Skandapurana 3.2.41.5

3.2.41.5

4 atha varddhanyapsarasā saha dharmarājasya saṃvādaḥ,dharmarājena varddhanyapsarase varapradānam,
tato varddhanyā śakrāya dharmasya vyavasitanivedanapūrvakaṃ śakrādvaraṃ labdhvā svasthānaṃ
prati gamanam, athāpsarogamanānantaraṃ dharmadevena pañcāgnisādhanādyugratapaḥkaraṇam,
tadugratapasodvignamānasānāṃ devādīnāṃ kailāsaṃ prati gatvā śivastutikaraṇam,
atha devaiḥ saha śaṅkarasya vane tapasyantaṃ dharmadevaṃ pratyāgamanam, dharmeṇa bhagavataḥ
stutikaraṇam, tatstutiprasannena śaṅkareṇa varapradānaprasaṃge yojanadvitayātmakayamadharma-
tapovanasya dharmāraṇyaprathākaraṇapūvarkaṃ yamadharmadevāya varapradānam, tato dharmāraṇya-
kṣetrasthāpanam, tatra prathamato yamadharmeṇa bhagavato viśveśvarasya dharmeśvarābhikhyayā sva-
yaṃbhuvaliṃgasthāpanam, dharmavāpīkaraṇam, dharmavāpīdharmeśvarayormāhātmyam, tatprasaṃge-
na yamadharmatarpaṇamāhātmyavarṇanam, atha yamadharmarājena svayaṃ dharmāraṇyasya vaibhavava-
rṇanapūrvakaṃ svayaṃsthāpitakṣetrabhūmyai sarvātiśāyitvavarapradānam. ..... 310 2

4 Now, the dialogue of Dharmarāja with the apsaras Vardhanī; Dharmarāja grants a boon to the apsaras Vardhanī; then, having reported Dharma's resolve to Śakra and obtained a boon from Śakra, Vardhanī returns to her own abode; then, after the departure of the apsaras, Dharmadeva undertakes fierce tapas such as the practice of the five fires; their minds perturbed by that fierce tapas, the gods and others go to Kailāsa and praise Śiva; then, Śaṅkara comes together with the gods to Dharmadeva who is performing tapas in the forest; Dharma praises the Lord; pleased by that praise, Śaṅkara, in the context of bestowing a boon, grants a boon to Yamadharmadeva after establishing Yamadharma's penance-grove of two yojanas as 'Dharmāraṇya'; then the establishment of the Dharmāraṇya sacred field; there first Yamadharma installs a self-manifest liṅga of Lord Viśveśvara named Dharmeśvara; the construction of the Dharmavāpī [well]; the māhātmya of the Dharmavāpī and Dharmeśvara; in that context, the description of the māhātmya of offering libations to Yamadharma; then Yamadharmarāja himself, describing the glory of Dharmāraṇya, grants the boon of supremacy over all to the sacred field established by himself. — 310 2