Skandapurana 3.3.8.80

Sūta said:
Those who know the reality of Śiva—which consists of eternal bliss, is peaceful, free of conceptual differentiation, flawless, and without beginning or end—have attained the supreme state. / 1
Those steadfast ones who, detached from the pleasures of desires, practice unmotivated,
supreme devotion to Śiva attain liberation, not transmigration. / 2
Those who, while intending sensory objects, maintain affection for Śiva
are not overcome by sensory objects, even while enjoying their fruits. / 3
Endowed with devotion to Śiva with whatever disposition,
a man is not destroyed by time; he attains the supreme state. / 4
He who wishes to ascend to the supreme realm, but whose mind is attached to sensory objects,
should worship Śambhu through ritual action; at the end of enjoyment he shall attain Śiva. / 5
Almost no one is capable of abandoning the latent desire for sensory objects;
therefore, action-based worship is a wish-fulfilling cow for embodied souls. / 6
For those who, having enjoyed happiness for a long time even in this world composed of illusion,
desire liberation at the end of the body, this duty has been proclaimed. / 7
Worship of Śiva in this world is always the cause of heaven and final liberation,
especially on Monday when combined with auspicious qualities such as pradoṣa. / 8
For those who perform the worship of Śiva even merely on a Monday,
nothing whatsoever is difficult to obtain in this world or the next. / 9
Having fasted, become pure, and controlled one's senses on a Monday,
one should worship Śiva according to the rules, through Vedic or worldly rites. / 10
A celibate student, a householder, an unmarried girl, a married woman,
or a widow, having worshiped him, obtains the desired boon. / 11
Here I shall relate a story captivating to the listener's heart;
having heard it, they indeed attain liberation, and devotion directed to Śambhu arises. / 12
In Āryāvarta there was a certain king, the best of the upholders of righteousness,
renowned as Citravarman, a King of Justice to the wicked. / 13
He was the protector of the embankments of righteousness, the chastiser of those who walk on evil paths,
the performer of all sacrifices, the savior of those seeking refuge, / 14
the maker of all merits, the bestower of all riches,
the conqueror of hordes of rivals, devoted to Śiva and Mukunda. / 15

Having obtained mighty sons from his compliant wives, / he at last obtained one fair-faced daughter, long prayed for. / 16
Having obtained that daughter, as Himavat obtained Pārvatī by good fortune, / he considered himself like a god, his desires fulfilled. / 17
Once, summoning virtuous leaders of the twice-born who knew the signs of horoscopes, / his mind filled with curiosity, he asked the consequences of the girl's birth. / 18
Then one excellent twice-born [brahmin] there, learned in many matters, said: / “This daughter of yours, O king, shall be named Sīmantinī. / 19
She will be auspicious like Umā, beautiful like Damayantī, / skilled in arts like Bhāratī, endowed with great virtues like Lakṣmī. / 20
She will have good offspring like the Mother of the Gods, be devoted to vows like Jānakī, / radiant with noble splendor like the light of the sun, delightful like the moonlight. / 21
For ten thousand years she will rejoice with her husband; / having borne eight sons, she will attain supreme happiness.” / 22
When he had spoken thus, the king, honoring that twice-born [brahmin] with wealth, / experienced supreme joy, drinking the nectar of his words. / 23
Then another twice-born [brahmin] too, steadfast and of immeasurable splendor, spoke: / “In her fourteenth year, she will meet with widowhood.” / 24
Hearing his word, harsh as a thunderbolt's crash, / the king for a moment became bewildered in his mind with sorrow. / 25
Then, dismissing all the brahmins, the king, lover of the sacred word, / considered everything to be ordained by fate and became free of anxiety. / 26
And that young girl Sīmantinī, her childhood gradually passing, / heard from the mouth of her own friend of her future widowhood. / 27
Having fallen into deep despair, the maiden pondered; / she approached Maitreyī, the wife of the sage Yājñavalkya, and questioned her: / 28
“O mother, distressed with fear, I have sought refuge at your lotus feet; / you ought to declare to me an action that promotes good fortune in marriage.” / 29
To the king's daughter who had thus sought refuge, the virtuous wife of the sage said:

“Take refuge, O slender-limbed girl, in Pārvatī united with Śiva. / 30
On Mondays worship Śiva and Gaurī with a collected mind, / having fasted or bathed well, wearing spotless garments. / 31
Restraining speech with an unwavering mind, having performed the proper worship, / and having fed brahmins, properly propitiate Śiva. / 32
Destruction of sins comes through anointing; imperial rule from worshiping the pedestal; / all good fortune and happiness from offering perfumes, garlands, and unhusked grain. / 33
Sweet fragrance comes from presenting incense, and radiant splendor from presenting a lamp; / great enjoyment from food offerings, and prosperity from offering betel. / 34
Virtue, wealth, pleasure, and liberation come from offering salutations; / recitation of mantras is indeed the cause of the perfections such as the eight sovereign powers. / 35
From oblation in fire arises the fulfillment of all desires; / from feeding brahmins comes the satisfaction of all the gods. / 36
In this manner worship Śiva and also Śivā on Mondays; / even if overtaken by terrible misfortune, you will overcome defeat. / 37
Even if fallen into most terrible, awful, and frightening misery, / by the power of worshiping Śiva you will cross over great fear.” / 38
Having thus properly instructed Sīmantinī, the virtuous woman departed; / and that princess of lovely hips did accordingly. / 39
To Damayantī and Nala was born a son named Indrasena; / his son was Candrāṅgada, resembling the moon. / 40
Citravarmā, best of kings, summoning that prince, / gave his daughter Sīmantinī to him with the permission of his preceptors. / 41
There was a great festival at her wedding, / where a great gathering of all kings took place. / 42
Having taken her hand in marriage at the appointed time, the fortunate Candrāṅgada / lived for some months right there in his father-in-law's house. / 43
Once, to cross the Yamunā, that powerful prince / boarded a boat playfully with some companions. / 44
As the prince was crossing the Kālindī, by the power of fate,

the boat, struck by a whirlpool, sank along with the boatmen. / 45
A very great cry of “Alas, alas!” arose on both its banks; / as all the troops looked on, their wailing touched the sky. / 46
Drowning, some died; some went into the bellies of crocodiles; / the prince and others were not seen anywhere in the vast water. / 47
Hearing that, King Citravarmā too, utterly distracted, / reached the bank of the Yamunā and became motionless. / 48
Hearing it, the king's wives too lost consciousness; / and Sīmantinī, upon hearing it, fell unconscious to the ground. / 49
Likewise the other chief ministers, generals, and family priests, / bewildered and tormented by grief, wailed with their hair disheveled. / 50
King Indrasena also, deeply afflicted upon hearing the news of his son, / fell down senseless together with his wives. / 51
His ministers, his citizens, and the inhabitants of that land, / including children, the elderly, and women, cried out, overcome with grief. / 52
Out of grief, some beat their chests and some beat their heads; / they wandered about crying, “Alas, prince! Alas, dear one! Where are you? Where are you?” / 53
Thus the city of King Indrasena, full of sorrow and miserable, / was suddenly agitated, and likewise the city of Citravarmā. / 54
Then King Citravarmā, consoled by the elders, / slowly went to the city and comforted his daughter. / 55
Together with the relatives who had arrived, the king had the funeral rites / performed completely for that son-in-law who had drowned in the water. / 56
And that virtuous woman Sīmantinī, intent on [reaching] the world of her husband, / though dissuaded by her father out of affection, assumed widowhood. / 57
That auspicious Monday vow which had been taught by the sage's wife, / she of auspicious conduct did not abandon, even though she had met with widowhood. / 58
Having thus met with severe suffering in her fourteenth year, / meditating on the lotus feet of Śiva, she spent three years. / 59
King Indrasena, as if driven mad by grief for his son,

His kinsmen forcibly seized his seven-limbed kingdom by their might. / Deprived of his throne by valiant kinsmen, that childless king / was captured and cast into prison along with his wife. / And Candrāṅgada, his son, plunged into the waters of the Yamunā; / as he sank down and down, he saw serpent maidens. / Seeing the prince, those [maidens] absorbed in water-sports / were astonished, and brought him to Pātāla, the abode of serpents. / Carried swiftly by the serpent-women, the king's son / entered the delightful and most wondrous city of Takṣaka. / That prince beheld [a city] resembling the abode of Mahendra, / illuminated by rays shining from great gems, / crowded with hundreds of palaces made of diamonds, lapis lazuli, emeralds, and other jewels, / with gates on gateway towers of ruby, radiant with strings of pearls, / with delightful pavements of moonstone and golden door-leaves, / resplendent with hundreds of thousands of jewel-lamps. / There, in the center of the assembly hall, seated upon a jeweled throne, he saw / Takṣaka, lord of serpents, shining with many hundreds of hoods, / wearing divine garments, radiant, adorned with jeweled earrings, / embellished by the brilliance of a crown set with diverse gems, / attended by countless excellent serpents adorned with multicolored jewels, / with palms joined in reverence, rich in the rays of the gems upon their hoods, / surrounded on all sides by thousands of Nāga maidens / radiant with the graceful movements, charm, and beauty of youth, / his limbs shining with celestial ornaments, anointed with divine sandalwood paste, / unassailable like the fire of cosmic dissolution, resembling the sun in splendor. / Seeing him, the steadfast prince bowed down in the assembly hall; / he stood up with joined palms, his eyes dazzled by his splendor. / The Nāga king also, seeing that handsome prince, / asked the serpent-women: 'Who is he? Whence has he come here?' / They said: 'He was seen by us by chance in the waters of the Yamunā.

Unknown in family and name, he has been brought to your presence.' / Then questioned by the noble Takṣaka: / 'Whose son are you? Who are you? What is your country? How did you come?' / hearing the words, the prince spoke in reply to Takṣaka. / The prince said: / 'There is on the earthly realm a certain country named Niṣadha. / Its sovereign was a king named Nala, of great renown; / he was a righteous king of virtuous fame, the husband of Damayantī. / From him [sprang a son] named Indrasena, his son of great strength. / I am Candrāṅgada by name, newly married; while at my father-in-law's house, / sporting in the waters of the Yamunā, I was submerged, impelled by fate. / I have been brought near you by these serpent-women. / Having seen your lotus feet by merits earned in other births,