Skandapurana 4.12

Śivaśarman said:

"Tell in order of the worlds beginning with that of Nirṛti, O best of men,

whose locks are grayed with pollen from the lotus feet of the Supreme Being!"

The two attendants said:

"Listen, O fortunate one, to the city beyond Saṃyaminī;

it belongs to Nirṛti, regent of the direction, and is inhabited by holy beings and ogres.

In it dwell rākṣasas who never harm others;

they are ogres by birth alone, but holy folk by conduct.

Treading the path of revelation taught by tradition, even among those born in lower castes,

they never accept food or drink not prescribed by tradition.

turned away from another's wife, another's wealth, and malice toward others,

even though born in a degraded caste, pursuing merit;

who maintain themselves with wealth gained through devotion to the twice-born,

and whose limbs are always humbly drawn in when conversing with the twice-born and the like;

who, when summoned, speak in the presence of the twice-born with their mouths covered by cloth,

saying: "Hail! Long life, O lord! O master! O lord!"—

always dedicated to ritual ablution at sacred fords, always devoted to God,

always bowing before the twice-born after announcing their own names;

self-control, charity, compassion, patience, purity, restraint of the senses,

non-stealing, truth, and non-violence are the causes of righteousness for all.

Wherever they are born, those who are always intent upon obligatory duties,

endowed with all enjoyments, dwell here in the best of cities.

Even barbarians who die at good sacred fords, not having killed themselves,

excluding Kāśī, having attained nirvāṇa, end up as enjoyers here.

Those people who take their own lives enter blinding darkness;

having suffered a thousand hells, they become village pigs.

Therefore, suicide should never be committed by a wise person;

for suicides there is no good fortune, neither in this world nor in the next.

Some teachers of ultimate truth speak of death at will

at Prayāga, the king of all sacred fords, which grants every desire.

Even those outcasts who follow the law of compassion

and are devoted to helping others dwell here as the best of good people.

We shall declare the nature of this guardian of the quarter; listen a moment:

Formerly, in the middle of the Vindhya forest, there was a chief of people living in an encampment,

a fierce chieftain of a tribal village, famed as Piṅgākṣa.

He was a warrior on the bank of the Nirvindhyā, turned away from cruel deeds;

even stationed afar, he would slay those who attacked wayfarers,

and with effort he destroyed tigers and other harmful creatures.

He lived by the hunter's way of life, yet even then he was full of compassion:

he did not kill trusting birds or deer, nor those asleep, nor those mating,

nor those thirsty for water, nor the young, nor those showing signs of pregnancy;

he who knew righteousness, turning away from the [cruel] duty of his birth, did not slay them.

To travelers exhausted by toil, he gave rest;

he removed the hunger of the famished, and gave sandals to the unshod.

He distributed very soft deer-skins to the naked;

he escorted travelers along the road in the wilderness and the forest.

He did not seek to take wealth from them, and he gave them safety, [saying:]

"Until the Vindhya forest [is crossed], my name should be uttered to ward off the fear of evil men."

He constantly looked upon all pilgrims as his own son;

and at every sacred ford they truly blessed him.

While Piṅgākṣa was thus stationed, that forest acted like a city;

when he was on the road, no one with fear obstructed travelers.

Once, by his paternal uncle who lived in a nearby village,

a caravan of pilgrims with a great sound was heard, laden with goods.

A greedy hunter, coveting their wealth, mean-spirited, set out to kill them;

having gone ahead very secretly, he blocked the road.

At that time, Piṅgākṣa, with all his attendants, had gone on a hunt;

in that forest, he dwelt at night near their path.

The desires of men who harm the lives of others can never succeed;

this entire universe is skillfully protected by the Lord of the Universe.

Therefore, a human being should never contemplate undesirable things,

since only that which is ordained by destiny will happen; [wicked intention brings] only taint.

Therefore, one who desires his own happiness should not dwell on the desirable or the undesirable;

if one contemplates, then only the means to liberation should be contemplated, and nothing else.

Then, when the night had dawned, a great tumult arose:

"Strike! Strike down! Strip them bare quickly, O warriors!"

"Do not kill! Protect [us], O warriors! We are pilgrims!

Plunder without effort, and take whatever we have!

We are helpless travelers, devoted to the Lord of the Universe!

Protected are they—not far off, may another traveler provide protection!"

"Relying upon Piṅgākṣa, we have no fear on this road;

we always come and go, but he is far away from this forest." // 35

Then, having heard what was said by the pilgrim, the warrior Piṅgākṣa,

calling out from afar, "Fear not! Fear not!", arrived. // 36

Drawn by the cords of his own karma, the Bhilla, who was dear to pilgrims,

arrived there in an instant, as if [drawn by] the close of his lifespan. // 37

"Who is this, who is this evil-doer who, while I, Piṅgākṣa, am alive,

wishes to rob the travellers, who are as dear to me as the liṅga of my own life?" // 38

Hearing this utterance of his, Tārākṣa, his paternal uncle,

out of greed for wealth, sinful [as he was], plotted sin against Piṅgākṣa: // 39

"Discarding the duty of the clan, this disgraced member of the family behaves [thus].

I will without doubt slay him today, as I have long intended." // 40

Having reflected thus, that evil-minded one angrily commanded his servants:

"First slay him, and after that, these pilgrims!" // 41

Then all those evil-doers fought with that single [warrior];

and somehow he brought them near to his own dwelling. // 42

"My bow and arrow are shattered indeed, and my armour is pierced by arrows;

I would slay them if I were the master [of my body and weapons]." // 43

Lamenting thus, he gave up his life for the sake of others;

and those pilgrims reached his village, their fear departed. // 44

Whatever one's state of mind may be at the time of death, the destiny corresponds to it;

therefore, he attained the status of a guardian of the quarter, as the lord of the southwest (nairṛteśvara) in the southwest (nirṛti). // 45

Thus his true nature has been declared to you by us two.

To the north of this is this wondrous world of Varuṇa. // 46

Makers of wells, step-wells, and ponds with pure wealth

are honoured here in this world of Varuṇa, radiant as Varuṇa. // 47

Those who give water in a waterless place, dispelling the distress of others,

and who give variegated umbrellas and water-pots to supplicants; // 48

those who set up water-booths provided with various utensils,

and also give pots for merit filled with fragrant water; // 49

those who water the sacred fig tree, planters of trees along the path,

makers of rest houses, who dispel the weariness and burning heat of the fatigued; // 50

those who dispel the heat of summer, and also fashioned from peacock feathers and the like,

distribute variegated fans of palm-leaf at the onset of summer; // 51

those who carefully bestow refreshing drinks, delicious, fragrant, and cool,

during the summer seasons, for [their] satisfaction; // 52

those who, having dedicated fields of sugarcane, give them to brahmins,

and also various kinds of numerous sugarcane preparations; // 53

givers of dairy products, and likewise givers of cows and she-buffaloes,

makers of water-shower pavilions, and creators of shade pavilions; // 54

those who donate water-dripping vessels with many streams in temples,

or who abolish taxes at a sacred ford, or who sweep the path to a sacred ford; // 55

those who grant fearlessness with raised hands to the terrified—

they dwell fearless and shine in the world of Varuṇa. // 56

Those virtuous ones who release from bonds those bound by the neck with nooses by evil-doers,

dwell free from any fear in this world of the noose-handed [Varuṇa]. // 57

Those who carry travellers across rivers and the like by means of boats and other means,

carry them across the ocean of sorrow; there they become citizens [of that world], O twice-born. // 58

Those who build bathing-stairs of stone and other materials on holy rivers and the like,

for the sake of the ease and comfort of those seeking water, those men enjoy pleasures there. // 59

Those virtuous persons who satisfy the thirsty with cool water,

they indeed enjoy an uninterrupted stream of happiness here in the world of Varuṇa. // 60

This Pracetas is the sole lord of all reservoirs of water,

the master of aquatic creatures, and the witness to all deeds. // 61

Hear the origin of this lord, the high-souled Varuṇa:

There was an immeasurable-souled sage of the progenitor Kardama, // 62

his son known as Śuciṣmān, adorned with modest conduct,

beneficent, endowed with virtues such as steadfastness, gentleness, and courage. // 63

He went to the Acchoda lake with [other] boys to bathe;

and as he was absorbed in water sports, a crocodile seized him. // 64

Then, when that sage's son had been carried off, announcing the disaster,

those children came together and told it before his father.

Seated in worship of Hara, his mind unwavering in absorption,

even upon hearing of the boy's misfortune, his mind did not waver from Hara.

All the more intensely he meditated upon the omniscient, three-eyed Lord,

seeing in the presence of Śambhu the fourteen worlds,

the manifold creatures that have come to be within the cosmic egg,

the moon, sun, constellations, stars, mountains, rivers, and trees,

oceans, islands, forests, and lakes,

the various hosts of gods, and many cities of the celestials,

step-wells, wells, ponds, canals, and numerous lotus pools.

In a certain lake, [he saw] devoted to water-sports,

many sons of sages, by plunging and surfacing,

by spraying streams of water discharged with their hand-pumps,

making the regions of the sky resound with the sound of water struck by hands—

many boys thus engrossed in aquatic play.

Among them, Kardama, remaining in deep absorption, then saw

his own child, exceedingly distraught, being dragged away by a porpoise.

Then, by a certain goddess of the waters, from that cruel aquatic beast,

he saw him forcibly taken and delivered to the ocean.

Having rebuked the lord of rivers, a certain figure bearing the form of Rudra,

trident in hand, his face flushed red with wrath, said:

"Why, O lord of waters, was the boy of a devotee of Śiva,

[the child] of the wise and glorious Prajāpati Kardama,

detained by you for long, unaware of the power of Śiva?"

Terrified with fear upon hearing his words, that ocean,

having adorned the boy with jewels and having bound that porpoise,

brought him and surrendered him near Śambhu's lotus feet.

Bowing down, he addressed Him: "I have not sinned, O omnipresent Lord,

Lord of the universe, protector of the helpless, destroyer of distress for your devotees,

O Śambhu, wish-fulfilling tree for devotees! By this wicked water-beast,

and not by me, O Lord, was this child of your devotee brought here."

Then, knowing the thought in Śambhu's mind, that attendant (gaṇa),

having bound that water-beast with a cord, delivered it into the boy's hand.

"Take this child of your own!" as the attendant said by the command of Śaṃkara,

"Go to your own abode, child!"—that Kardama,

the noble-minded one, hearing all this at the time of deep absorption,

opened his eyes as soon as he released his contemplation,

and as he looked around, he saw the child right before him,

holding the porpoise, with adorned ear-ornaments at his side,

the ends of his sidelocks wet with water, the corners of his eyes reddened,

his skin slightly dry and irritated, his mind filled with agitation.

Embracing him as he offered his salutation, smelling his lotus face,

he thought of him as born anew, gazing at him again and again.

Indeed, five hundred years passed for Kardama

remaining in contemplation while worshipping Śambhu then.

Yet Kardama perceived that span of time as having lasted only a moment,

for Time has no power in the presence of Mahākāla.

Then, having asked his father's permission and bowing down to him, the son

went swiftly to the glorious city of Vārāṇasī for the sake of austerity.

There, having performed fierce austerity and having installed a liṅga of Śambhu,

he remained motionless as a stone for five thousand years.

Then Mahādeva, pleased by his austerity, manifested Himself

and said: "O son of Kardama, speak! What supreme boon shall I grant?"

The son of Kardama said:

"If, O Lord, You are pleased, You who are compassionate to devotees,

grant me lordship over all waters and over aquatic creatures as well!"

Having heard this, the great Lord, the master who grants whatever is desired,

consecrated him there in the supreme status of Varuṇa,

[lord] of jewels born of the ocean, of the oceans, and of the rivers.

and of lakes, ponds, and the flowing waters of stepwells,

and of all reservoirs of water, as well as of the western quarter,

be the sovereign ruler, noose in hand, beloved of all the gods!

I grant another boon as well, which will bring welfare to all:

This liṅga installed by you shall be named after you;

renowned as Varuṇeśa in Vārāṇasī, it will bestow great attainments.

Situated in the south-western direction from the Maṇikarṇeśa liṅga,

when worshipped, it continually destroys all dullness of men.

Those who are devotees of Varuṇeśa have no fear of water anywhere,

no fear of affliction, nor do they ever suffer an untimely death.