Skandapurana 5.20

Sūta said: / There, Rāma, son of Daśaratha, consecrated for dwelling in the forest, / wandering over the surface of the earth accompanied by Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa,

arrived, O best of the twice-born, where that Pitṛkūpikā is. / Afflicted with thirst and exhausted with fatigue, he sat down upon the ground.

In the meantime, the lord sun, / resembling a hibiscus flower, reached the mountain of setting, O best of the twice-born.

Then, having spread leaves on the ground beneath the plakṣa tree / and having performed the evening rites, the delight of the Raghu race fell asleep.

Then he saw King Daśaratha in a dream, / engaged in pleasant conversation and delighted in mind, just as before.

Then, at pure dawn, when the orb of the sun had arisen, / Rāghava summoned the brahmins and recounted all of that:

'Today in a dream, O brahmins, my father was seen by me, / intent on pleasant conversation, with a very cheerful mind, wearing white garlands and ointments.

What will be the outcome of this dream, O best of the twice-born? / Tell me, since I have supreme curiosity.'

The brahmins said: / 'The ancestors who desire a śrāddha, or who see prosperity, O king, / appear in the dreams of their sons: so it has been heard by us.'

Therefore, Gayā herself resides in this small well; / because of that, you saw your father in a dream desiring a śrāddha.

Therefore, best of the Raghus, perform the śrāddha here as prescribed, / with wild rice, vegetables, roots, and wild sesame seeds.

Then the best of the Raghus invited those brahmins / for the śrāddha rites, endowed with faith, saying, “Please grant your favor.”

Saying, “Very well,” all those best among brahmins, / exceedingly delighted, went to their own hermitages for their ritual ablution.

Then, when those brahmins had departed, the best of the Raghus / spoke to Lakṣmaṇa, who was standing beside him bowed down in humility:

“Quickly bring vegetables, roots, and fruits for the śrāddha; / bring them, son of Sumitrā; the noble Vaidehī will cook them herself.”

Hearing that, Lakṣmaṇa went quickly to the forest; / he swiftly brought various fruits for the sake of the śrāddha:

āmalakī fruits, mangoes, cirbhaṭa fruits, and iṅgudas, / karīra fruits, wood-apples, and many others as well.

Then, for that purpose, Janaka's daughter, / by Rāma's command, the virtuous woman, full of humility, cooked [them] herself.

And then, when the kutapa hour had arrived, those best among brahmins, / having performed their daily rites, arrived, endowed with devotion to Rāma.

Meanwhile, Sītā stood behind a plakṣa tree / and concealed herself so that the descendant of Raghu would not know. / Calling out to her again and again, “Sītā! Sītā!”, / and thinking she had her monthly period, he said this to Lakṣmaṇa:

“Dear Lakṣmaṇa, you should duly perform / the service for the brahmins required for the śrāddha, beginning with washing their feet.”

Addressed with “Very well,” Lakṣmaṇa, endowed with auspicious marks, / performed all that duty just as an experienced woman would.

Then, when the śrāddha was concluded and the brahmins had left, / Janaka's virtuous daughter appeared that very instant.

Seeing Sītā, the descendant of Raghu, his eyes red with anger, / spoke with harsh words, rebuking her repeatedly:

“When the twice-born arrived and the time for śrāddha was at hand, / where did you go, tell me, wicked woman, abandoning me from afar?

It is not proper for women of noble family, especially here in the forest, / to roam far away in an empty place; therefore, you deserve to be abandoned, Maithilī!”

Hearing that speech of his, the frightened daughter of Janaka, / her limbs trembling, then spoke with a faltering voice:

“You ought not to reproach me in this matter, best of the Raghus. / Hear the reason why I went away from this place:

I saw your father, Daśaratha himself in person, / residing in the body of a brahmin, and your grandfather in the second;

in another, the third, [I saw] the father’s grandfather, best of the Raghus; / and in three other [brahmins I saw] three others resembling kings;

I saw them residing in the bodies of the brahmins, greatly delighted; / I distinctly recognized them also as the three maternal grandfathers.

Then I fled out of shame upon seeing the presence of my father-in-law. / By him sweet delicacies were formerly eaten manifold;

so too solid foods, lickable foods, and suckable foods especially. / How could he, your father, today eat the bitter and astringent [foods] / offered with my own hand, O Lord?

For this reason I fled from your presence, O Lord, / even when the time of the śrāddha arrived. I swear by the truth.”

Hearing that, Rāma, lotus-eyed, his heart delighted, / embraced her again and again, saying to her, “Well done! Well done!”

Then, having eaten himself along with Lakṣmaṇa, / when evening arrived and having performed the evening twilight rites,

he spoke to Lakṣmaṇa: “Dear boy, spread leaves upon the ground, / make a bed, and bring water for washing the feet.”

Then, overcome with anger, the son of Sumitrā said to the descendant of Raghu: / “I will not make a bed, nor will I wash your feet,

nor any other task, even the slightest, O Lord! / Or else, abandoning you, I will go somewhere, exceedingly distressed,

as a servant, best of the Raghus; this is the truth spoken by me. / Why do you not give even a single order to Sītā, / even the smallest, Rāma? What will you do with me?”

Hearing that distorted speech of his, the wise descendant of Raghu / smiled slightly and then fell silent.

Then, having risen himself and made a lovely bed of his own, / his feet were washed by Sītā, and thereafter he slept.

Lakṣmaṇa too, staying far away, his eyes red with anger, / slept resting at the foot of a tree, and thought in his mind:

“Having killed this sleeping descendant of Raghu and making Sītā my wife, / shall I go to my own place or far away to a foreign land?”

While he was reflecting thus in many ways, O brahmins, / that night passed for Lakṣmaṇa with great difficulty.

No resolve was born in him concerning that deed in any way, / as his sleep was destroyed by rage and he sighed warmly again and again.

Then at clear dawn, having performed his morning rites, / Rāma took Sītā and set out toward the southern direction.

Lakṣmaṇa too, stringing his bow and fixing an arrow, / followed behind him, looking for an opportunity [to strike] him.

Then, having reached Gokarṇa and bowed down to the Great Lord, / as the descendant of Raghu set out, the son of Sumitrā approached.

His eyes bewildered with tears, standing with his face cast down in shame, / he bowed down with his head to Rāma and then spoke, deeply sorrowful:

“Inflict punishment upon me, O Lord, arising from betrayal of my master, / for I am a great sinner, wicked and ungrateful, O best of the Raghus!”

I gave you countless hostile replies, / and without any fault on your part, I devised a means to kill you. (53)

Then Rāma embraced his own brother, / and with his face wet with tears said: “Dear boy, I have forgiven you. (54)

For I know clearly that no one is dearer to you than me. / Therefore come, let us go on our way, lest the hour grow late.” (55)

Lakṣmaṇa said: / “Lord, if you do not punish me now, / I will abandon my life in fire for the purification of my soul.” (56)

While Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa were speaking thus in that forest, / there arrived the foremost sage known as Mārkaṇḍa. (57)

Then Rāma, bowing to him together with Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa, / said: “Welcome to you! Whence have you come, good sage?” (58)

Mārkaṇḍeya said: / “I have come now from Prabhāsa, O son of Raghu; / I am going to my own hermitage situated right here in this sacred field. (59)

By me, O scion of Raghu, the Great-Grandfather was established there; / a pilgrimage to him on this day is remembered as bestowing great welfare. (60)

Therefore you too, quickly along with me, / having halted at the precinct of my hermitage, behold the god, the Grandfather, (61)

so that you may become unassailable to all your enemies, O upholder of Raghu’s line! / An eldest son who is collected in mind during the conjunction of the fifteenth day of Jyeṣṭha, (62)

who performs ritual ablution there—whence could he have fear of death? / Today is that fifteenth day belonging to the month of Jyeṣṭha, / conjoined with the Jyeṣṭhā lunar mansion; therefore it is fitting that you bathe.” (63)

Then, seeing Rāma set out, Lakṣmaṇa said: / “Inflict punishment on me first, O Lord, and only then proceed to the sacred ford.” (64)

Rāma said: / “Dear Lakṣmaṇa, while this tiger among sages stands near, / it is inappropriate to perform expiation [without him]; therefore petition him.” (65)

Lakṣmaṇa said: / “O brahmin, if any expiation is seen for treachery committed against one's master, / grant it to me clearly, so that bodily purification may arise.” (66)

Mārkaṇḍeya said: / “Near my hermitage is an excellent sacred ford called Bālamaṇḍana; / those who have engaged in treachery to their master, having bathed there, are freed from their sins. (67)

There Indra became free of sin after killing the fetus of Diti of old, / the mother who had placed special trust [in him], O best of the Kakutsthas. / Therefore, go there quickly and perform ritual ablution, O highly intelligent one. (68)

Then you will be freed from the sin born of treachery against your master. / Furthermore, you have no fault, for the sin was committed only in the mind. (69)

It is purified by remorse of mind; this is the view of the wise. / Since the treachery was committed by you only mentally on account of Rāma, (70)

and on account of such mental remorse, therefore you are pure, Lakṣmaṇa! / Furthermore, hear my word: there is no fault in you, sinless one. (71)

Such is the power of this sacred field: it is devoid of fraternal love. / Those who dwell here in this sacred field of five krośas, O Lakṣmaṇa, (72)

not even the slightest fraternal affection ever arises among them. (73)

A mortal is devoted to affection and speaks gently only so long / as he does not touch with his feet the sacred field born of Camatkāra. (74)

The other cattle, birds, and wild beasts that dwell here / are also devoid of goodwill and harbor rivalry toward one another. (75)

No one has affection toward anyone else at all. / Therefore you have no fault; such is the state of this sacred field. (76)

Even so, if any doubt remains in your mind, / go and perform ritual ablution in that very auspicious sacred ford (77)

where Indra became free of sin after committing dreadful treachery / born of causing the miscarriage of the trusting Diti of old.” (78)

Addressed thus, the son of Sumitrā went there, O best of brahmins, / and from ritual ablution in that sacred ford frequented by Śakra, he became purified. / Rāma too went swiftly to Mārkaṇḍeya's excellent hermitage; (79)

having performed ritual ablution according to rule, he then beheld the Grandfather. / Then, accompanied by Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa, he set out in the southern direction. (80)

Through its power, he then slew the best of rākṣasas beginning with Khara, / and likewise the fierce Rāvaṇa together with Meghanāda. (83)

Thus ends the twentieth chapter, named “Description of the Māhātmya of the Bālamaṇḍana Sacred Ford on the Occasion of Rāma's Departure for the Southern Direction,” in the māhātmya of Hāṭakeśvara Sacred Field, in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa, in the sixth section of the glorious Skandamahāpurāṇa comprising eighty-one thousand verses.