Skandapurana 5.189

Sūta said: / Thus that sacrifice took place for five nights, O best of the twice-born, / in the sacred field born of Hāṭakeśvara, abounding in all desires.

And having gratified all the brahmins, the mendicants, and especially the poor and the blind / at the conclusion of that sacrifice, [he] then [gratified] / those officiating priests, the best of the twice-born, with priestly gifts as prescribed.

Then he summoned the Nāgara brahmins, the best of the twice-born, / endowed with the four limbs [of Vedic study] and conversant with the Śruti and Smṛti.

Having folded his hands in reverence, he then said to them respectfully: / "Since on earth I established the sacred ford Puṣkara,

as a second one, O best of the twice-born, out of fear of the Kali age, / so that it is not destroyed even if inhabited by mlecchas,

by the power of the great Lord Hāṭakeśvara; / and when the Kali age has arrived, the sacred fords and temples,

beginning with Prayāga, will all undoubtedly be defiled by mlecchas— / by that fear caused by them, this sacrifice was performed.

Therefore, tell me what gift [as a fee] for the purchase of your land / of the sacrifice I may bestow, O twice-born, so that its fruit may belong to me."

The brahmins said: / "If you give us the priestly gift arising from the sacrifice, / then bring this place of ours to purity by your own presence.

This excellent sacred ford Puṣkara which has been established here by you— / tell us its māhātmya, O best of gods, / so that we may perform all rituals, beginning with ritual ablution, O Grandfather."

Brahmā said: / "This sacred ford was created by me, always abiding in the intermediate space. / Have you not heard of it in the Purāṇas, O best of the twice-born?

On earth is the sacred ford Naimiṣa, and in the intermediate space is Puṣkara, / while Kurukṣetra is situated distinctly in the three worlds.

Therefore, for your welfare, for five nights upon the earth's surface / it will undoubtedly arrive, impelled by my word.

In the bright fortnight of Kārttika, beginning on the eleventh day / until the fifteenth, that lunar day destroys sin.

Whoever performs ritual ablution in the midst of those five nights, / or, filled with faith, performs a śrāddha, it will indeed become inexhaustible for him.

And I, arriving from Brahmaloka for those five nights, / will take up residence in this very sacred ford, O best of the twice-born."

The brahmins said: / "We shall fashion an image of you in this place, O Great-grandfather; / therefore, a transference [of your presence] into it must always be made by you, O Lord.

And may the sacred ford also always arrive here from the sky / for the destruction of the sins of people; you ought to do so.

This is our priestly gift, O Lord, arising from the sacrifice.

When this is done, O best of the gods, your sacrifice will become fruitful, / and so your promise made for granting [it] will become true."

Auspicious Brahmā said: / "Invoked by mantra, the excellent Puṣkara will then arrive / from the path of the sky into the sacred field born of Hāṭakeśvara, O best of the twice-born.

And standing in the water in front of my image, / whoever recites the Aghamarṣaṇa preceded by the mantra of Paila,

and will chant the four libations, O best of the twice-born, / I shall arrive from Brahmaloka and listen to that, O twice-born."

Sūta said: / Then all those Nāgaras, pleased, having offered flowers, / gave their permission for the completion of the fruit of the sacrifice.

In the meantime, Pulastya, the best of the Adhvaryu priests, arrived / at that place where Brahmā was seated, surrounded by the Nāgaras.

And he said: "Your [sacrifice] is completed, since its priestly gifts are fulfilled, / free from [the need for] expiations, as none other's ever was.

Beyond this, a small remainder of the ritual exists, O Grandfather: / the Vāruṇī-iṣṭi and the recitation; that I shall perform now.

And likewise, the ceremonial post-bath ablution must be performed together with you. / Therefore arise, let us go where the water is situated,

so that there we may perform the Vāruṇī-iṣṭi with the proper brahmins: / the four led by the Brahman priest, myself, the Āgnīdhra, and the Hotṛs.

Just as in the fire, so in the water that auspicious offering is poured with mantras, / according to rule, together with the sacrificial vessels.

For the pleasure of Varuṇa, ritual ablution must be performed by you alone, / accompanied by the officiating priests, for the pacification of all misfortunes.

Whatever other human being also performs ritual ablution at that time together with you / will become freed from sin.

Whatever sacred fords there are here in the three worlds of moving and unmoving beings / come into the vicinity, having reached the Vāruṇī-iṣṭi.

Therefore, with every effort, together with the consecrated sacrificer, / ritual ablution must be performed there in the midst of the water by all seekers of welfare— / by brahmins, kṣatriyas, and vaiśyas—at the festival of the ceremonial post-bath ablution.

Therefore dismiss these brahmins now for that purpose; / they too will perform ritual ablution there together with you."

Sūta said: / Having heard that, Brahmā set out toward the auspicious bank of the Jyeṣṭhakuṇḍa, / accompanied by Gāyatrī, delighted, having achieved his purpose.

Then, having heard that speech, all the gods as well as the twice-born / and Pulastya set out for auspiciousness, for the ritual ablution, / accompanied by Brahmā, delighted, together with their sons and wives.

Then overcrowding arose all around at Jyeṣṭhapuṣkara / by the people who had arrived for the ritual ablution, their arms raised high.

Brahmā could not be seen there, nor that concluding rite of Varuṇa, / as the whole surface of the earth was crowded by the brahmins performing it there.

Then, at the conclusion of that rite, Brahmā said to Indra, / who was standing bowed in modesty, for the benefit of the whole world:

“The people standing far off, who have come for the ritual ablution, will not perceive me / dipping into the sacred water in this throng in the water.

Therefore, mount your own elephant, O slayer of Vṛtra, / and placing the hide of a black antelope upon the end of a bamboo pole,

it must then be cast by you into the water at the time of that ritual ablution, / so that all this world may know the time born of the ritual ablution,

and perform the ritual ablution and attain the welfare as described. / Even if far off, even if very old, even if a child who has arrived, / merely upon seeing it, one obtains the welfare arising from the ritual ablution as described.”

Sūta said: / Having said, “So be it,” Hari went quickly.

Then, mounting the elephant and holding a bamboo pole in his hand / with the deer hide attached to its tip, he took his position amidst the water.

At the conclusion of this rite, as the Grandfather wished to bathe, / Indra himself cast that hide into the water.

At that moment, all the gods, Gandharvas, and Guhyakas, / and mortals especially, bathed there with focused minds.

In the meantime, Brahmā respectfully addressed Indra, / who stood bowed in modesty after having bathed along with the gods:

“O thousand-eyed one, immense hardship was endured by you in my sacrifice; / and the slender-waisted wife Gāyatrī was likewise brought by you.

Therefore, choose a boon—blessing be upon you—whatever boon rests in your mind. / I shall grant you everything, even if it is very difficult to obtain.”

Indra said: / “If you are pleased with me, O God, if a boon is to be given to me, / if I may ask you today, O Lord, let it be thus:

Year after year, when this auspicious day arrives, / whichever king, taking a deer skin at the tip of a bamboo pole,

mounts an excellent elephant and himself, O Grandfather, / casts it into the water just as I did, may he be free from sin,

unconquerable by all enemies, and free from all vices; / and those who perform their ritual ablution together with this deer skin,

and whatever other people as well, even though endowed with sin— / may the sin committed by them during the year perish through your grace!”

Brahmā said: / “All these words of yours, O thousand-eyed one, without doubt / shall come to pass, there is no question; all this has been declared by me.

Whatever king, endowed with faith, born in this Ānarta country, / mounted upon an elephant, shall cast the deer skin

into this pool of mine, having worshipped me stationed on the bank, / for the welfare of all the world, when the day of Pratipad has arrived,

at the conclusion of the kutapa hour, he shall be victorious, / once the full-moon day of Kārttika has passed and the second day has begun.

Likewise, reaching that time, whatever humans / perform the ritual ablution on this very day here, free from the year's sins / and liberated from mental agony and physical disease, they shall become, without a doubt.”

Sūta said: / In the meantime, the terrible disease named Yakṣmā arrived, / incurable even by the gods and likewise by Dhanvantari.

Wearing dark blue garments, emaciated, wretched, leaning on a staff, / coughing and spitting phlegm, placing each footstep with great difficulty,

he then bowed down and spoke these words:

Yakṣmā said: / “Having heard of your sacrifice from afar, O Grandfather, / with a throat emaciated by hunger, I have come with great difficulty today at the conclusion.

Formerly, I was created by the enraged Dakṣa for the sake of the Moon, / who attended upon Rohiṇī and abandoned his other daughters.

Then, by the order of Śiva, when pleased with him, / one fortnight was allotted to me for consuming him.

In the other fortnight there is nothing by which satisfaction is produced for me. / Having satiated the best of brahmins at every sacrifice,

his word should then be accepted: ‘I am satisfied, without doubt.’ / Then, O God, on the full-moon day, for whichever sacrifice entirely,

a brahmin, having been satiated at the end of the sacrifice, does not say, / ‘I am satisfied,’ the fruit born of that sacrifice would be in vain for him, / even if given tenfold-millionfold and endowed with faith.

Having heard this recited by you in the Vedic revelation here, O God, / therefore, when a sacrifice is properly established, one should indeed satisfy the brahmin.

Just as tangible satisfaction may arise for me through food, / through your grace, O best of gods, let such a rule be ordained!”

Sūta said: / Having heard his entire speech, both beneficial and unwholesome, / and taking the Vedic revelation as the authoritative source, the lotus-born [Brahmā] then spoke these words:

“From this day onward, the brahmins on the face of the earth who maintain the sacred fires / must all offer the entire food-offering at the end of the vaiśvadeva rite.

After giving it to the other gods, your satisfaction shall take place / during your second fortnight; this is the truth declared by me.

And whatever brahmins give the food-offering when the end of the vaiśvadeva arrives, / no one in their lineage here must be afflicted by you.”

Yakṣmā said: / “In this sacred ford of yours, O God, constantly engaged in austerity / I shall dwell, if such a command of yours comes to me.”

Brahmā said: / “If so, make your own hermitage elsewhere, / having obtained whatever region of land pleases you, / after requesting these brahmins, just as was done by me for the sacrifice.”

Sūta said: / Hearing that, he begged the inhabitants born of Camatkārapura; / having obtained land from them, he then made his own hermitage.

Whoever bathes there when the Pratipad day falls / on a Sunday, is freed even if afflicted by consumption.

Even today proof of this is seen in its occurrence: / for all who maintain sacrificial fires, especially the Nāgaras, / even when the Kali age has arrived, consumption does not arise.

Likewise for the four-footed animals residing in their houses, / there would be no need of medicines, mantras, or physicians.

Thus ends the one hundred and ninetieth chapter, named 'Description of the Origin and Greatness of the Yakṣmatīrtha at the Final Bath of Brahmā's Sacrifice,' in the Great Purāṇa of Skanda, in the compilation of eighty-one thousand [verses], in the sixth Nāgarakhaṇḍa, in the Greatness of the Hāṭakeśvara Sacred Field.