Skandapurana 3.1.40

Śrī Sūta said:

Now, therefore, O sages, I will proclaim that which purifies the world,

the māhātmya of Gāyatrī and Sarasvatī, which grants liberation to mortals;

which destroys great sins for those who hear and recite it,

bestowing great merit upon men and destroying the torments of hell.

Those men who gladly bathe in Gāyatrī and Sarasvatī

shall have no dwelling in a womb, but shall surely attain liberation.

On Mount Gandhamādana, of Sarasvatī and Gāyatrī,

because of the presence of the two wives of Brahmā, these two [tīrthas] are named after them.

The seers said:

On Mount Gandhamādana, of Gāyatrī and Sarasvatī,

for what reason did their presence come to be, O Sūta? Tell us that.

Sūta said:

Formerly, O brahmins, Prajāpati gladly lusted after his own daughter

named Vāc; having become filled with desire, infatuated, he longed for her.

Then, perceiving his desire towards herself,

the daughter of Prajāpati felt ashamed and assumed the form of a doe.

Brahmā also became a buck, wishing then to sport with her;

he pursued her as she fled, bearing the form of a female deer.

Seeing him intent upon cohabiting with his daughter, all the deities [cried]:

"This Brahmā is doing a forbidden deed in the form of incest with his daughter!"

Thus the brahmins censured that creator, the lord of the worlds.

Seeing Parameṣṭhin devoted to a forbidden act,

the lord Hara took his Pināka and assumed the form of a hunter.

With the Pināka bow drawn fully to his ear,

having fitted a sharp arrow, he pierced the Creator with it.

Pierced by the arrow of the destroyer of Tripura, he fell to the earth.

Then, rising from his body, a great light of immense splendour

became the constellation named Mṛgaśīrṣa in the sky at that time.

Taking the form of the constellation Ārdrā, Hara too pursued it,

harassing the constellation named Mṛgaśīrṣa that had the form of Brahmā.

Even today, in the form of a deer-hunter, the destroyer of Tripura

is clearly seen in the sky near Mṛgaśīrṣa, O brahmins.

When that Parameṣṭhin was thus slain by Śambhu,

thereupon Gāyatrī and Sarasvatī were stricken with grief.

Bereft of their husband, O best of sages, longing for the revival of their husband,

they consulted each other: "What shall the two of us do?"

For the sake of bringing about the life of their husband, Gāyatrī and Sarasvatī,

intent on performing austerity on Mount Gandhamādana,

the most supreme abode of Śiva which bestows all desires upon men,

went [there] bound by vows to perform austerity dedicated to Śiva.

For the purpose of their own ritual ablution, O brahmins, Gāyatrī and Sarasvatī

made two sacred fords under their own names, destroying sin.

Joyfully they performed ritual ablutions at the three junctures of the day there daily;

for a long time they were without food, free from desire, anger, and the like.

engaged in exceedingly severe observances, wholly devoted to meditating on Śiva,

singularly committed to chanting the great five-syllable mantra, auspicious,

for the sake of reviving their husband, indeed, Gāyatrī and Sarasvatī

thus performed austerity directed towards Mahādeva.

Then Mahādeva, Maheśvara, pleased by their austerity,

manifested His great form, desiring to grant the fruit of austerities.

Then, seeing Śambhu, Śiva, the delight of Pārvatī, who had appeared,

attended on both sides by Gaṇeśa and Kārttikeya,

their minds filled with joy, both Gāyatrī and Sarasvatī

praised Mahādeva, the treasure of compassion, who is worthy of praise, with hymns.

Gāyatrī and Sarasvatī said:

"Obeisance to the sole cause of the destruction of the darkness of irresistible saṃsāra, / to the consumer of the kālakūṭa poison, terrible with blazing rows of flames!

To the devourer of the Kālakūṭa poison, dreadful with a mass of blazing flames;

To the sole cause of the destruction of the body of the five-arrowed god who enchants the world, / to the slayer of cruel Yama who brings an end to the universe, obeisance to you!

to the destroyer of the universe, the slayer of the fierce Yama, praise be to You!

To the one who bears a mass of matted hair touched by the waves of the Gaṅgā, / obeisance to you, O Virūpākṣa, bearer of the young, cool-rayed moon!

Praise be to You, O Virūpākṣa, wearer of the young crescent moon!

To the one who terrified the dwellers of Tripura with the terrible twang of the Pināka bow, / obeisance to you who cut off the head of the creator of the manifold universe!

Praise be to You, the severer of the head of the Creator of the manifold universe!

O you who protected the son of Mṛkaṇḍu by your calm and immaculate glance of compassion! / O lord of the mountain's daughter, obeisance to you! Protect us who have taken refuge!

Praise be to You, O Lord of the Mountain-born; protect us two who have sought refuge!

O Mahādeva, lord of the world, destroyer of Tripura, Śaṃkara, / O Vāmadeva, Mahādeva, protect us who have taken refuge!"

O Vāmadeva, O Mahādeva, protect us two who have sought refuge!

Praised in this way by the two, Śambhu, the God of gods, Maheśvara,

filled with affection, spoke to Gāyatrī and Sarasvatī.

Mahādeva said:

"O Sarasvatī, O Gāyatrī, I am pleased with you two. / Choose a boon from me, whatever is in your mind."

Choose a boon from me, whatever is in your mind.

When this was said by Hara, Gāyatrī and Sarasvatī

spoke to Pārvatī's beloved, Mahādeva, the treasure of compassion.

Gāyatrī and Sarasvatī said:

"O Lord, O God, make our husband, the four-faced one,

alive with breath, O Lord of all, out of mercy, O maker of compassion!

You are our father, O God, and we are both your daughters; / therefore, protect us by the gift of our husband, O destroyer of Tripura!"

Therefore, O Destroyer of Tripura, protect us two by the grant of our husband!

When Śambhu was thus petitioned by them, O best of brahmins,

saying, 'So be it,' to Gāyatrī and Sarasvatī,

eager to join that body of the Creator with the head,

right there, O men of good vows, the body of the Creator together with the heads,

he caused to be brought by the spirits led by Nandin and Bhṛṅgin.

Those various heads Śaṃkara, together with the body,

rejoined in a moment before Sarasvatī and Gāyatrī.

Reassembled then by Hara, this four-faced Lord of the universe

stood up that very instant, as if awoken from sleep, O twice-born.

Then Prajāpati, seeing Śaṃkara adorned with the moon,

praised [him] with choice words, accompanied by his two wives.

Brahmā said:

"Obeisance to you, O Lord of the gods of gods, O maker of compassion, Śaṃkara! / Protect me, O ocean of compassion, O Master, from prohibited conduct!

Protect me, O Ocean of Compassion, from forbidden conduct, O Lord!

May no inclination ever arise again in me toward prohibited conduct / through your grace, O Śambhu; protect me always in that manner!"

May there not be an inclination again; protect me thus always!

"So be it indeed," the husband of the mountain's daughter said to Brahmā.

"Henceforth, do not make an error again, O Creator. / I am always the punisher of men who have taken to the wrong path."

I am always the punisher of men who have taken to the wrong path.

Having spoken thus to the four-faced one, O best of the twice-born, Mahādeva

spoke to Sarasvatī and Gāyatrī, pleasing them with his speech.

Mahādeva said:

"Through my grace to you both, O Gāyatrī, O Sarasvatī, / this husband of yours, the four-faced one, has returned, alive with breath.

Here has your husband arrived alive, the Four-faced One!

Go with him to the world of Brahmā; let there be no delay."

"By the presence of you both constantly here in this pair of pools,

liberation in the form of union with God will surely accrue to men from bathing [here].

And named after both of you, this pair, called Gāyatrī and Sarasvatī,

this sacred ford will attain eternal renown throughout all the worlds.

Even among all sacred fords, may this pair of sacred fords always

grant purification and destroy major sins!

May it bring great peace to men and bestow all desires!

It will engender my grace and cause delight to Viṣṇu.

Equal to this pair of sacred fords none has existed, nor will ever exist.

For by bathing here, all men will attain their every wish.

This great pair of pools created in the world by the two of you

shall become renowned by your names and grant liberation.

Those who are devoid of worship of Gāyatrī, abandoned by the study of the Vedas,

lacking the domestic fire-sacrifice, and neglected of the five great sacrifices,

shall obtain their respective fruits merely by bathing in your pair of pools.

And whatever other sinners there are who neglect their daily duties,

having bathed in that pair of pools, O best of brahmins, they will become purified."

Having spoken thus to Sarasvatī and Gāyatrī, the Great Lord

vanished there in an instant, even as everyone watched.

Then, having regained their husband, Gāyatrī and Sarasvatī, filled with joy,

went along with him to Brahmaloka, O best of brahmins.

The venerable Sūta said:

"Thus has been recounted to you, O brahmins, on Mount Gandhamādana,

the manifestation of Sarasvatī and Gāyatrī, along with its cause.

Whoever hears this chapter or recites it with devotion,

undoubtedly obtains the fruit of bathing in this pair of sacred fords."

Thus ends the fortieth chapter, entitled 'The Account of the Manifestation of Gāyatrī and Sarasvatī on Gandhamādana,' in the Praise of the Sacred Fords of Gāyatrī and Sarasvatī, in the Setumāhātmya of the third section, the Brahmakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.