Skandapurana 5.138

Sūta said: / O best of the twice-born, the sacred māhātmya arising from Dharmarājeśvara, / which was formerly heard by me from my father,

that I will proclaim; listen with focused minds! / It is renowned throughout the three worlds and destroys all sins.

In that sacred field, in ancient times, there was a brahmin born of the lineage of Kaśyapa, / renowned as Upādhyāya, dedicated to the study of the Vedas.

When he had reached his later age, a son was born to him / who remained steadfast in the rules of Vedic study and possessed great wealth.

When his son was only five years old, / he fell under the sway of death, causing immense grief to his mother and father.

Then that brahmin became enraged at the son of Vivasvat, / seeing his own young boy arrived at the abode of Dharmarāja.

Taking water in his hand, having purified himself, agitated in mind, / the sorrowful one pronounced a terrible curse upon Dharmarāja:

“Since I have been made sonless today by that evil-minded one, / therefore that wicked-souled Yama too shall be childless!”

“Likewise, on the surface of the earth, people will not worship him at all, / nor praise his name, as [they do] for other celestial beings.”

“Whoever, having risen in the morning, speaks his name / shall meet an obstacle in the performing of auspicious acts.”

Having heard that very terrible curse of the brahmin, / Yama, though abiding by his own duty, became overcome with sorrow.

In the meantime, having gone to the abode of Brahmā, / folding his hands in reverence, Yama said to the Grandfather:

“Behold, O Lord of gods! I have been cursed by a twice-born, though faultless / and abiding by my own duty, as if I were some common person!”

“Therefore, I shall abandon your appointment, O Grandfather! / I am terrified of the fear of a brahmin's curse; this is the truth spoken by me.”

“Formerly, by the curse of Māṇḍavya, I was made to descend into the womb of a Śūdra; / now I have been rendered devoid of sons and unworthy of worship, O best of beings!”

Sūta said: / Hearing those plaintive words of the son of Vivasvat, / Śatakratu himself spoke this, fitting for that occasion:

“What has been spoken by this Dharmarāja is fitting, O lotus-born one, / as he abides by your command, O Lord of the gods!”

In the mortal world, men whose time has come must certainly / be gathered in, whether in childhood, youth, or old age, O Grandfather; / of this there is no doubt, but never before their time.

For this very reason, the noble title 'King of Dharma' was given / by you to this great-souled one, who views friend and foe alike.

Therefore, consider the matter today and devise some means / whereby, free of fault, he may carry out your charge."

Brahmā said: / "I am not able to undo a brahmin's curse; / yet I shall now devise a means, O lord of the thirty [gods]."

Then Brahmā, the grandfather of the worlds, deeply composed, / entered into meditation for that purpose before all the gods.

As he was thus absorbed in meditation, there manifested on all sides / embodied diseases, exceedingly dreadful, of the nature of wind, spleen, and phlegm; / roughly one hundred and eight, and paying homage, they said to him:

The diseases said: / "For what purpose, O lord of the god of gods, have we been created by you, O omnipresent one? / Give your order quickly, and bestow your favor!"

Brahmā said: / "Go swiftly to the surface of the earth by my command, without doubt. / At the order of Yama, you must go among mortals without hesitation."

Having spoken thus to the diseases, the Grandfather then addressed / the King of Dharma, who was standing nearby, deeply downcast and with head bowed:

"All these diseases have been appointed by me for you, O Yama; / they will render assistance to you in all tasks at all times.

Whatever mortal now has reached the end of his lifespan, / you must constantly send them with care for his destruction.

Thereby the blame for the destruction of people will fall upon them, / and no reproach will come upon you on the surface of the earth.

Therefore, go to your own abode and attend to your duty; / by my command, undoubtedly, you will incur no fault in this way."

Then, taking all those diseases, the son of the sun / reached Yamaloka and then respectfully said:

"After repeatedly consulting Citragupta, you must go to the surface of the earth; / you must go for the destruction of people when the appointed time has arrived.

However, there is an excellent liṅga installed by me / in the sacred field of Hāṭakeśvara, which destroys all sins.

Whatever man, having risen in the morning, beholds it with true devotion, / he must always be avoided by you from afar, by my word."

Having spoken thus to those diseases, the son of Vivasvat himself / quickly departed, taking that son of the brahmin with him / to his lovely home, having assumed the form of a twice-born.

Then that brahmin, seeing his son arrived home / accompanied by the wise King of Dharma in the guise of a brahmin,

hastened forward with a delighted heart, / crying out, "Son! Son!" together with his wife.

Then, repeatedly embracing him, his eyes filled with tears, / and having smelled his head, he spoke these words:

The brahmin said: / "How, O son, have you returned from that abode of Yama, / from where no one, even a powerful man, ever returns?

Or has this illusion arisen before me? / Or is this a dream, or an aberration of my vision?

And who is this brahmin standing at your side, my son, / endowed with divine splendor? I bow to him, O child."

The son said: / "This is Yama himself, who has come in the form of a brahmin; / filled with compassion, he has brought me, knowing you were stricken with grief.

Therefore, O father, grant him today the mitigation of your curse / with great affection, as he has reached your home, if I am dear to you."

Then that best of brahmins, having bowed down to him, / lowered his head with shame and then spoke respectfully:

The brahmin said: / "Today my birth is fruitful, and my life is well-lived, / since my son, who had gone to the abode of Yama, has been restored.

And you, O father, have attained the highest satisfaction on account of my son; / therefore, act in such a way that he may remain united with his son."

The brahmin said: / "My word can never be false, O dear son, / even when spoken at random, much less when spoken in grief.

Therefore, a son born of a divine womb can by no means / be born to him, O wise one, firmly due to the power of my curse.

However, another son born of a human womb will come to be, / who will deliver him by means of the Rājasūya and the Aśvamedha.

What is the use of a son being born who is incapable of delivering / his paternal ancestors by performing auspicious actions, the best of all on earth?

Moreover, regarding the curse that was previously given concerning his worship, / hear also my statement, O son, as he speaks:

That worship of his which was established with various mantras spoken in the Vedas / shall not take place in the world in any manner, O son.

His worship shall take place with mantras of human origin, / superior to all the gods; this truth has been declared by me."

The son said: / "Having established him on the surface of the earth, O best of the twice-born, / I shall worship him properly; what need do I have of other gods?

Therefore, I will recite mantras originating from humans, / as well as the procedure of worship, by your favor, O ancestor."

Then, having composed a mantra for him with the words "May our path be good," / he, delighted in soul, performed [the rite] while the King of Dharma listened.

Hearing that, Yama, highly pleased in his heart, / spoke thus to that brahmin in a voice choked with joy:

Yama said: / "By no means, O prince of brahmins, should the sight of me, / or of the other gods, be in vain; therefore, request what you desire."

The brahmin said:
Whatever image of you this son of mine shall establish here, / whichever twice-born [man] worships it with this very mantra,

for the duration of a year, when the fifth day arrives, / may he suffer no grief for a son whatsoever in this world.

Sūta said:
Having promised, "So be it," Yama, with a rejoiced heart, / then went to the world of Yama and became intent upon his own office.

That son of the brahmin also, having built an excellent temple, / worshipped Yama, having installed [him] in the middle with devotion, / by means of that very mantra spoken by his father, according to ritual rules.

And then, having attained many sons and grandsons in succession, / he met the law of time after remaining long on the surface of the earth.

All this, which was heard long ago in the Purāṇa, has been narrated to you. / Whoever recites this with devotion when the fifth day arrives, / will suffer no premature death, nor grief arising from a son.

Thus ends the one hundred and thirty-ninth chapter, entitled "Description of the Māhātmya of Dharmarājeśvara," in the Māhātmya of the Hāṭakeśvara Field, in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa, the sixth [part] in the Mahāpurāṇa of eighty-one thousand verses, the glorious Skanda Purāṇa.