Skandapurana 3.3.2

Sūta said: / Now I shall tell another māhātmya of the enemy of Tripura, / by the mere hearing of which all doubts are swiftly severed.

There is nothing superior to this for the purification of sins, / bringing delight to all, glorious, accomplishing all aims and desires,

bestowing the fruits of long life, victory, health, enjoyment, and liberation— / which is the supreme worship of Maheśa with single-minded devotion.

Whether fresh or dry, small or great [sins], / this alone is taught as the supreme expiation.

It is the cause of destruction even of sins that cannot be broken at all times / by the supreme expiations prescribed by great sages.

This alone is the supreme good ascertained by all treatises: / the worship of the Supreme Lord with devotion, which yields supreme prosperity.

Whether knowingly or unknowingly, or for whatever reason, / whatever slight act is performed for God yields complete liberation.

In the month of Māgha, on the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight, fasting is exceedingly rare; / even more difficult than that, I think, is the keeping of a night vigil by men.

Exceedingly rare, I consider, is the darśana of the Śivaliṅga; / even far rarer, I consider, is the worship of the Supreme Lord.

From the ripening of a mass of merit produced across hundreds of millions of births / is obtained, moreover, the worship of the Lord with bilva leaves on that occasion.

A man who has bathed in the water of the river Gaṅgā for ten thousand years / obtains that [same] fruit merely by worshipping once with a bilva leaf.

Whatever merits have vanished here age after age / all abide entirely on the fourteenth of the dark fortnight in Māgha.

The gods headed by Brahmā, and sages such as Vasiṣṭha, / praise this very fourteenth of the dark fortnight in Māgha in the world.

A fast kept here by anyone surpasses a hundred sacrifices; / the merit of a night vigil is greater than austerity for ten million kalpas.

If the worship of the Śivaliṅga is performed with a single bilva leaf, / who indeed could seek an equal to that merit in the three worlds?

Here is narrated a sacred, exceedingly splendid tale, / which, though secret, was disclosed by Gautama out of compassion. / 16

Born of the Ikṣvāku lineage was a glorious and supremely righteous king / named Mitrasaha, foremost among all archers. / 17

That king knew all weapons, was versed in the scriptures, and had mastered the Vedas; / a hero possessed of immense strength and vigor, ever energetic, a treasury of compassion. / 18

As if a mass of merits, as if a cage of fiery splendors, / as if a sacred field of wonders—such did his form shine forth. / 19

His heart was filled with compassion, his body with splendor, / and his feet with the rays of the crest-jewels of tributary kings. // 3.3.2.20
Once that lord of the earth, eager for the sport of hunting, / entered a terrible wilderness, surrounded by a large army. // 21
There with his arrows he pierced tigers, gavayas, deer, / ruru deer, boars, buffaloes, and also lions in abundance. // 22
Mounted on a chariot, devoted to the hunt, roaming the dense thicket fully armored, / he slew a night-stalker that possessed the form of blazing fire. // 23
His younger brother, overcome with grief upon seeing it, vanished into the distance; / seeing his brother slain, he reflected in his mind: // 24
“Indeed, this king is invincible even to the gods and the rakṣasas; / by trickery alone must my enemy be conquered, and not otherwise.” // 25
Having thus resolved, that evil rākṣasa in human form / approached the foremost of kings like an embodied calamity. // 26
Seeing him of humble bearing, arrived to offer his service, / the lord of the earth, out of ignorance, made him head of the kitchen. // 27
Then, having sported for some time in that forest, / the king ceased, abandoning the hunt, and returned to his own city. // 28
Of that foremost of mighty kings, a faithful wife named Madayantī / was renowned as beloved, just as Damayantī was to Nala. // 29
At that time the king, having invited the eminent sage / Vasiṣṭha when the day for the ancestors had arrived, brought him to his house. // 3.3.2.30
When the meat dish mixed with human flesh by the rakṣas in the form of the cook / was placed before him, the guru then spoke: // 31
“Fie, fie upon human flesh! O king, by you, a deceitful villain, / this has been offered to me today; therefore you shall become a rakṣas!” // 32
Not knowing it was done by a rakṣas, the guru, having thus cursed [him], / then reflected again and made that curse last for twelve years. // 33
Enraged, the king too said: “Since this was not done by me, / nor known, I have been cursed in vain; I too shall curse my guru!” // 34
Taking up water in his cupped hands and preparing to curse the guru, / Madayantī, falling at his feet, restrained him. // 35
Then, desisting from the curse out of respect for her words, / he dropped the water upon his feet; his two feet became blackened. // 36
From that time forth the ruler of the earth was renowned as Kalmāṣāṅghri; / by the curse of the guru, he became a forest-dwelling rākṣasa. // 37
Assuming a terrible rākṣasa form like the god of death at the end of time, / roaming the forest, he devoured various living beings, beginning with humans. // 38
Once in the forest, somewhere, resembling the god of death, he saw / a youthful, newly-wed sage couple making love. // 39
Feeding on humans, afflicted by the curse, the rākṣasa seized / the youthful son of the sage to devour him, as a tiger seizes a fawn. // 3.3.2.40
Seeing her husband seized by the rakṣas, his beloved, terrified, / weeping and trembling violently, the young woman said piteously: // 41
“Oh, oh, do not commit sin, upholder of the glory of the Solar dynasty! / You are indeed the husband of Madayantī, a lord of kings, not a rākṣasa. // 42
Do not devour my husband, dearer to me than life, O lord; / for you alone are the refuge of the distressed who seek protection! // 43
What use to me, like heaps of sins, are my vile, senseless life-breaths, / and this body, an excessive burden without my noble husband? // 44
What joy is there in this foul, sinful body made of the five elements? / This youth is a knower of the Veda, tranquil, an ascetic, learned in many scriptures. // 45
Therefore, by giving him life, protection of the world will be performed by you; / have mercy, O great king, upon a young brahmin woman! // 46 //”

“The virtuous are indeed compassionate toward the helpless, the wretched, and the distressed.” / Even though thus beseeched, that man-eater was merciless. / 47

Cutting off the head, the evil-minded one devoured the brahmin’s son. / Then the virtuous woman, emaciated, miserable, and lamenting, deeply grieved, / 48

gathered her husband’s bones and prepared a terrifying funeral pyre; / following her husband, entering the fire, / 49

she struck that king in the form of a rākṣasa with the weapon of a curse: / “Hey, hey, sinful king, my husband has been devoured by you! // 3.3.2.50

Therefore suffer the terrible curse of a devoted wife: / From this day forth, whenever you unite with women, / then your death shall occur!” Having spoken thus, the faithful wife entered the fire. / 51

That king also, having endured the guru's curse whose term was fulfilled, / resumed his own form and, delighted, went to his own home. / 52

Knowing the curse of the brahmin’s faithful wife, his wife restrained her husband / who was eager for amorous pleasure, being utterly terrified of widowhood. / 53

Childless, disgusted with the enjoyments of kingship, the ruler of the earth, / abandoning all his royal fortune, went once more to the forest. / 54

For the continuation of the Solar dynasty, Vasiṣṭha, the best of sages, / fathered an excellent son upon that Madayantī. / 55

Having renounced his kingdom, the king, wandering over the entire earth, / saw coming behind him a female piśāca of terrible form. / 56

She was indeed the embodiment of terrible, insurmountable brahmahatyā, / incurred when, fallen through the curse, he had devoured the sage’s son. / 57

Through that deed of his own, the king understood, / by the instruction of the best of sages, that brahmahatyā was following behind him. / 58

Seeking expiation for it, his mind despondent, / the king wandered to various sacred fields and sacred fords for many years. / 59

When, despite bathing repeatedly in all the sacred fords, / the murder of a brahmin was not removed, he then came to Mithilā. / Having gone to its outer garden, afflicted with supreme anxiety,

he saw the pure-minded sage Gautama arriving, / who, like fire, was attended by countless ascetics;

who, like the sun, completely dispelled the darkness of dense blemishes; / who, like the moon, was devoid of fear and an arising of radiant virtues;

who, like Maheśvara bearing the crescent moon, bore the learning of the illustrious king of the twice-born; / tranquil, accompanied by a host of disciples, the sole vessel of austerities.

Approaching him, that king of kings bowed again and again. / Gautama too, the best of sages, [addressed] the king born of the solar dynasty.

Welcoming him with affection, the sage spoke with a smile:

Gautama said: / "Is all well with you, O king? Is your imperishable position safe?

Are your subjects prosperous, or the women of your inner quarters? / For what purpose have you come here, having cast aside all royal splendour?

And what are you pondering, O king, sighing long and hot?"

The king said: / "All of us are well, O brahmin, through your compassion. / For the fortunes of kings of noble lineage are indeed dependent on brahmins. / Yet what torments me is this piśācī of dreadful form,

unseen by anyone other than me, threatening me at every step.

Alas, what was done by me, burnt by a curse, is difficult to overcome;

no peace is produced from it by thousands of expiations.

Various sacrifices have been offered, with the entire treasury given as sacrificial fees;

the rivers and lakes that are worthy of veneration on the face of the earth have been bathed in;

all the sacred fields have been visited by me as I wandered;

all mantras have been recited; all deities have been meditated upon;

great vows have been observed by me, subsisting on leaves, roots, and fruits.

All those do not bring me peace at any time.

Today the fruitfulness of my birth seems to have been attained,

since from the very darśana of you, my self has partaken of joy.

Seeking, one might sometimes attain one's desire after a multitude of years:'

even this popular saying has become true in my case,

at the rising and fruition of merits accumulated since birth,

since you, the protector of those who fear mundane existence, have become visible to my eyes.

From which land have you, the remover of the fear of worldly existence, come here?

I think you have come here, rested after travelling from afar;

as if having seen something exceedingly wondrous, you are delighted, judging from the radiance of your face.

You delight my mind, as if through conversing with love.

Today, for me who have committed a sin and have taken refuge in your lotus feet,

bring peace, O fortunate one, so that I may attain happiness."

Addressed thus by him, Gautama, an ocean of compassion,

properly prescribed the expiation for terrible sins.

Gautama said:

"Well done, O king of kings! You are fortunate. Cast aside fear of great sins.

When Śiva is the protector of his devotees, where is the fear for those seeking refuge?

Hear, O noble king, of another celebrated sacred field,

the destroyer of great sins, delightful, called Gokarṇa,

where there is no persistence of sins, even the greatest of the great;

where Śiva, whose mere remembrance destroys all sins, is present.

Just as on the peak of Kailāsa, just as on the summit of Mandāra,

so the dwelling of Śambhu is established in the realm of Gokarṇa.

Not by fire, not by the moon, not by the lords of stars and planets,

is darkness completely dispelled, as it is by the sight of the sun;

even so, not by other sacred fords nor by delightful sacred fields,

can instantaneous purification from sin occur as it does from the darśana of Gokarṇa.

Even having committed a hundred sins such as the murder of a brahmin, a man

who enters Gokarṇa just once never fears sin anywhere.

There all the great-souled ones have attained peace through austerity.

It is resorted to by Indra, Upendra, Viriñci, and others who desire perfections.

Whatever supreme vow is performed there even for a single day,

becomes equal to that performed elsewhere for a hundred thousand years.

Where, out of a desire for the welfare of the gods headed by Indra, Brahmā, and Viṣṇu,

the God is present in person under the name of Mahābala.

Obtained through terrible austerity by the rākṣasa named Rāvaṇa,

that liṅga was installed at Gokarṇa by the lord of gaṇas.

Indra, Brahmā, Mukunda, the Viśvedevas, the hosts of the Maruts,

the Ādityas, the Vasus, the two Aśvins, the Moon, and the Sun—

these gods, travelling in aerial chariots, together with their attendants,

attend upon the eastern gate of the God of gods who bears the trident.

Yama, Death himself in person, Citragupta, and Agni,

Together with the ancestors and the Rudras, have taken their place at the southern gate.

Varuṇa, the lord of rivers, along with the hosts of rivers headed by the Gaṅgā,

Serves Mahādeva, having taken his place at the western gate.

Likewise, Vāyu, Kubera, and Bhadrakarṇikā, the ruler of gods,

Have taken their place at the northern gate together with the Mothers headed by Caṇḍikā.

Viśvāvasu, Citraratha, and the mighty Citrasena,

Along with the troops of gandharvas, worship Mahābala.

Rambhā, Ghṛtācī, Menā, Pūrvacitti, and Tilottamā—

Celestial women headed by Urvaśī dance before Śambhu.

Vasiṣṭha, Kaśyapa, Kaṇva, Viśvāmitra of great austerity,

Jaimini, Bharadvāja, Jābāli, Kratu, and Aṅgiras—

These and we, O king of kings, all spotless brahmin seers,

Worship the god Mahābala with devotion on all sides.

Atri together with Marīci, the lords of sages headed by Dakṣa,

And the great-souled ones headed by Sanaka sit and attend upon him.

Likewise sages, Sādhyas, wearers of deerskin garments,

Staff-bearers, those with shaven heads by vow, graduates, celibate students,

Their limbs reduced to mere skin and bone, their sins burned away by austerity,

Serve the god of gods, Pinākin, with supreme devotion.

Likewise gods with gandharvas, ancestors, siddhas, cāraṇas,

Vidyādharas, kiṃpuruṣas, kinnaras, guhyakas, birds,

Nāgas, piśācas, vetālas, and mighty sons of Diti,

Endowed with various kinds of wealth, possessing various ornaments and mounts,

In aerial chariots resembling the sun, fire-colored, bright as the moon,

And others like masses of lightning, have surrounded him on every side.

They praise, sing aloud, recite, and bow down;

They dance and rejoice in Gokarṇa, O lord of the earth.

They obtain their desired objects and delight at their pleasure.

There is no sacred field equal to Gokarṇa in the entire globe of the cosmos.

There fierce austerity was practiced by the great-souled Agastya,

Likewise by Sanatkumāra, and by the sons of Priyavrata,

By Agni the foremost among gods, and by Kandarpa, O king,

Likewise by goddess Bhadrakālī, and by the wise Śiśumāra,

By Durmukha the lord of serpents, and the one named Maṇināga,

By nāgas headed by Ilāvarta, and by the mighty Garuḍa.

Even by the rākṣasa Rāvaṇa, and by the one named Kumbhakarṇa,

And by the virtuous, great-souled Vibhīṣaṇa, austerity was practiced.

These and other gods, siddhas, dānavas, and humans,

Having worshiped Śiva, the lord of the god of gods, with devotion in Gokarṇa,

And having established thousands of liṅgas marked with their own names,

Attained supreme perfection and likewise made sacred fords.

Here are the shrines of all the gods, O king:

Of Viṣṇu the god of gods, of Brahmā the highest lord,

Of the heroic Kārttikeya, and of the elephant-faced one, O sinless one,

Of Dharma, of the guardian of the field, and of Durgā, O highly intelligent one.

In Gokarṇa there are tens of millions of Śivaliṅgas,

And countless sacred fords stand at every step.

What need is there of saying much here, O king? In Gokarṇa,

All stones are liṅgas, and all waters everywhere are sacred fords.

The greatness of the Śivaliṅgas and of the sacred fords in Gokarṇa

Is sung profusely by the great seers in the Purāṇas, O king.

In Gokarṇa, the Koṭitīrtha has attained preeminence among sacred fords,

And Mahābala is the emperor of all Śivaliṅgas.

In the Kṛta age, Mahābala was white; in the Tretā age, extremely red;

In the Dvāpara age, of yellow color; and in the Kali age, he will be dark.

Though Mahābala pervades the seven netherworlds,

When the terrible Kali age arrives, he will assume tenderness.

Since the excellent sacred field of Gokarṇa, situated on the shore of the western ocean,

Burns away sins such as the killing of a brahmin, what is there to wonder at?

And here, those who are murderers of brahmins, those who harm living beings, the deceitful,

those devoid of all virtues, and those devoted to the wives of others,

those of bad conduct, those of evil ways, the ill-behaved, and the miserly,

the greedy, the cruel, the wicked, the foolish, thieves, and the excessively lustful—

they all, having reached Gokarṇa and bathed in the waters of the sacred fords,

and having beheld the god Mahābala, have gone to the abode of Śaṃkara.

There, on auspicious lunar days, under auspicious lunar mansions, on auspicious days of the week,

those who worship the Great Lord become Rudras—there is no doubt.

Whenever any human being at all

enters Gokarṇa and worships the Lord, he goes to the abode of Brahmā.

When a new moon occurs on a Sunday, a Monday, or a Wednesday,

then bathing in the ocean, giving gifts, and offering libations to the ancestors,

worship of Śiva, silent recitation, fire sacrifice, observance of vows, and worshipping twice-borns—

whatever rite is performed yields endless reward.

During conjunctions such as Vyatīpāta, and during the sun's transits,

at the times of the great twilight worship, the worship of Śiva bestows liberation.

Now I shall tell you, O king, of one lunar day that bestows liberation,

upon which, indeed, the great hunter attained the supreme state of Śambhu:

in the month of Māgha, that greatly auspicious fourteenth day of the dark fortnight;

a Śiva-liṅga, and a bilva leaf—rare indeed is this group of four.

Ah, powerful is the illusion by which this great lunar day sacred to Śiva

is not kept with fasting by foolish people, just as the threefold Veda [is not studied] by the utterly mute!

Fasting, keeping vigil, and presence before the Supreme Lord—

Gokarṇa is the stairway for men to the world of Śiva.

Listen, O king: I too have just now arrived from Gokarṇa,

having observed this lunar day of Śiva and having watched the great festival.

On this lunar day of Śiva, all wishing to see the great festival,

great multitudes belonging to all four varnas came from all countries;

women, the elderly, children, and dwellers in the four stages of life,

having come and seen the Lord of gods, attained fulfillment of purpose.

Then I too, these disciples, and other seers likewise,

and royal seers, O king of kings, and celestial seers headed by Sanaka,

having bathed in all the sacred fords and worshipped Mahābala,

and having attained the fruitfulness of our births, departed in every direction.

Having been invited today by this king, Janaka, who desires to perform a sacrifice,

I have arrived from Gokarṇa, the temple of Śiva.

On the way, my dear sir, having seen a certain wonder as I was returning,

with a mind filled with great joy, I am fulfilled, O protector of the earth.

Thus ends the second chapter, named 'Description of the Greatness of Gokarṇa', in the third Brahmottara section of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, in the collection of eighty-one thousand verses.