Skandapurana 3.1.39

The glorious Sūta said:

“Now, therefore, I will describe the majesty of Kapitīrtha.

That sacred ford was formerly, on Mount Gandhamādana,

created by all the monkeys for the benefit of all beings, O brahmins.

After Rāvaṇa and the other demons had been slain,

having created the sacred ford right there, those monkeys bathed with joy.

And the monkeys, who could assume any form at will, granted a boon to the sacred ford:

‘Those who plunge into this sacred ford with minds intent on devotion

shall all partake of liberation, released from great sins.

For those who plunge into this sacred ford there shall be no fear born of hell.

All men who have bathed here indeed never incur poverty.

For those who plunge into this sacred ford there shall not even be torment inflicted by Yama.’

He who constantly says, "I will go to Kapitīrtha,"

and walks a hundred paces, O brahmins, shall go to the supreme abode.

A sacred ford equal to this sacred ford has never been, nor will ever be. // 7

Having thus granted a boon to this sacred ford, the monkey lords,

all bowing down to Rāma, son of Daśaratha, then made a request: // 8

"O Lord, let a wonderful boon be granted by you to this sacred ford!"

Beseeched by the monkeys, O brahmins, Rāmacandra, exceedingly delighted, // 9

granted a boon to that sacred ford for the sake of pleasing the monkeys:

"Those who bathe in this sacred ford shall obtain the fruit of bathing in the Gaṅgā, // 10

the merit born of bathing at Prayāga, and likewise the fruit of all sacred fords;

may the unequalled fruit of sacrifices such as the Agniṣṭoma be theirs! // 11

So too, let there be the merit of chanting great mantras such as the Gāyatrī;

one obtains the full fruit of those men who bestow a thousand cows. // 12

One shall obtain the fruit of reciting the four Vedas completely;

one shall obtain the fruit of worshiping deities such as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśa." // 13

Thus, O twice-born ones, this Rāma granted a boon to Kapitīrtha.

When the boon was thus granted by Rāma there, out of curiosity, // 14

the three-eyed one [Śiva], Brahmā, the thousand-eyed one [Indra], and Yama;

Varuṇa, Agni, and Vāyu, Kubera, and the Moon as well; // 15

the Sun and Nirṛti, and the Sādhyas, and the Vasus;

and all the other gods, the Viśvedevas and the rest; // 16

Atri, Bhṛgu, and Kutsa, Gautama and Parāśara,

Kaṇva, Agastya, and Sutīkṣṇa, Viśvāmitra, and other sages; // 17

yogins such as Sanaka and others, and divine seers such as Nārada and others—

all then praised the sacred ford blessed with Rāma's boon in many ways. // 18

And they bathed in that sacred ford, which grants all desired things.

"Because this unsurpassed sacred ford was made by monkeys, // 19

it shall therefore go by the renown of 'Kapitīrtha' in the world!"

Thus spoke all those gods and sages. // 20

Therefore, Kapitīrtha must certainly be visited by seekers of liberation.

In ancient times, O twice-born ones, Rambhā, having turned into a stone through Kauśika's curse, // 21

bathed there, regained her own form, and went to heaven.

The greatness of this sacred ford cannot be fully told by me. // 22

The sages said:

Why did Kauśika curse Rambhā, O son of Sūta?

How did the celestial damsel, turned into stone, go to Kapitīrtha?

Explain all of this to us in full detail, O best of sages! // 23

The auspicious Sūta said:

Long ago, in the lineage of Kuśika, there was a king named Viśvāmitra. // 24

Once that mighty monarch, surrounded by his army,

traversed the earth, eager to inspect his kingdom. // 25

Having wandered through many lands, he went to the hermitage of Vasiṣṭha.

He was invited to receive hospitality by the great-souled Vasiṣṭha. // 26

"So be it," said the king, bowing prostrate like a staff.

By the power of the wish-fulfilling cow, to King Viśvāmitra // 27

Vasiṣṭha, son of Brahmā, offered hospitality, O brahmins.

Having realized the power of the wish-fulfilling cow, the descendant of Kuśika // 28

begged Vasiṣṭha for the wish-fulfilling cow that grants all desires.

Refused by Vasiṣṭha, he dragged her away by force. // 29

Defeated by Mlecchas and others brought forth by the wish-fulfilling cow,

he propitiated Mahādeva and obtained divine weapons from him. // 30

Having gone to Vasiṣṭha's hermitage, he unleashed showers of arrows;

the best of kings discharged all the divine weapons, including the Brahmā-weapon. // 31

All those weapons, Vasiṣṭha, son of Brahmā,

struck down with a single staff of Brahmā, by the power of his own austerity. // 32

Then, being defeated, O brahmins, Viśvāmitra was greatly ashamed;

to attain brahminhood for himself, he went to the forest to perform austerity. // 33

He performed austerity in three directions, ending in the east and the west;

in each of those directions, great obstacles arose for that Kauśika. // 34

Reaching the northern direction on the pure Himavat mountain, / on the sacred, sin-destroying bank of the river Kauśikī, // 35

For a divine thousand years, without food, his senses mastered,

without looking about, his breath controlled, his anger overcome, completely motionless,

standing in the midst of five fires in summer, staying in the water during the cold season,

standing in the open air during the rains, his arms raised always, without any support,

he performed very severe, great tapas to attain the status of a brahmin.

Their minds agitated [because of] him, the thirty [gods] dwelling in heaven,

along with the foe of Jambha, addressed this speech to Rambhā:

The gods said:

“O Rambhā, to the sage on the mountain Himavat, on the bank of the Kauśikī,

to Viśvāmitra practicing tapas, entice him with your gestures;

act in such a way that there will be an obstacle to his tapas.”

Thus addressed then by the gods headed by Indra,

Rambhā then replied to all the gods with folded hands, bowing down.

Rambhā said:

“The great sage Viśvāmitra is extremely fierce and greatly wrathful;

he will curse me in anger. O gods, I am afraid of him.

Out of compassion protect me, your servant!”

Thus addressed there by Rambhā, the foe of Jambha spoke to her:

Indra said:

“O Rambhā, you should have no fear of Viśvāmitra, whose wealth is tapas.

I too will come as your ally, accompanied by Manmatha.

Spring, sweet with the calls of the cuckoo, will also arrive.

You of exceedingly beautiful form, entice the great sage!”

Thus told by Indra, Rambhā went to Viśvāmitra's hermitage.

Standing within range of his sight, having assumed a charming form,

she enticed the sage with captivating gestures,

and at that moment a cuckoo also cooed, delighting the mind.

Hearing the voice of the cuckoo and seeing Rambhā, the eminent sage,

his heart seized with doubt, understood that it was the deed of Śakra.

Viśvāmitra, whose wealth is tapas, cursed Rambhā in anger.

Viśvāmitra said:

“Because you provoke anger in me, O Rambhā, who wish to conquer anger,

therefore, O Rambhā, become a stone here for ten thousand years.

At the end of that [time], protected by a brahmin, you will attain release.”

By the curse of Viśvāmitra, she instantly became a stone.

Turned into a stone, O twice-born, she remained in his hermitage for a long time.

Viśvāmitra too, of righteous soul, having performed great tapas once again,

obtained, by the word of Vasiṣṭha, the brahminhood difficult for kings to attain.

Turned into a stone, Rambhā also remained for a long time in that hermitage.

In that very holy hermitage, the esteemed disciple of Agastya,

a sage named Śveta, seeking liberation, performed supreme tapas.

As that great sage was performing tapas for a long time,

a certain rākṣasī known as Aṅgārakā arrived

at his hermitage, exceedingly cruel, roaring with a sound like clouds.

The terrifying creature polluted [the hermitage] with urine, blood, feces, and the like,

and afflicted that sage with other disturbances as well.

Then the enraged sage Śveta, employing the wind-weapon,

hurled at the rākṣasī the stone cursed by the son of Kuśika.

Assailed by the wind-weapon, that rākṣasī fled away;

and pursued by the rock propelled by the wind-weapon,

she ran afflicted with fear to the shore of the southern ocean.

Pursuing her as she ran, that stone hurled by the weapon

fell upon the rākṣasī as she was plunging into Kapitīrtha.

The rākṣasī died there from the impact of the stone on her head.

She who had been cursed by Viśvāmitra, through plunging into Kapitīrtha,

cast off the form of a stone and returned to the form of Rambhā.

Showered with torrents of flowers by the gods, the charming woman,

mounting a celestial vimāna, resplendent in celestial garments,

adorned with necklaces, armlets, bracelets, and nose-ornaments,

was surrounded by her friends, apsarases headed by Urvaśī.

Praising the māhātmya of Kapitīrtha again and again,

and having worshipped Rāmanātha, Śaṃkara, who is adorned with the moon,

she went to Amarāvatī, the delightful city of Indra.

That rākṣasī too, through the curse of the mighty Agastya, born of a jar,

—for Ghṛtācī, the courtesan of the gods, had assumed the form of a rākṣasī—

she too, by bathing here in the waters of Kapitīrtha, regained her own form.

Thus Rambhā and Ghṛtācī, by plunging into Kapitīrtha,

through the grace of Śveta, the disciple of Agastya, O best of brahmins,

abandoned their states of being a rākṣasī and a rock, and attained their own form.

Therefore, one should bathe in Kapitīrtha with every effort.

Whatever person hears or reads this chapter,

obtains the excellent fruit born of bathing in Kapitīrtha.

Thus ends the thirty-ninth chapter, titled 'The Description of the Release of Rambhā and Ghṛtācī from the Curse' in the praise of Kapitīrtha, in the Setumāhātmya, in the third Brahmakhaṇḍa, in the Mahāpurāṇa of Skanda consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.

3.1.39.55 A certain rākṣasī known as Aṅgārakā came to his hermitage, extremely cruel, with a mighty roar like the rumble of clouds. 55.

Note on Aṅgārakā.