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# Skandapurana 3.3.15

Skandapurāṇa 3.3.15

- **Language:** Sanskrit

### [3.3.15.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.1)

.. sūta uvāca .. ..

> Sūta said:  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.2)

ṛṣabhasyānubhāvoyaṃ varṇitaḥ śivayoginaḥ ..

> "This greatness of Ṛṣabha, the Śivayogin, has been described;  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.3)

athānyasyāpi vakṣyāmi prabhāvaṃ śivayoginaḥ .. 1 ..

> now I shall relate the power of another Śivayogin as well. (1)  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.4)

bhasmanaścāpi māhātmyaṃ varṇayāmi samāsataḥ ..

> And I shall describe in brief the māhātmya of sacred ash,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.5)

kṛtakṛtyā bhaviṣyaṃti yacchutvā pāpino janāḥ .. 2 ..

> hearing which sinful people will attain fulfilment. (2)  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.6)

astyeko vāmadevākhyaḥ śivayogī mahā tapāḥ ..

> There is a certain Śivayogin named Vāmadeva, of great austerity.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.7)

nirdvaṃdvo nirguṇaḥ śāṃto niḥsaṃgaḥ samadarśanaḥ .. 3 ..

> Free from dualities, devoid of qualities, peaceful, unattached, looking upon all alike,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.8)

ātmārāmo jitakrodho gṛhadāravivarjitaḥ ..

> delighting in the Self, having conquered anger, free from home and wife,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.9](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.9)

atarkitagatirmaunī saṃtuṣṭo niṣpa rigrahaḥ .. 4 ..

> his course unfathomable, silent, contented, without possessions,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.10](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.10)

bhasmoddhūlitasarvāṃgo jaṭāmaṃḍalamaṃḍitaḥ ..

> his whole body smeared with ashes, adorned with a circle of matted locks,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.11](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.11)

valkalājinasaṃvīto bhikṣāmātraparigrahaḥ .. 5 ..

> clad in bark and deer skin, accepting only alms.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.12](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.12)

sa ekadā caraṃlloke sarvānugrahatatparaḥ ..

> Once, wandering in the world intent on bestowing grace upon all,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.13](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.13)

krauṃcāraṇyaṃ mahāghoraṃ praviveśa yadṛcchayā .. 6 ..

> he entered by chance the Krauñca forest, exceedingly dreadful.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.14](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.14)

tasminnirmanuje'raṇye tiṣṭhatyeko'tibhīṣaṇaḥ ..

> In that desolate forest dwelt a certain brahmarākṣasa,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.15](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.15)

kṣuttṛṣākulito nityaṃ yaḥ kaścidbrahmarākṣasaḥ .. 7 ..

> exceedingly terrifying, constantly agitated by hunger and thirst.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.16](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.16)

taṃ praviṣṭaṃ śivātmānaṃ sa dṛṣṭvā brahmarākṣasaḥ ..

> Seeing that Śiva-souled one who had entered, that brahmarākṣasa,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.17](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.17)

abhidudrāva vegena jagdhaṃu kṣutparipīḍitaḥ .. 8 ..

> tormented by hunger, rushed swiftly to devour \[him\].  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.18](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.18)

vyāttānanaṃ mahākāyaṃ bhīmadaṃṣṭraṃ bhayānakam ..

> Seeing him approaching with gaping mouth, of gigantic body,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.19](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.19)

tamāyāṃtamabhiprekṣya yogīśo na cacāla saḥ .. 9 ..

> having dreadful fangs, and terrifying, that lord of yogins did not waver.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.20](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.20)

athābhidrutya tarasā sa ghoro vanagocaraḥ ..

> Then, rushing with speed, that fierce forest-dweller,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.21](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.21)

dorbhyāṃ niṣpīḍya jagrāha niṣkaṃpaṃ śivayoginam..3.3.15.10..

> crushing the unshakeable Śiva-yogin with both arms, seized him.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.22](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.22)

tadaṃgasparśanādeva sadyo vidhvastakilbiṣaḥ ..

> Just by touching his body, his sins destroyed immediately,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.23](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.23)

sa brahmarākṣaso ghoro viṣaṇṇaḥ smṛtimāyayau .. 11 ..

> that dreadful brahmarākṣasa, dejected, regained \[his\] memory.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.24](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.24)

yathā ciṃtāmaṇiṃ spṛṣṭvā lohaṃ kāṃcanatāṃ vrajet ..

> Just as iron turns to gold on touching the wish-fulfilling jewel,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.25](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.25)

yathā jaṃbūnadīṃ prāpya mṛttikā svarṇatāṃ vrajet .. 12 ..

> just as clay turns to gold upon reaching the Jambū river,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.26](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.26)

yathā mānasamabhyetya vāyasā yāṃti haṃsatām ..

> just as crows attain the state of swans upon reaching \[lake\] Mānasa,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.27](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.27)

yathāmṛtaṃ sakṛtpītvā naro devatvamāpnuyāt .. .. 13 ..

> just as a man attains godhood upon drinking the nectar of immortality once,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.28](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.28)

tathaiva hi mahātmāno darśanasparśanādibhiḥ ..

> even so the great-souled purify immediately those possessed of sins  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.29](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.29)

sadyaḥ punaṃtyaghopetānsatsaṃgo durlabho hyataḥ .. 14 ..

> by sight, touch, and the like; therefore, the company of the virtuous is indeed hard to obtain.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.30](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.30)

yaḥ pūrvaṃ kṣutpipāsārto ghorātmā vipine caraḥ ..

> He who previously roamed the forest, afflicted with hunger and thirst, of cruel soul,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.31](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.31)

sa sadyastṛptimāyātaḥ pūrṇānaṃdo babhūva ha .. 15 ..

> immediately attained satisfaction and became filled with bliss.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.32](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.32)

tadgātralagnasitabhasmakaṇānuviddhaḥ sadyo vidhūtaghanapāpatamaḥsvabhāvaḥ ..

> Penetrated by the particles of white ash clinging to his limbs, his nature \[clouded by\] the dense darkness of sin instantly dispelled,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.33](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.33)

saṃprāptapūrvabhava saṃsmṛtirugrakāryastatpādapadmayugale praṇato babhāṣe .. 16 ..

> having attained the memory of his former birth, he of fierce deeds bowed at his two lotus-feet and spoke:  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.34](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.34)

.. rākṣasa uvāca .. ..

> The rākṣasa said:  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.35](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.35)

prasīda me mahāyoginprasīda karuṇānidhe ..

> Be gracious to me, O great yogin! Be gracious, O ocean of compassion!  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.36](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.36)

prasīda bhavataptānāmānaṃdāmṛvāridhe .. 17 ..

> Be gracious, O ocean of the nectar of bliss for those tormented by worldly existence!  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.37](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.37)

kvāhaṃ pāpamatirghoraḥ sarvaprāṇibhayaṃkaraḥ ..

> Where am I, wicked-minded, terrible, causing fear to all living beings,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.38](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.38)

kva te mahānubhāvasya darśanaṃ karuṇātmanaḥ .. 18 ..

> and where is the darśana of you, of noble character and compassionate nature?  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.39](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.39)

uddharoddhara māṃ ghore patitaṃ duḥkhasāgare ..

> Deliver me, deliver me, fallen into the terrible ocean of suffering!  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.40](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.40)

tava sannidhimātreṇa mahānaṃdo'bhivardhate .. 19 ..

> By your mere presence, great joy increases.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.41](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.41)

.. vāmadeva uvāca .. ..

> Vāmadeva said:  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.42](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.42)

kastvaṃ vanecaro ghoro rākṣaso'tra kimāsthitaḥ ..

> Who are you, fierce wanderer of the forest, a rākṣasa stationed here?  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.43](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.43)

kathametāṃ mahāghorāṃ kaṣṭāṃ gatimavāptavān .. 3.3.15.20 ..

> How did you come to attain this exceedingly terrible and distressing condition?  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.44](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.44)

.. rākṣasa uvāca .. ..

> The rākṣasa said:  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.45](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.45)

rākṣaso'hamitaḥ pūrvaṃ paṃcaviṃśatime bhave ..

> I was not a rākṣasa; twenty-five births before this,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.46](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.46)

goptā yavanarāṣṭrasya durjayo nāma vīryavān .. 21 ..

> I was the valiant protector of the Yavana kingdom, Durjaya by name.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.47](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.47)

so'haṃ durātmā pāpīyānsvairacārī madotkaṭaḥ ..

> That evil-souled, wicked, self-willed person was I, arrogant with pride,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.48](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.48)

daṃḍadhārī durācāraḥ pracaṃḍo nirghṛṇaḥ khalaḥ .. 22 ..

> wielding the rod of punishment, of vile conduct, fierce, merciless, wicked.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.49](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.49)

yuvā bahukalatro'pi kāmāsakto'jiteṃdriyaḥ ..

> Though young and having many wives, I was attached to lust, uncontrolled in senses;  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.50](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.50)

imāṃ pāpīyasīṃ ceṣṭāṃ punarekāṃ gato'smyaham .. 23 ..

> and yet again I undertook this most sinful practice:  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.51](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.51)

pratyahaṃ nūtanāmanyā nārīṃ bhoktumanāḥ sadā ..

> Ever desirous of enjoying a different new woman every day,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.52](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.52)

āhṛtāḥ sarvadeśebhyo nāryo bhṛtyairmadājñayā .. 24 ..

> women were brought from all lands by servants at my command.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.53](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.53)

bhuktvābhuktvā parityaktāmekāmekāṃ dinedine ..

> Having enjoyed and abandoned one after another day by day,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.54](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.54)

antargṛheṣu saṃsthāpya punaranyāḥ striyo dhṛtāḥ .. 25 ..

> placing them in the inner apartments, still other women were seized.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.55](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.55)

evaṃ svarāṣṭrātpararāṣṭrataśca deśākaragrāmapuravrajebhyaḥ ..

> Thus, having brought women from my own kingdom and other kingdoms, from regions, mines, villages, cities, and cowherd settlements,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.56](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.56)

āhṛtya nāryo ramitā dinedine bhukvā punaḥ kāpi na bhujyate mayā .. 26 ..

> they were enjoyed day by day; once enjoyed, none was ever enjoyed again by me.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.57](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.57)

athānyaiśca na bhujyaṃte mayā bhuktāstathā striyaḥ ..

> And women thus enjoyed by me were not enjoyed by others;  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.58](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.58)

antargṛheṣu nihitāḥ śocaṃte ca divāniśam .. 27 ..

> confined in the inner apartments, they grieved day and night.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.59](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.59)

brahmaviṭkṣatraśūdrāṇāṃ yadā nāryo mayā hṛtāḥ ..

> When women of brahmins, vaiśyas, kṣatriyas, and śūdras were abducted by me,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.60](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.60)

mama rājye sthitā viprāḥ saha dāraiḥ pradudruvuḥ.. 28 ..

> the brahmins living in my kingdom fled away together with their wives.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.61](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.61)

sabhartṛkāśca kanyāśca vidhavāśca rajasvalāḥ ..

> Women with husbands, maidens, widows, and menstruating women,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.62](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.62)

āhṛtya nāryo ramitā mayā kāmahatātmanā ..29..

> having abducted them, were enjoyed by me whose mind was ruined by lust.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.63](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.63)

triśataṃ dvijanārīṇāṃ rājastrīṇāṃ catuḥśatam ..

> Three hundred brahmin women, four hundred royal women,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.64](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.64)

ṣaṭśataṃ vaiśyanārīṇāṃ sahasraṃ śūdrayoṣitām .. 3.3.15.30 ..

> six hundred vaiśya women, a thousand śūdra women,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.65](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.65)

śataṃ cāṃḍālanadgīrṇā puliṃdīnāṃ sahasrakam ..

> a hundred caṇḍāla women, a thousand Pulinda women,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.66](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.66)

śailūṣīṇāṃ paṃcaśataṃ rajakīnāṃ catuḥśatam..31..

> five hundred actress women, and four hundred washerwomen \[were taken\].  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.67](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.67)

asaṃkhyā vāramukhyāśca mayā bhuktā durātmanā..

> Innumerable chief courtesans were enjoyed by me, evil-minded as I was;  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.68](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.68)

tathāpi mayi kāmasya na tṛptiḥ samajāyata .. 32 ..

> even so, no satiety of desire arose within me.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.69](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.69)

evaṃ durviṣayāsaktaṃ mattaṃ pānarataṃ sadā ..

> Thus attached to vile sense-objects, intoxicated, constantly devoted to drink,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.70](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.70)

yauvanepi mahārogā viviśuryakṣmakādayaḥ .. 33 ..

> great diseases such as consumption entered \[me\] even in my youth.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.71](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.71)

rogārdito'napatyaśca śatrubhiścāpi pīḍitaḥ ..

> Afflicted with diseases, childless, and oppressed also by enemies,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.72](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.72)

tyaktomātyaiśca bhṛtyaiśca mṛto'haṃ svena karmaṇā .. 34 ..

> abandoned by ministers and by servants, I died on account of my own karma.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.73](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.73)

āyurvinaśyatyayaśo vivardhate bhāgyaṃ kṣayaṃ yātyatidurgatiṃ vrajet ..

> Lifespan is destroyed, infamy increases, fortune comes to ruin, he goes to an extreme evil state,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.74](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.74)

svargāccyavaṃte pitaraḥ purātanā dharmavyapetasya narasya niścitam .. 35 ..

> and ancient ancestors fall from heaven—assuredly—for a man who has abandoned dharma.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.75](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.75)

athāhaṃ kiṃkarairyāmyairnīto vaivasvatālayam ..

> Then I was brought by the servants of Yama to the abode of the son of Vivasvat.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.76](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.76)

tato'haṃ narake ghore tatkuṇḍe vinipātitaḥ .. 36 ..

> From there I was cast down into a dreadful hell, into that pit.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.77](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.77)

tatrāhaṃ narake ghore varṣāṇāmayutatrayam ..

> There in that dreadful hell for thirty thousand years,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.78](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.78)

retaḥ pibanpīḍyamāno nyavasaṃ yamakiṃkaraiḥ .. 37 ..

> drinking semen, tortured by Yama's servants, I dwelt.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.79](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.79)

tataḥ pāpāvaśeṣeṇa piśāco nirjane vane ..

> Then, through the remainder of \[my\] sins, in a desolate forest,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.80](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.80)

sahasraśiśnaḥ saṃjāto nityaṃ kṣuttṛṣayākulaḥ .. 38 ..

> I was born as a piśāca with a thousand penises, constantly tormented by hunger and thirst.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.81](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.81)

paiśācīṃ gatimāśritya nītaṃ divyaṃ śaracchatam ..

> Having taken up the condition of a piśāca, a hundred divine years were spent.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.82](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.82)

dvitīyehaṃ bhave jāto vyāghraḥ prāṇibhayaṃkaraḥ .. 39 ..

> In my second birth I was born as a tiger, terrifying to living beings.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.83](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.83)

tṛtīye'jagaro ghoraścaturthe'haṃ bhave vṛkaḥ ..

> In the third, a dreadful python; in the fourth birth I \[became\] a wolf.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.84](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.84)

paṃcame viḍvarāhaśca ṣaṣṭhe'haṃ kṛkalāsakaḥ .. 3.3.15.40 ..

> In the fifth, a village pig; and in the sixth, I \[became\] a chameleon.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.85](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.85)

saptame'haṃ sārameyaḥ sṛgālaścāṣṭame bhave ..

> In the seventh I \[became\] a dog, and in the eighth birth a jackal.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.86](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.86)

navame gavayo bhīmo mṛgo'haṃ daśame bhave .. 41 ..

> In the ninth a fearsome gavaya, and in the tenth birth I was a deer.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.87](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.87)

ekādaśe markaṭaśca gṛdhro'haṃ dvādaśe bhave ..

> In the eleventh, a monkey; and in the twelfth birth I was a vulture.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.88](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.88)

trayodaśe'haṃ nakulo vāyasaśca catu rdaśe .. 42 ..

> In the thirteenth I was a mongoose, and a crow in the fourteenth.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.89](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.89)

acchabhallaḥ paṃcadaśe ṣoḍaśe vanakukkuṭaḥ..

> In the fifteenth, a bear; in the sixteenth, a wild cock.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.90](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.90)

gardabho'haṃ saptadaśe mārjāroṣṭādaśe bhave ..43..

> In the seventeenth I was a donkey; in the eighteenth birth, a cat.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.91](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.91)

ekonaviṃśe maṇḍūkaḥ kūrmo viṃśatime bhave ..

> In the nineteenth, a frog; in the twentieth birth, a tortoise.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.92](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.92)

ekaviṃśe bhave matsyo dvāviṃśe mūṣako'bhavam .. 44 ..

> In the twenty-first birth, a fish; in the twenty-second, I became a mouse.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.93](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.93)

ulūkohaṃ trayoviṃśe caturviśe vanadvipaḥ ..

> In the twenty-third I was an owl; in the twenty-fourth, a wild elephant.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.94](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.94)

paṃcaviṃśe bhave cāsmiñjātohaṃ brahmarākṣasaḥ .. 45 ..

> And in this twenty-fifth birth, I was born as a brahmarākṣasa.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.95](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.95)

kṣutparīto nirāhāro vasāmyatra mahāvane ..

> Overcome by hunger, destitute of food, I dwell here in this great forest.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.96](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.96)

idānīmāgataṃ dṛṣṭvā bhavaṃtaṃ jagdhumutsukaḥ ..

> Just now, seeing you arrived, I was eager to devour \[you\].  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.97](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.97)

tvaddehasparśamātreṇa jātā pūrvabhavasmṛtiḥ .. 46 ..

> Merely through the contact with your body, memory of my previous births arose.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.98](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.98)

gatajanma sahasrāṇi smarāmyadya tvadaṃtike ..

> Today, in your presence, I remember thousands of past births.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.99](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.99)

nirvedaśca paro jātaḥ prasannaṃ hṛdayaṃ ca me .. 47 ..

> Supreme detachment has arisen, and my heart is clear.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.100](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.100)

īdṛśo'yaṃ prabhāvaste kathaṃ labdho mahāmate ..

> How was such power obtained by you, O noble-minded one?  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.101](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.101)

tapasā vāpi tīvreṇa kimu tīrthaniṣevaṇāt .. 48 ..

> Was it by severe austerity, or from resorting to sacred fords,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.102](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.102)

yogena devaśaktyā vā maṃtrairvānaṃtaśaktibhiḥ ..

> by yoga, by the power of the gods, or by mantras of infinite power?  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.103](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.103)

tattvato brūhi bhagavaṃstvāmahaṃ śaraṇaṃ gataḥ .. 49 ..

> Tell me truly, O venerable one; I have taken refuge in you.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.104](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.104)

.. vāmadeva uvāca .. ..

> Vāmadeva said:  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.105](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.105)

eṣa madgātralagnasya prabhāvo bhasmano mahān ..

> This is the great power of the sacred ash clinging to my limbs,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.106](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.106)

yatsaṃparkāttamovṛttestaveyaṃ matiruttamā .. 3.3.15.50 ..

> from contact with which you, whose disposition was darkness, now have this noble mind.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.107](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.107)

ko veda bhasmasāmarthyaṃ mahādevā dṛte paraḥ ..

> Who knows the power of sacred ash other than Mahādeva?  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.108](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.108)

durvibhāvyaṃ yathā śaṃbhormāhātmyaṃ bhasmanastathā .. 51 ..

> Just as Śambhu's māhātmya is unfathomable, so is that of sacred ash.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.109](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.109)

purā bhavādṛśaḥ kaścidbrāhmaṇo dharmavarjitaḥ ..

> Formerly there was a certain brahmin like you, devoid of dharma,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.110](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.110)

drāviḍeṣu sthito mūḍhaḥ karmaṇā śūdratāṃ gataḥ .. 52 ..

> living among the Dravidians, foolish, reduced to the state of a śūdra by his deeds.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.111](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.111)

cauryavṛttirnaiṣkṛtiko vṛṣalīratilālasaḥ..

> Addicted to thievery, deceitful, lusting for pleasure with an outcaste woman,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.112](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.112)

kadācijjāratāṃ prāptaḥ śūdreṇa nihato niśi .. 53 ..

> having once become a paramour, he was slain at night by a śūdra.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.113](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.113)

tacchavasya bahirgrāmā tkṣiptasya pretakarmaṇaḥ ..

> When his corpse, for funeral rites, was cast outside the village,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.114](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.114)

cacāra sārameyoṃ'ge bhasmapādo yadṛcchayā .. 54 ..

> a dog with ash on its paws walked over the body by chance.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.115](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.115)

atha taṃ narake ghore patitaṃ śivakiṃkarāḥ..

> Then, as he had fallen into a dreadful hell, the servants of Śiva,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.116](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.116)

ninyurvimānamāropya prasahya yamakiṃkarān .. 55 ..

> overpowering the servants of Yama, took \[him\] away, placing him upon an aerial chariot.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.117](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.117)

śivadūtānsamabhyetya yamopi paripṛṣṭavān ..

> Approaching the messengers of Śiva, even Yama asked:  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.118](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.118)

mahāpātakakarttāraṃ kathamenaṃ ninīṣatha .. 56 ..

> “Why do you wish to carry away this perpetrator of great sins?”  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.119](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.119)

athocuḥ śivadūtāste paśyāsya śavavigraham ..

> Then those messengers of Śiva said: “Look at this corpse of his!  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.120](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.120)

vakṣolalāṭadormūlānyaṃkitāni subhasmanā .. 57 ..

> His chest, forehead, and armpits are marked with auspicious sacred ash.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.121](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.121)

ata enaṃ samānetumāgatāḥ śivaśāsanāt ..

> Therefore we have come to fetch him by the command of Śiva.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.122](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.122)

nāsmānniṣeddhuṃ śaktosi māstvatra tava saṃśayaḥ .. 58 ..

> You are not able to prevent us; let there be no doubt of yours in this matter.”  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.123](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.123)

ityābhāṣya yamaṃ śaṃbhordūtāstaṃ brāhmaṇaṃ tataḥ ..

> Having thus spoken to Yama, the messengers of Śambhu then took that brahmin,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.124](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.124)

paśyatāṃ sarvalokānāṃ ninyurlokamanāmayam .. 59 ..

> while all the worlds looked on, to the disease-free realm.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.125](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.125)

tasmādaśeṣapāpānāṃ sadyaḥ saṃśodhanaṃ param ..

> Therefore, the supreme purifier instantly of all sins,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.126](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.126)

śaṃbhorvibhūṣaṇaṃ bhasma satataṃ dhriyate mayā .. 3.3.15.60 ..

> the sacred ash, the ornament of Śambhu, is constantly worn by me.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.127](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.127)

itthaṃ niśamya māhātmyaṃ bhasmano brahmarākṣasaḥ ..

> Having thus heard the māhātmya of the ashes, the brahmarākṣasa,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.128](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.128)

vistareṇa punaḥ śrotu mautkaṃṭhyādityabhāṣata .. 61 ..

> longing to hear it again in detail, spoke thus: // 61  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.129](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.129)

sādhusādhu mahāyogindhanyosmi tava darśanāt ..

> “Hail, hail, O great yogin! Blessed am I by your darśana.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.130](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.130)

māṃ vimocaya dharmātmanghorādasmātkujanmanaḥ .. 62 ..

> Deliver me, O righteous-souled one, from this terrible, wretched birth! // 62  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.131](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.131)

kiṃcidastīha me bhāti mayā puṇyaṃ purākṛtam ..

> It appears to me that some merit was formerly performed by me here;  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.132](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.132)

atohaṃ tvatprasādena muktosmyadya dvijottama .. 63 ..

> therefore, by your grace, I am liberated today, O best of brahmins! // 63  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.133](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.133)

ekasmai śivabhaktāya tasminpārthivajanmani ..

> In that birth as a king, to a single devotee of Śiva  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.134](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.134)

bhūmirvṛttikarī dattā sasyārāmānvitā mayā .. 99 ..

> land yielding livelihood, endowed with crops and orchards, was given by me. // 99 \[64\]  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.135](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.135)

yamenāpi tadaivoktaṃ paṃcaviṃśatime bhave ..

> Even by Yama it was said at that very time: ‘In your twenty-fifth birth,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.136](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.136)

kasyacidyoginaḥ saṃgānmokṣyase saṃsṛteriti .. 65 ..

> through association with a certain yogin, you will be released from worldly existence.’ // 65  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.137](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.137)

tadadya phalitaṃ puṇyaṃ yatkiṃcitprāgbhavārjitam ..

> That merit which was acquired in a former life has borne fruit today;  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.138](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.138)

ato nirmanujāraṇye saṃprāptastava saṃgamaḥ .. 66 ..

> for this reason, your company has been attained in this uninhabited forest. // 66  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.139](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.139)

ato māṃ ghorapāpmānaṃ saṃsaraṃtaṃ kujanmani ..

> Therefore, me of terrible sin, wandering in a wretched birth,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.140](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.140)

samuddhara kṛpāsindho dattvā bhasma samaṃtrakam .. 67 ..

> uplift, O ocean of compassion, having given the ashes endowed with mantra! // 67  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.141](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.141)

kathaṃ dhāryamidaṃ bhasma ko maṃtraḥ ko vidhiḥ śubhaḥ ..

> How are these ashes to be worn? What is the mantra? What is the auspicious ritual procedure?  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.142](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.142)

kaḥ kālaḥ kaśca vā deśaḥ sarvaṃ kathaya me guro .. 68 ..

> What is the proper time, and what is the proper place? Tell me everything, O guru! // 68  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.143](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.143)

bhavādṛśā mahātmānaḥ sadā lokahite ratāḥ ..

> Great souls like you are always devoted to the welfare of the world;  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.144](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.144)

nātmano hitamicchaṃti kalpavṛkṣasadharmiṇaḥ .. 69 ..

> sharing the nature of the wish-fulfilling tree, they do not desire their own benefit.” // 69  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.145](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.145)

.. sūta uvāca .. ..

> Sūta said:  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.146](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.146)

ityuktastena yogīśo ghoreṇa vanacāriṇā ..

> Thus addressed by that terrible dweller of the forest, the lord of yogins,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.147](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.147)

bhūyopi bhasmamāhātmyaṃ varṇayāmāsa tattvavit .. 3.3.15.70 .. ..

> the knower of reality, once again described the māhātmya of the ashes. // 3.3.15.70  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [3.3.15.148](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15.148)

iti śrīskāṃde mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ tṛtīye brahmottarakhaṇḍe bhasmamāhātmyakathanaṃ nāma paṃcadaśo'dhyāyaḥ .. 15 ..

> Thus ends the fifteenth chapter, named 'The Discourse on the Māhātmya of the Ashes', in the Brahmottarakhaṇḍa of the third \[section\] in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, in the collection of eighty-one thousand \[verses\]. // 15  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

## Translations (1)

- [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda~en-mt.3.3.15.1) — English, machine translation

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Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.3.3.15) · Pramāṇa