Skandapurana 3.1.28

Śrī Sūta said:

"A person having merely attended upon the exceedingly meritorious Koṭitīrtha,

restraining the senses, should then proceed to the Sādhyāmṛta sacred ford to bathe.

The Sādhyāmṛta is a great sacred ford granting the fruit of immense merit,

allaying great distress, located on the Gandhamādana mountain.

It is a remover of sins for people, granting all desires,

bathing in which with devotion, a man attains all desires.

By austerity, by celibate studenthood, or again by sacrifices and gifts,

a mortal does not obtain that state which [he obtains] by immersion in Sādhyāmṛta.

Those whose limbs are touched by the auspicious waters of Sādhyāmṛta—

the sin residing in their bodies is destroyed that very instant."

A man who performs the Aghamarṣaṇa rite in the waters of the Sādhyāmṛta,

having shaken off his sins here, is glorified in the world of Viṣṇu.

A man who has committed sinful deeds in his earlier years,

and afterwards frequents Sādhyāmṛta, filled with remorse,

that man would undoubtedly be liberated in his final years.

Having bathed in Sādhyāmṛta, a man is freed from bodily bondage.

Men of sinful deeds who have bathed in the waters of Sādhyāmṛta

indeed do not go to the hells terrible with manifold afflictions.

O twice-born ones, that destiny which comes to men from bathing in the waters of Sādhyāmṛta

cannot be attained through sacrifices, nor through the Vedas, nor through meritorious deeds.

As long as a bone of men remains in the waters of Sādhyāmṛta,

for that many years they dwell in the world of Śiva, highly worshipped.

Just as the sun at sunrise shines, having dispelled intense darkness,

so one who bathes in Sādhyāmṛta shines, having shattered his sins.

A man who bathes here always obtains his desired wishes,

where in ancient times, having bathed in that greatly holy [waters], King Purūravas

ended his separation from Urvaśī, born of Tumburu's curse.

The seers said:

How, O highly fortunate Sūta, did the mortal King Purūravas

first attain union with Urvaśī, the divine woman?

[And how] did he end the separation from Urvaśī born of Tumburu's curse?

For what reason did the sage Tumburu curse the king?

Explain all this in detail, O bull among sages!

Sūta said:

In ancient times there was a king named Purūravas, equal in valor to Śakra,

equal to the king of kings [Kubera], worshipped indeed by the immortals.

That best of kings protected the earth according to dharma;

he worshipped with many sacrifices and continually gave gifts.

While that highly intelligent king was ruling the whole earth,

Urvaśī came to the earth because of the curse of Mitra and Varuṇa, O twice-born ones.

Urvaśī wandered there, near that king's city,

and sang in a garden with a vīṇā sweet as the call of the cuckoo.

Desiring to take pleasure in the royal park on a certain occasion, curious,

he mounted his horse and set out, surrounded by hundreds of women.

[Seeing] Urvaśī there, whose waist could be spanned by a hand,

the king said to her: "Be my wife!"

She too, smitten with love, replied there to the king:

"Let it be so, O best of men, if you will [keep] my condition.

I will dwell near you, feeling joy."

"I will keep your condition, O fair-browed one," he said.

Then Urvaśī eagerly said to that Purūravas:

"If you protect my pair of rams as if they were sons,

and if you are never seen naked, O king,

and if you do not give me leftover food, then I will dwell in your presence.

And I will eat only clarified butter, O best of kings."

Having said, "Let it be so," the king took her to his home.

That king sported in Alakā, and also in the Caitraratha forest,

and on the bank of the Sarasvatī, enchanting with lotus thickets.

Sporting with her, he spent sixty-one years.

Because of that, Urvaśī, whose affection grew day by day,

slender-waisted, had no desire even for the world of the gods.

Without her, that world of the gods was not delightful.

"Therefore I will bring her back to the world of the gods," O twice-born ones—

thinking thus, Viśvāvasu went in an instant to the earthly realm.

Viśvāvasu, knowing Urvaśī's agreement with the king,

assembled with the gandharvas in the middle of the night,

and swiftly seized a ram from beside Urvaśī's bed.

Hearing him being carried away into the sky, Urvaśī to her husband

said: "By whom is my son being taken? Let him be released!

Bereft of sense, helpless, to what man do I go for refuge?"

Hearing her words in the middle of the night, Purūravas

did not go forth then, thinking: “Let the goddess not see me naked.”

Then, seizing the other ram as well, those gandharvas

departed; and Urvaśī heard the bleat of that ram too.

“The son of helpless me is being seized by thieves!”

The goddess cried out harshly: “To what man shall I go for refuge?”

Overpowered by wrath upon hearing that statement, the king,

thinking, “Everything is enveloped in darkness,” seized his sword

and rushed forth shouting: “Wicked, wicked [thief]! Where are you going?”

Just then, a blazing flash of lightning was intensely produced by the gandharvas.

By its circles of light, the goddess saw the king stripped of his clothes;

her condition having been violated, she departed that very instant.

Indeed, dropping both rams right there, the gandharvas also vanished.

Taking the two rams, the king, delighted, returned beside his bed,

and did not see the large-eyed Urvaśī there.

Not seeing her, unclothed, he wandered the earth like a madman.

The king went to Kurukṣetra, and in a pond filled with lotuses

he saw her sporting with four apsaras women.

“O wife, stop in your mind, cruel one!” repeatedly uttering this,

the king lamented indeed with the hymn in many ways.

And Urvaśī, playing with the hosts of apsarases, said to him:

“O great king, sinless one, enough of this conduct of yours!

I was made pregnant by you earlier; at the end of a year, indeed,

you must come here; you will have a most righteous son.

Then, O king, I shall dwell with you for a single night.”

Addressed thus, O brahmins, the king returned rejoicing to his city.

She, however, spoke to those apsarases about the king:

“This is that best of men, with whom, assuming forms at will,

overcome and yearning under the sway of passion,

I lived for so long a time, O friends, with that king.”

Told this, her friends then said to her, “Splendid, splendid!

We too, O friend, would dwell with him at all times.”

Thus the apsarases said to Urvaśī, their friend, at that time.

Then, when a year had elapsed, the king also came to the edge of the pond.

Seeing King Purūravas arrive, Urvaśī,

with a delighted mind, gave him his son, Āyus.

Having dwelt with him for one night, that passionate woman,

Urvaśī quickly received from him a pregnancy destined to grant five sons.

And Urvaśī, the foremost woman, spoke to this king:

“Out of love for me, O king, the gandharvas will grant you a boon.

Let a boon be asked of them by you, O best of royal sages.”

Thus addressed by her, the king said to the best of the gandharvas:

“My treasury is full and the circle of my enemies is conquered;

apart from dwelling in the same world as Urvaśī, there is nothing else for me to attain.

Therefore, I choose to spend time together with Urvaśī.”

When the king had spoken thus, the gandharvas, pleased in mind,

gave him a pot of fire and then said to that king:

The gandharvas said:

“Making this fire threefold in accordance with the Vedas, O best of kings,

and offering with sacrifice, O ruler of the earth, attain the world of Urvaśī!”

Addressed thus by them, the king took the pot of fire and went away.

“Alas, indeed, I am utterly foolish!” Thus [thinking] in the middle of the forest, the king [reflected]:

“Urvaśī has not been obtained by me; what use is a pot of fire?”

Leaving the pot right there in the forest, the king went to his own city.

When midnight had passed, unable to sleep, he reflected to himself:

“For the sake of attaining the world of Urvaśī, a pot of fire

was given to me by the foremost gandharvas, and that was abandoned by me in the forest.

I shall bring the pot back.” Rising up, he went to the forest.

There in the forest, Purūravas did not see the pot of fire.

Then, seeing an aśvattha tree within a śamī tree in place of the fire,

He reflected: “Formerly, the pot was placed by me here in this forest,

and it has now turned into this aśvattha tree inside a śamī tree.

Therefore, taking this [wood] which is fire by nature, having gone to the city,

and properly making churning-sticks (araṇīs), I shall with reverence worship the fire produced from it.”

Having so resolved, the king went to his own city.

He made a charming fire-churning stick measured by his own finger-breadths.

At the time of its making, O brahmins, the king chanted the Gāyatrī.

Indeed, as many syllables as there are in the Gāyatrī being recited,

to that exact measure in finger-breadths the king made the churning-stick.

Having produced the three fires there by churning,

aiming for the desired fruit of attaining Urvaśī's realm,

the king, adhering to the Vedas, joyfully made offerings into the three fires.

And by that very procedure of fire, he then performed many sacrifices.

Having thereby attained the Gandharva realms, the lord of the earth,

sported for a long time together with Urvaśī in the world of the gods, O best of brahmins.

Then once, the slayer of Bala and Vṛtra, accompanied by all the immortals,

watched the dance of the celestial maidens in the assembly.

King Purūravas also came at that time to the assembly of the lord of the gods,

in order to watch the captivating dance of the celestial maidens of the sky-dwellers.

One by one, those maidens danced before Śakra.

Then Urvaśī came and danced before Hari [Indra].

Then Urvaśī, filled with pride in her skill of dancing and dramatic expression,

saw that Purūravas and laughed most delightfully.

The king too laughed there, beholding Urvaśī at that moment.

Then Tumburu, the master of dramatic arts, enraged by their laughter,

in anger cursed both of them—Urvaśī and the best of kings.

Tumburu said:

“Since here, in an assembly filled with many gods,

laughter was indulged in by you two in the midst of the dance without reason and in vain,

therefore, O best of kings, quickly, in an instant,

let there be separation between you two!” Thus he cursed him in the presence of all the deities.

Then the king, cursed there by the master of dramatic arts, was sorrowful.

He took refuge with the wielder of the thunderbolt [Indra], crying, “Protect me, protect me!”

With a plaintive voice Purūravas spoke to Puruhūta [Indra]:

“I performed sacrifices for the sake of attaining residence in the same world with Urvaśī;

hence, separation from her would be unbearable to me, O chastiser of Pāka!”

To him who spoke thus, the thousand-eyed husband of Śacī said:

“I will tell you the release from the curse; do not fear, O best of kings.

In the southern ocean, on the holy Gandhamādana mountain,

there is a supreme sacred ford known as Sādhyāmṛta,

served by all the gods, Siddhas, Cāraṇas, and Kinnaras,

and frequented by the host of great yogic sages such as Sanaka and others.

Bestowing enjoyment and liberation upon men, granting release from all curses,

such a sacred ford exists; go there in haste, O king.

Since by ritual ablution here nectar (amṛta) is to be attained (sādhya) by all,

it is therefore renowned as Sādhyāmṛta, celebrated in all the worlds.

By ritual ablution there, your reunion with Urvaśī will occur,

and your dwelling in my world shall take place; there is no doubt.”

Instructed thus in return, the king, with a delighted mind,

instantly set out, heading toward the great sacred ford Sādhyāmṛta.

He bathed there in Sādhyāmṛta, which destroys great sins.

From the ritual ablution there, O brahmins, the king was instantly freed from the curse.

Immediately after the ritual ablution, he was reunited with Urvaśī.

Seated in an aerial chariot with her, he set out for Amarāvatī.

Like a god, he sported again with her in the abode of the gods.

Such is the power of that unequalled sacred ford, Sādhyāmṛta,

where Purūravas was reunited with Urvaśī by means of a ritual ablution.

Therefore, whoever bathes in this sacred ford, which destroys great sins,

attains desired wishes and will go to the highest heaven;

if a person bathes without desire, O brahmins, he attains liberation.

Moreover, whichever person reads this pure, sin-destroying chapter,

or listens to it, gains a dwelling in Vaikuṇṭha. (94)

Thus to you, O brahmins, the sin-destroying majesty

of the Sādhyāmṛta sacred ford has been told by me at length with faith, (95)

which the four-faced [Brahmā] formerly declared to Sanaka and the others. (96)

Thus ends the twenty-eighth chapter, entitled ‘The Description of the Release from the Curse of Purūravas in the Praise of the Sādhyāmṛta Sacred Ford’, in the Setumāhātmya of the third [section], the Brahmakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses. (28)