Skanda Purana 5.14

Sūta said: / What other marvel occurred there, O best of brahmins, / that secret held in my heart I shall proclaim.

In Camatkārapura there was a certain man born of the vaiśya caste; / he was mute and afflicted with poverty.

Due to distress, he tended cattle for everyone / to support his family, satisfied with whatever little [he received].

Once, while he was tending those animals in the forest lands, / one animal strayed from its herd out of greed for grass.

On the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight in the month of Caitra, O best of the twice-born, / it was not noticed by him as it wandered off at will.

Now, as soon as the mute cowherd reached home, / the owner of that cow arrived, scolding him:

"Why, you sinner, has one of our cattle not returned today? / Surely it was killed by you, or sold, or concealed! / Therefore, bring me that cow quickly, even without eating!"

Hearing that, the mute cowherd, terrified with fear, / took a stick and set out from the house, without even taking food.

Then, having reached the wilderness, he looked all around / with a sharp gaze into the difficult places and dense forests.

Then somewhere, as he was wandering in the forest, / the clear footprint of that animal was seen and fully recognized by him.

Then, following those footprints, he went from forest to forest / all around this Camatkārapura, O best of brahmins.

Thus a circumambulation of the place and also of the animal / was performed by him in his desire to find the animal, O best of the twice-born.

And at the end of the circumambulation, the beast was indeed found by him. / Then, at the end of the night, having led [it] home, it was presented to its owner.

On the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight in the most holy month of Caitra, / the gods and the sacred fords arrive from all around at the most sacred field.

Thus, circumambulation was performed unconsciously by both of them, / indeed by the herdsman and the beast, on that most holy day.

[It was performed] by the speechless one who was without food, and likewise by the beast that had food,

without bathing or eating, by fate, O best of excellent brahmins. / Then, after a certain amount of time had passed in accordance with their own karma, / both met their death separately at the expiration of their life span.

And then the herdsman was born as the son of the ruler of Daśārṇa / through the power of that [merit], remembering his previous birth.

The beast also was born as his minister, O best of brahmins, / remembering his past birth just like the king, and always esteemed by the king.

Then, having arrived on the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight, that lord of kings together with that very minister / [performed] circumambulation around that city

at the end of the year, endowed with supreme faith, / fasting, in silence, and on foot, O best of brahmins.

Once, sages of celebrated vows arrived there, / at the holy sacred ford that removes sin, born of Viśvāmitra:

Yājñavalkya, Bharadvāja, Śunaḥśepa, and then Gālava, / Devala, Bhāguri, Dhaumya, Kaśyapa, Cyavana, and Bhṛgu,

as well as other praised souls dedicated to celibacy; / on the occasion of a pilgrimage to sacred fords, they arrived at that sacred field.

Seeing them, the protector of the earth bowed down with folded hands, / and worshipped them with devotion according to age and according to excellence.

Then the lord of the earth sat down in their midst; / the ruler of the earth, having approached thus, was welcomed by all of them.

Then those sages related divine stories before the king, / [narrating] the deeds of great-souled foremost sages

and of royal sages, derived from the Purāṇas and the scriptures of Dharma, / generating joy for that royal sage, O best of brahmins.

Then, at the end of a certain story, after bestowing Vedic blessings, / the earthly ruler was asked by those great seers filled with curiosity:

The seers said: / "Year after year, O protector of the earth, coming here with effort / along with your minister, you perform the circumambulation of this city.

In this sacred field there are excellent sacred fords, O best of earthly rulers, / and likewise other renowned shrines of deities.

Yet toward them, O king, there is not the slightest regard from you at any time. / This curiosity has arisen in us; if it is not a secret, explain [it]."

Sūta said: / Hearing that speech of theirs, the king stood bowed in humility, / and spoke these words, filled with a little bashfulness:

"Regarding what has now been asked of me by you, O best of brahmins: / that secret has never been told by me to anyone on the surface of the earth.

Even so, indeed truth must be spoken to you; / even if it be the greatest secret, let the best of sages listen!"

Sūta said: / Then he narrated that account that arose in his previous birth / to those foremost sages, O best of brahmins:

how his beast was lost, how the search was made, / and how the circumambulation of Camatkārapura happened;

how recollection of the previous birth occurred by its power, / along with the attainment of kingship, splendour, and the attainment of desire at every step.

Hearing that, all the sages, greatly delighted, bestowed many blessings / upon the protector of the earth and said, "Well done! Well done!"

Then, rising up, they all performed circumambulation around that city / according to the prescribed rule, endowed with supreme faith.

And through its power they attained supreme perfection, which is very difficult to obtain / even through silent recitations, sacrifices, gifts, and attendance at sacred fords.

That king and the minister also became gods riding aerial chariots; / even today the two are seen in the form of stars in the vault of heaven.

Thus ends the fourteenth chapter, named 'The Description of the Greatness of the Circumambulation of Camatkārapura', in the Māhātmya of the Hāṭakeśvara Sacred Field, in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa, the sixth [part] of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, in the collection of eighty-one thousand [verses].