Skandapurana 5.123

Sūta said: / “Now there is another excellent sacred ford there, Mukhāra, / where those excellent sages and brahmins met with a thief, / [and] where, by its power, that thief attained perfection / and became famous as Vālmīki, the composer of the Rāmāyaṇa.”

Formerly in Camatkārapura there was a twice-born named Lohajaṅgha, / born in the lineage of Māṇḍavya, who was devoted to his father and mother.

And he had a wife dearer to him even than life, / devoted to her husband, having her husband as her life, intent upon what was pleasing and beneficial to her husband.

Now, as he dwelt there living by the livelihood of a brahmin, / devoted to his father and mother, a great deal of time passed.

Once the lord Śakra did not rain upon the surface of the earth, / throughout the whole region of Ānarta, for as long as twelve years.

Then Lohajaṅgha fell into distress, O best of brahmins; / he obtained no alms anywhere, nor any gift.

Then, seeing both his parents tormented by hunger / and his wife as well, filled with great sorrow, he thought:

“What shall I do? Where shall I go? How can I show my face / to both these elderly people, and especially to my wife?”

Then, stricken with grief, he went into the forest for fruit, / but found nothing at all; all the trees were withered.

Then he saw an old woman carrying a small amount of grain, / walking along, overcome with great fatigue. / Thereupon, taking that grain and her clothes, that pitiless man / went home delighted and offered it to his parents.

Having thus found an opportunity, constantly engaged in the work of a bandit, / committing robbery, he maintained his own family.

And even when plenty returned, he did no other work; / abandoning the way of life of a brahmin, he practiced the deed of robbery.

Then, after some time, by way of pilgrimage to sacred fords, / the seven seers, brahmins headed by Marīci, arrived there.

Then, seeing them in an isolated place, filled with malice and rage, / raising his staff with haste, he said, “Halt!”

Knitting his brows into three points, he rushed forward swiftly, / threatening them with harsh words, as if striking them.

Then those sages, seeing him resembling a messenger of Yama / yet endowed with the sacred thread, spoke, filled with compassion.

The seers said: / “Ah, you are a brahmin! Why then do you perform this utterly despicable / deed, which is an action of barbarians, O foolish one?

And we are peaceful sages who have renounced all possessions; / there is nothing by our side for you to take.”

Lohajaṅgha said: / “Give me quickly, O brahmins, these clean rags, / bark garments, and deerskins, together with sandals!

If not, having struck you down with a blow of my staff like a thunderbolt, / I will send you, without doubt, to the abode of the King of Justice!”

The seers said: / “We will give everything to you, O robber; / first tell us the report about which we ask out of curiosity:

For what purpose do you commit robbery, being a brahmin utterly without pity? / Have you been overcome by terrible vices, or are you a hunter-brahmin?”

Lohajaṅgha said: / “This undertaking born of theft is not for the sake of vice; / know that it is for the sake of my family; this is duty, no doubt.

My parents are both dwelling in old age, / and likewise my devoted wife is discerning in the duties of the household.

Whatever I earn through this action, / all that is certainly for their sake; I swear upon my own soul!

Therefore release all your wealth first! What is the use of vain words / being spoken? For this hand of mine twitches to strike!”

The seers said: / “If so, O thief, then go and ask your family: / ‘Will you be a sharer in the portion of my sin, or not?’

If by their taking a share even a part of the sin departs, / then do it; otherwise, O sinful one, it will be unbearable for you,

when you have fallen entirely into the terrible Raurava hell, O evil-minded one! / Thinking you to be a brahmin, we speak this without a doubt.

We are filled with compassion, since an auspicious darśana has occurred with us; / for through the darśana of sages whose minds are restrained, auspiciousness arises.

One man commits sins, and a multitude of people enjoys the fruit; / the enjoyers are freed, but the doer is smeared with guilt.”

Sūta said: / Hearing that speech of theirs, the robber was somewhat afraid: / “This is true, there is no doubt, this word that has been uttered by them.

Therefore I will go and ask my own family; / if there is a division of my share of sin, indeed I shall do

this deed; or if they will not take it, I shall abandon it; / a great fear has now arisen in my heart.

If you, O lords of sages, will not go elsewhere, / having taken to flight, then, having gone to my own home,

I will ask my dependents, especially concerning your words: / ‘If my family will take that portion of my sin, / then I will take whatever is present beside you.

Or if they forbid me from this sin, / then without doubt I will let you all go, along with your belongings.’”

Then, having taken oaths to convince him, / showing compassion toward him, they sent him on toward his home.

He too went and, having approached his father, asked: / “Listen, Father, to my words, and then make reply:

Since, having committed thousands of wrong deeds, such as theft and the like, / I nourish you constantly, do you have a share of that or not?

Tell me truly as I ask here concerning my sin; / a doubt has arisen in me here, therefore declare it quickly!”

The father said: / “In childhood, my son, you were brought to nourishment by me with an anxious heart, / performing good and bad deeds with an affectionate mind.

For this reason, however, when old age has arrived, / you again protect the earth, performing good and bad deeds.

Not even the slightest share of that belongs to you, dear son, / whether good or sin, nor does it belong to me at present.

An action done by oneself is experienced by oneself alone, / whether good or sinful; other people are considered [merely] enjoyers.

Whether by honesty, or theft, or farming, or trade, / you bring food, no concern arises in me.

Therefore, you should not hold this in your heart, that 'You will perform a censurable act / of which you will enjoy a share, while all of us are consumers.'

Sūta said: / Having heard these words, with an inner soul distressed, / he went and questioned his mother regarding the very same matter with great effort.

Then she too said to him that which was uttered by his father: / 'There is no sharing in his good or sinful deed, O best of twice-born.'

Then, filled with sorrow, he went and questioned that wife of his; / she too then spoke similarly regarding sin originating from the elders.

Then, tormented by grief and accompanied by remorse, / constantly reproaching himself, he went to where those ascetics were.

Then, bowing down to all of them, he stood with folded hands: / 'Go, go, O brahmins! Pardon, pardon me!

Since, resorting to foolishness, an insult was committed by me, / a great sinner and utterly deluded, therefore patience must be granted to me today.

All your words were repeated by my parents / and by my wife, O best of twice-born; because of that, sorrow has come upon me.

Therefore let all of you grant me favor, O best of sages, / by giving instruction through which I may destroy my sin.

Blameworthy action was constantly performed by me, O best of twice-born: / women, and chiefs of twice-born, and ascetics in particular.

Whosoever were wretched people, unable to fight back, / all of them were robbed by me, never those who were powerful.

Deluded for the sake of family, bereft of company of the virtuous— / just as if one were reading scripture, that has fallen upon my heart today.

If my darśana with you had not occurred today, O best of beings, / then I would be a committer of yet other sins; there is no doubt.

And in their midst was a good sage named Pulaha; / fond of jesting, he said to that best of twice-born for the sake of confusion:

'I will proclaim to you a very auspicious mantra, / meditating on which and reciting it, you will attain eternal perfection.

This mantra "jāṭaghoṭā" is the granter of all perfections; / mutter this, O brahmin, day and night without wearying.

Then you will attain complete perfection, difficult to attain even for the thirty [gods].'

Having spoken thus, those brahmins then departed on their pilgrimage to sacred fords; / he too, the thief, remained right there, devoted to muttering [the mantra].

With an undistracted mind, that repetition was then begun by him, / in such a way that he became absorbed in samādhi, whereby he attained the supreme state.

As he, the brahmin, was thus remembering that mantra, / his body attained immobility, and he remained motionless in his undertaking.

Then, after a great length of time, he was covered all around by an anthill, / O best of brahmins, as that great-souled one remained in meditation.

Both his parents and that high-minded wife, / having searched for him diligently, all fell under the power of death.

And he, remaining there, was not noticed; renounced, of great vows, / freed from the feeling of worldly existence because of that meeting with the sages.

Then, after some time, by that same path again, / the sages arrived in the course of their pilgrimage to sacred fords.

And the twice-born said: 'This is the place where the encounter with the thief / occurred, with that terrible one wearing the disguise of a brahmin.'

Then they heard a sound from within the anthill, / of the mantra "jāṭaghoṭā", belonging to that very same great-souled one.

Then strikes upon the ground resounded in all directions; / then, having seen the anthill and that thief situated in its midst,

muttering that mantra which had been taught by Pulaha / in the form of a joke, and [seeing] his perfection, O best of twice-born—

Or rather, this was truthfully spoken by the teachers who see through the scriptures: / a little is sufficient for perfection, since perfection was attained by him.

Toward a mantra, a sacred ford, a twice-born, a deity, an astrologer, medicine, and a guru— / whatever kind of mental disposition one has, such perfection comes to be.

Then, seeing that thief accomplished even by means of a bad mantra, / those brahmins were filled with wonder, and especially filled with compassion.

Then, with substances fit for samādhi, with oils and with remedies,

the twice-born massaged his body, which had been in samādhi for a long time. / Then, having regained consciousness and looking again and again, / filled with amazement, he spoke to those original sages thus:

Lohajaṅgha said: / 'Why have you not gone, having been released by me, O best of twice-born? / I will not take anything belonging to you by any means. / Since [I acted] for the sake of family, therefore depart now according to your desire.'

The sages said: / 'We have arrived after a long time, having wandered in this forest again. / Remaining in samādhi, the passage of much time was not noticed by you.

Those elderly parents, left behind by you, have gone to destruction; / and you have attained supreme perfection by our grace.

Because you remained inside an anthill and attained supreme perfection, / you will therefore become renowned in the world by the name Valmīki.

Because people were robbed by you formerly while staying here, O twice-born, / therefore this sacred ford will attain renown under the name Mukhāra.'

Those brahmins who will take a ritual ablution here with faith on the full-moon day of Śrāvaṇa / will wash away the sin born of deeds of theft.

Sūta said: / Having spoken thus, those vipras bid farewell to that sage; / bowed to by him, they then departed to the quarter they desired.

He also remained engaged in austerity right there, who is remembered as Vālmīki.

And thereafter he became the foremost, the best among sages. / Even today that lord of sages stands there in bodily form.

Whoever worships him with devotion on earth becomes a poet, / especially on the eighth day, fully endowed with faith.

Thus ends the one hundred twenty-fourth chapter, entitled “Description of the Origin of the Mukhāratīrtha,” in the Māhātmya of the Hāṭakeśvarakṣetra, in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa, the sixth [part] of the auspicious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.