Skandapurana 5.143

Sūta said: / Having gone to heaven, she then approached the thousand-eyed [Indra], who was accompanied by the gods, / and said, "O Blessed One, by good fortune that great sage has been agitated!

"All his austerity, which had been accumulated with difficulty, is destroyed, / and he has been rendered lusterless; now partake of your happiness!"

Having spoken thus, Rambhā, praised by all the gods, / carried in her womb the child of that [sage] whose semen is never fruitless.

Jābāli too, having felt remorse in many ways, / stood again in austerity and stayed right there in that hermitage.

Then, when the tenth month had arrived, she gave birth to an auspicious / girl with eyes like lotus petals, marked with divine characteristics.

Then, considering her to be born of a mortal, she went to that very hermitage of his, / released her before the sage's eyes, and said to him:

"This girl was born of your seed and dwelt in my womb, / therefore, O tiger among sages, protect her now!

"There is in no way any dwelling in heaven for mortals; / for this reason, O brahmin, she has been handed over to you by me."

Having spoken thus, Rambhā went swiftly to the abode of the gods; / and Jābāli, seeing that little girl, was filled with affection.

Then, placing that little girl in a well-concealed bower of creepers, / he nourished her day and night with juices born of sweet fruits.

That girl too slowly attained great growth day by day, / just like the crescent moon in the sky when it enters the bright fortnight.

Just as that lotus-eyed girl grew, / so too did Jābāli's deep affection for her increase.

In her childhood, that very beautiful girl played with the deer / and birds, who were completely trusting, increasing the joy of the sage.

Then, leaving childhood behind, her limbs covered in bark garments, / she would assist that seer in all his duties.

Whatever [she could find], sacrificial twigs, kuśa grass, and the like, along with fruits and flowers, / she brought from the forest, increasing his pleasure.

Then, some days later, in the summer season, that deer-eyed girl / went far from her hermitage for the sake of fruit.

At that moment, riding a splendid aerial chariot, / a gandharva of the dwellers of heaven named Citrāṅgada arrived there.

He saw that girl in the solitude, her face like the full moon, / like a digit of the moon fallen upon the surface of the earth.

Then, his body overcome with love, he descended to the earth / from his aerial chariot, and with joined palms addressed her in sweet words:

"Who are you, radiant as the womb of a lotus, / wandering alone, O fair-eyed maiden, in the midst of this desolate, great forest?"

The girl said: / "I am named Phalavatī, the daughter of the sage Jābāli; / I have come here into the forest for the sake of fruits and flowers, for his sake."

Citrāṅgada said: / "That best of sages is heard to be a lifelong celibate; / how then, O woman of lovely thighs, were you born to him without a wife?"

The girl said: / "This is true, O noble one, that seer has taken no wife; / but listen to me concerning how I was born:

"Long ago, an apsaras named Rambhā, a celestial maiden, was seen by him; / then, overcome with desire, he enjoyed her at his pleasure.

"Then I was born from her womb in the great world of the gods; / and by her I was once again brought here to that seer.

"Thus Jābāli, the best of sages, became my father, / and then I was nourished by him with the yields of various fruits.

"Then the name Phalavatī was given to me by that great soul; / this is appropriate for me, about which you are inquiring of me."

Citrāṅgada said: / "Beholding your beauty, I have fallen under the power of love; / therefore, accept me, O timid one, otherwise I will perish!

"I am a gandharva of the heaven-dwellers named Citrāṅgada; / I have arrived at this sacred field filled with faith for the purpose of a pilgrimage to sacred fords."

The girl said: / "I am still a virgin and even now subject to my father; / I do not know the ways of passion in any way, O Citrāṅgada.

"Therefore, ask my father; he will give me, a sensible maiden, / to you, who are suitable, worthy, and young.

"These agreeable words of yours are pleasing to my heart as well; / I would be fortunate if I might embrace your neck as I wish."

Citrāṅgada said: / "I am not able, O noble lady, to wait for that much time; / this immense fire of love arising from my body burns me.

"Therefore, grant me your favor by bestowing sexual pleasure, O fair one; / for who knows what the nature of his mind will be?"

The girl said: / "If you behave in this manner, my father, out of great anger, / will burn you, having uttered a terrible curse, there is no doubt!"

Citrāṅgada said:
Your father, O proud maiden, might burn me in the future, / but this fire of desire will burn me to ashes immediately. (36)

Having spoken thus to that trembling and bashful girl, / he took her right hand and entered the abode of the gods. (37)

Afflicted by desire, he then made love to her there, / who had become blind with freshly aroused passion and had cast off all shame. (38)

As she remained together with him in this manner, the day passed / like a mere blinking of the eye, O best of sages; and then the sun set. (39)

Meanwhile, the brahmin Jābāli, filled with sorrow, / realizing that his daughter had not returned, wandered everywhere [in search of her]. (40)

[Thinking:] “Alas, has my daughter been devoured by serpents? / Has she climbed some tree and fallen down upon the surface of the earth? (41)

Or having reached some body of water and not knowing its depth, / did that girl, seeking water, enter and drown in it?” (42)

Lamenting thus, the brahmin wandered in the dense forest, / his limbs pierced by kuśa-grass and thorns, overwhelmed by hunger and thirst. (43)

Whenever he heard any sound arising from beasts or birds / during the night, he went there, thinking that [search] might bear fruit. (44)

Then gradually that virtuous sage arrived at the mansion of Hara / where that maiden remained, together with Citrāṅgada, (45)

fearlessly uttering words of passion again and again— / [words] entirely unworthy of maidens, especially those born of brahmins. (46)

Having listened for a long time from a distance, filled with astonishment / and seeing the conduct of his maiden [daughter], his eyes turned blood-red with rage. (47)

Then, seizing a bundle of sticks, he rushed forward swiftly, / repeatedly rebuking them so as to destroy them both: (48)

“Fie, fie upon your sinful conduct! You have defiled your virginity, / and you have brought disgrace upon me even in the three worlds! (49)

By this deed, O vile girl, you have utterly degraded yourself before obtaining a husband! / Therefore, I shall destroy you who are laden with this sin!” (50)

Having spoken thus, just as that virtuous sage cast a blow, / Citrāṅgada quickly vanished through the path of the sky. (51)

She too remained right there, naked, her limbs exhausted from the pursuit of love, / and standing up from the ground, she was unable to go anywhere. (52)

Then, having struck her with a flurry of blows with the stick as she fell to the ground, / and perceiving that she was dead, overcome by rage, (53)

he then pronounced a terrible curse upon Citrāṅgada as well, / seeing him fleeing through the pathway of the sky, frantic with fear: (54)

“Let this wicked one, who has flown up after violating my daughter, / fall down without delay, like a bird with clipped wings, (55)

afflicted with the disease of leprosy and utterly unable to move!” / In that very moment, he fell to the earth from the vault of heaven, (56)

and the young Citrāṅgada was afflicted with the disease of leprosy. / Then the sage, raising the stick in his hand in anger, said to him: (57)

“Who are you of sinful conduct by whom my maiden was violated by force? / Therefore I will send you today to the realm of Yama!” (58)

Citrāṅgada said:
“I am a gandharva of the heavenly denizens named Citrāṅgada. / On the occasion of a pilgrimage to sacred fords, I arrived at this sacred field. (59)

Then, beholding the maiden, I fell under the power of Kāmadeva. (60)

Then I enjoyed her here in this bower of creepers, deserted by people. / Therefore show forgiveness to me, miserable and bowed down [before you]. (61)

By your favor, may there be destruction of the disease, and may I once again move / through the sky; for the anger of the virtuous is indeed short-lived.” (62)

Jābāli said:
“Bearing such a form you shall indeed remain by my word! / And this sinful daughter of mine likewise, constantly devoid of garments, (63)

shall remain without doubt, if she should revive at any time. / If she should ever put a garment on her own body anywhere, (64)

then her head will surely burst into pieces, of this there is no doubt!” / Having spoken thus, his anger subsided, and he went to his own hermitage. (65)

Citrāṅgada too stayed right there with her in that condition. / After some time, there came to that sacred field, (66)

on the fourteenth day of the bright half of Caitra, the Lord who bears the moon on his crest, / surrounded by fierce gaṇas, to go to the Citreśvara seat / along with the terrifying yoginīs, as the night set in. (67)

Then, when midnight arrived, those dread yoginīs / indeed cried out for food: “Human flesh! Human flesh!” (68)

dancing in front of the trident-bearing God of gods, / in competition with those chiefs of gaṇas who were dancing all around. (69)

Whoever gives them human flesh sanctified by mantras at that time / attains his desired accomplishment. (70)

Or wine, meat, and other offerings, or fruits and the like— / an accomplishment is proclaimed for him in accordance with what is in his heart. (71)

In the meantime, that maiden born of Jābāli / and Citrāṅgada went there and respectfully said: (72)

“Let the yoginīs, filled with joy, consume this flesh of ours, / offered by ourselves, as they please.” (73)

Then, seeing that man afflicted with the disease of leprosy / and that maiden devoid of clothing, all of them were filled with wonder. (74)

All those fierce gaṇas and that three-eyed God, / the Lord, filled with curiosity, asked Citrāṅgada there: (75)

“Who are you, endowed with fortitude and established in great noble resolve, / who offer your life, which is very dear even to a worm? (76)

And who is this [woman], stripped of garments, who along with you is freed from anguish / and offers her own body, which should never be given to anyone?” (77)

Sūta said:
Then he related all of his own doings: / how his union with the maiden took place, and the curse of the virtuous sage. (78)

Then, seeing Citrāṅgada, that gandharva of the celestials, / in such a state, filled with compassion, Śaṃkara spoke: 79

"Having attained the sight of me, death never comes to anyone anywhere; / and this darśana is not in vain, so make your petition with respect." 80

Citrāṅgada said: / "I am utterly despondent on account of this disease; therefore, O god, I came here, / O Śaṃkara, thinking the destruction of my disease would come through the destruction of my body. 81

Therefore bring about the destruction of my disease, if you will grant me a boon. / Give me back the ability to move through the sky, so that I may go to heaven." 82

The venerable Śaṃkara said: / "Set up my liṅga here upon this seat, O best of gandharvas; / then worship it with love for the duration of a full year. 83

In proportion as you perform excellent worship of my liṅga, / day by day the destruction of your disease will come to pass. 84

Then, attaining movement through the sky, you will return to heaven. / Through my grace there is no doubt; this is the truth spoken by me. 85

And since this maiden has entered into the midst of the seat, / she will become a yoginī named Phalavatī. 86

Standing in this very form, in a state of nakedness, / she will receive foremost worship and will grant what is desired / to the minds of her worshippers, magnified a hundredfold at that time. 87

A mortal should worship her, and after that, this seat; / he who worships will attain his desired perfection in this manner." 88

Having said this, she, filled with immense joy, / standing in the midst of the assembly of yoginīs, then performed a dance. 89

Thus she, the fair woman, became a yoginī there. / She danced a supreme dance, such that Maheśvara was pleased. 90

Delighted, he then said to her in the presence of all the yoginīs: / "By this dance of yours, and especially by your song, 91

I am exceedingly pleased with you, child; therefore hear my words. / Whoever worships you when midnight arrives on this day, 92

with offerings of liquor and meat-food, with mantras originating from the Āgamas, / he will at that moment possess the power to curse and to bless. 93

Binding, bewitching, and also the expulsion of an enemy— / he will accomplish these without doubt, as well as subjugation. 94

Establishing a triangular fire-pit, he should worship the guardians of the directions, / and the Kṣetrapāla, and all those deities born of motion. 95

And having thus worshipped the crossway according to the prescribed rules, / whoever afterwards worships you and performs a fire-offering— 96

he will effect immobilization, using dust raised from the left foot of an enemy / or touched [by him], or using bdellium, up to a thousand times. 97

And whoever, placing the enemy in his heart, [offers] the dirt produced / by rubbing the enemy's body along with myrobalan fruits, will effect bewitchment. 98

He who, having taken the bath-water and the mud of an enemy, / offers it in the fire together with the cast-off floral offerings of Śiva, 99

that man will surely expel his enemy in your presence. / This beloved Citrāṅgada of yours, too, through union with you, / will also attain true worship as an adjunct arising from you." 100

Phalavatī said: / "If the god is pleased with me, then grant another true boon as well, 101

which rests in my heart, by which total happiness may arise for me: / May this father of mine, Jābāli, stripped of his garments forever, 102

remain right here day and night just as I do, / so that he feels distress, seeing me engaged in sport 103

contrary to the brahmin lineage, born of liquor and meat! / Let him smell the odour of liquor, let him behold cooked meat; / seeing me always enjoying self-will, let him suffer grief day by day." 104

The Blessed Lord said: / "So shall it be, as was spoken, and so it has come to pass now, O auspicious one. / I shall go to Kailāsa; remain you here as spoken." 105

Sūta said: / Having spoken thus, the blessed Hara vanished from sight; / and all those yoginīs remained in their respective places. 106

Citrāṅgada too, having built an excellent temple right there, / installed a liṅga of the god of gods, the trident-bearer. 107

Then he worshipped it day and night, unwearied. 108

Then, at the end of a year, freed from disease and possessed of a handsome form, / mounted upon an excellent aerial chariot, he went to the abode of the thirty [gods]. / And he too, the one named Jābāli, became stripped of clothes. 109

Making himself a laughing-stock to the world, he remained right there always, / grieved as he witnessed those unnatural changes arising in his daughter. 110

Then the great sage condemned the birth of women; / having arrived at that seat, filled with immense sorrow, [he said:] 111

"Ah! Women will be born to sinful men— / women whose conduct is such, even among those born of a twice-born lineage! 112

Only once was union with a woman engaged in by me, / and such sin has been incurred, lasting from birth until death! 113

What destination will come to pass in this world for those vile men / who are constantly attached to them? Reflecting on this, I do not know." 114

While he was speaking thus, those yoginīs, filled with wrath, / spoke to that brahmin who was enveloped in disgust there. 115

The yoginīs said: / "Do not censure women, O foolish-minded one, resorting to [mere] yoga; / for this universe of the moving and unmoving is sustained by women! 116

By whom Śeṣa was brought forth, and the Tortoise immediately thereafter, / by which two the earth is sustained, upon which the universe is established. 117

Blessed is this daughter of yours, O fool, who has attained supreme yoga, / and has attained the supreme abode in just a few days here! 118

You, on the other hand, have reached foolishness, adhering to the Vedic path; / conjoined with ignorance, you will wander in this cycle of existence!" 119

The sage said:
All women are most contemptible; they bring sorrow in every circumstance.
Neither in this world nor in the next is happiness obtained from them.

For whose sake Śumbha and the great asura Niśumbha were slain,
as well as Rāvaṇa, King Daṇḍa, and thousands of others too.

Having obtained such a twice-born husband as Gautama, by the very nature of women,
Ahalyā approached Indra and lusted [for him], devoid of good conduct.

The maiden said:
As to why you revile them, O foolish-minded one, saying that women are blameworthy,
speak about that with me, so that I may instruct you.

In your heart there is no intelligence, no shame, no compassion, O sage.
Does even an outcaste do such an act as you have done?

First of all, I was struck dead by you, O vile man!
You did not hold in your heart any concern for the sin arising from killing a woman,

especially of a daughter, with a mind possessed by wrath!
Sins here are removed by various kinds of expiations;

if that which arises from killing a woman goes away, proclaim that truth!
And this would not be my grief, that I was killed, O lowest of the twice-born;

the sin of yours—that I was cursed and brought to a state of nakedness—
shall not pass away anywhere, O severely evil-minded one, even at the end of an aeon!

Therefore, afflicted by great sorrow, remain right here and suffer along with me;
you will not likely revile again, nor will you kill [anyone].

All women are blameless; they are never corrupted.
For month by month their menses removes their misdeeds.

The sage said:
Women are of sinful conduct; they are never purified.
Their desire is for another's lover, which reduces them to the status of an outcaste.

The maiden said:
Do not, do not speak thus, O foolish-minded one, that women are impure!
A verse was sung anciently by Manu in this regard; learn it from me:

"Brahmins are pure from the feet; cows are pure from the back;
goats and horses are pure from the mouth; and women are pure all over."

The sage said:
Brahmins are pure all over; cows are pure all over;
goats and horses are pure from the mouth; but women are not pure anywhere!

The maiden said:
In his hand is the wish-fulfilling jewel, in his house is the wishing tree,
and Kubera is his servant, in whose house there is a beloved woman.

The sage said:
All calamities are his, sorrow—all sorrow is in his house,
and hell is on all sides of him, in whose house there is a beloved woman.

The maiden said:
Whatever joys and whatever spheres of enjoyment there are in this world,
arising from righteousness, wealth, and pleasure—they indeed come from women.

The sage said:
Whatever great sorrows and whatever afflictions there are for embodied beings,

and whatever difficulties and undesirable things—they too come from women.

The maiden said:
Even in marriage, a woman demonstrates all four aims of life—
righteousness, wealth, pleasure, and liberation—through the four circumambulations of the fire.

The sage said:
Even at the very first meeting, a woman demonstrates
wandering in worldly existence, under the pretext of the custom of circumambulating the fire.

The maiden said:
Who indeed does not become impassioned, even men rich in knowledge,
upon seeing a woman with corner-of-the-eye glances reaching to her ears, and full breasts?

The sage said:
Who indeed does not perish, whose intellect is bewildered by a shapely woman?
Those who approach her with thoughts of pleasure are like moths to flames.

The maiden said:
Featureless, firm, erect, and delightful—
a fortunate man enjoys a woman's breasts, especially during spring and amid wine and meat.

The sage said:
Curved, round, and suddenly shedding their bodice—
it is better to touch two venomous serpents than a wife's breasts!

The maiden said:
And it is not merely the appearance of these women that is delightful to embodied beings;
even embracing women brings joy and bristling delight.

The sage said:
Nor is their mere appearance delightful, but rather brings sin to the eyes;
touching a woman's body leads to destruction, and to hell after death.

The maiden said:
Who indeed in this world is not happy, who indeed is not meritorious,
and who is not most enviable, to whom women are devoted?

The sage said:
Who there would not attain liberation, who would not become more praiseworthy,
and who would not be endowed with well-being, who does not become attached to women?

The maiden said:
Even to a worm asleep inside the world of transmigration, a woman's body
is pleasing; why would it not be so in this world to a man endowed with discernment?

The sage said:
Just as that which arises from impurity is pleasing to a worm,
so a woman's body, born of transmigration, is pleasing to a lustful man.

The maiden said:
Seeing no other place of happiness for mortals,
the Creator, after contemplating what is eternal, brought forth this jewel of a woman.

The sage said:
Seeing no other bondage for the world,
the Creator then fashioned in the form of a woman this snare consisting of woman.

Sūta said:
When that tiger among sages had thus been rendered completely answerless
by her in their encounter, he then addressed his own daughter:

The sage said:
I must no longer engage in debate with you anywhere,
since you, though a girl, thus refute me at every turn.

Therefore, I consider myself indeed most fortunate today,
in that I have such a daughter, so skilled in the scriptures.

Therefore, O highly fortunate one, not even the slightest anger remains in me;
hence, sport as you wish, standing in the midst of the yoginīs.

Then she, feeling bashful upon seeing her father full of affectionate tenderness,
bowed down and spoke again, standing in the midst of the yoginīs:

"Whether out of ignorance or indeed with knowledge, I was forbidden by you, O lord; / everything should be forgiven me today, especially as I am a young girl.

Coming to this sacred seat, O foremost of the twice-born, all those men devoted to bhakti / will first worship you, / and afterwards the whole sacred seat, and they will attain the highest goal."

Thus she came into being there, born from the sage Jābāli, / and Jābāli is the best of sages, and likewise Citrāṅgadeśvara.

Whatever mortal performs the worship of these three / day after day there, he shall attain perfection.

Nothing at all is impossible for him on the surface of the earth; / he is worshipped by kings and the like, and he obtains celestial enjoyments.

Therefore, by every effort, that sage and that maiden / should be worshipped especially, and so should the god, the great lord.

All this narrative, granting all desires, has been told to you / for those who recite and hear it, both in this world and in the next.

Thus ends the one hundred and forty-fourth chapter, titled 'The Description of the Story of Citrāṅgadeśvara, Phalavatī, and Jābāli', in the māhātmya of the Hāṭakeśvara sacred field, in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa, the sixth [section], in the Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.