, greatly perturbed,

to torment his enemy, who was his own end, [tormented] infant-seizing spirits such as Pūtanā and others;

he sent them out into the lands to afflict other infants as well.

And all those infant-seizing spirits went to Nanda's Gokula,

and being slain then by Kṛṣṇa, they departed to the abode of Yama.

Then, after some days had passed, O best of brahmins,

the two boys, Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, grew up in Gokula at that time.

With many childhood games the two subduers of foes played.

For some time as keepers of the calves they played on the flute;

for some time as cowherds adorned with guñjā seeds and peacock feathers,

the two, Rāma and Keśava, sported in Gokula for a long time.

Once Kaṃsa [sent] Akrūra [for] Rāma and Keśava in Gokula;

he sent him, O chiefs of brahmins, to bring them quickly.

And Akrūra brought Rāma and Kṛṣṇa from Gokula

to Mathurā, which was adorned with golden archways, by Kaṃsa's command.

Then, having brought Rāma and Keśava, the son of Gāndinī went into the city ahead of them; / having seen Kaṃsa and reported the matter to him, he entered his own house afterwards.

And having seen Kaṃsa and reported the business to him, he afterwards entered his own home.

Then in the afternoon of the next day, the two sons of Vasudeva, together with their dear cowherd companions,

approached the city of Mathurā, which was equipped with a wall and a moat, and adorned with city-gates and towers.

Hearing the praises of the city's young women, Kṛṣṇa, going along with Rāma,

at that very moment saw the bow pavilion and the great, tightly-strung bow there.

Having routed all the bow-guards and taken up the bow quickly in sport, / he bent it to fit it to the bowstring, and in that moment it broke in two.

He bent [the bow] to string it; in the meantime, it snapped into two pieces.

Quickly hearing the sound arising from the breaking of the bow, mighty men rushed forward to kill them; / grasping the two pieces of the bow, those two mighty ones struck down the guards, O chiefs of brahmins.

Those two mighty [brothers], seizing the two fragments of the bow, struck down the guards, O leaders of brahmins.

Then, in an instant, having killed the elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa

stationed at the gate, those two, Rāma and Kṛṣṇa of great strength and valor,

uprooted his tusks, held them in their two hands,

and, placing those tusks on their shoulders, went to the arena in an instant.

Having slain the wrestler Cāṇūra, Muṣṭika, and likewise Tośala,

they dispatched other foremost wrestlers to the abode of Yama.

Then the two swiftly mounted the high platform;

approaching Kaṃsa, who sat there upon a high seat,

they stood, treating him like straw, as two lions [treat] a small beast.

Then Kṛṣṇa, dragging Kaṃsa who stood upon the platform,

grasped his feet and whirled him forcefully in the air.

Then he dashed him, lifeless, onto the ground.

Bala too struck down the eight brothers of Kaṃsa with his fist, O brahmins.

Having thus slain Kaṃsa, Kṛṣṇa, the crusher of the enemy's army,

released his parents, who were deeply grieved, from their fetters.

Mādhava reinstated everyone together with Bala.

Hearing that Kaṃsa was slain by Śrī Kṛṣṇa, there arrived then in the city

kinsmen in Mathurā who were previously tormented by Kaṃsa.

Then Keśava installed Ugrasena upon the throne.

O twice-born, unable to tolerate such an offense committed by Kaṃsa against his parents,

he slew his maternal uncle Kaṃsa, a thorn to gods and brahmins.

Then once, to all the sages beginning with Nārada

who had come to see him, that best of beings, Kṛṣṇa, asked this:

Śrī Kṛṣṇa said:

"O brahmins, this maternal uncle of mine, Kaṃsa, a great committer of sin, was slain by me.

A fault is declared by those best versed in the śāstras in slaying a maternal uncle.

Therefore, speak an expiation for the cessation of that fault."

There Nārada spoke to Kṛṣṇa of wondrous valour,

with sweet speech, O brahmins, accompanied by devotion and affection.

Nārada said:

"You are ever pure, ever liberated, and indeed always auspicious;

your nature is existence, consciousness, and bliss, the eternal Supreme Self.

Merit and sin do not exist for you, O Kṛṣṇa, delighter of the Yādavas.

Nevertheless, for the sake of teaching the world, O one whose banner bears Garuḍa,

an expiation should indeed be performed by you, O Mādhava, according to this rule.

For setting a moral exemplar for the world must now be done by you.

At Rāma's bridge, on the most meritorious Gandhamādana mountain,

the liṅga named Rāmanātha was established formerly by Rāma.

For the sake of water for its ceremonial bath, the leader of the Raghus,

having pierced the earth with the tip of his bow, produced the sacred ford renowned as Koṭi.

It was created by your own previous incarnation, Rāma of unwearied deeds,

solely for purification from the slaying of a brahmin.