Skandapurana 5.21

The brahmins said: / “When was the Great-Grandfather established there by Mārkaṇḍa? / In what place was his own hermitage made by that sage? Tell [us].” (1)

Sūta said: / “There was an excellent brahmin named Mṛkaṇḍa, foremost among knowers of the Veda, / who dwelt in a forest-hermit's hermitage near Camatkārapura. (2)

Tranquil in soul and observing restraints, he performed very great austerity. / As he was thus abiding in that forest-hermit's hermitage, (3)

when his final years arrived, a very handsome son was born [to him], / endowed with all auspicious marks, radiant as the full moon. (4)

The father himself then gave him the name Mārkaṇḍa. / That boy grew exceedingly in that excellent hermitage, (5)

like the lord of the stars in the sky when the bright fortnight arrives. / While he was thus growing, five years passed / as he remained intent on childish play and sat on his father's lap. (6)

Then, after some time, a certain person arrived there / who was a master of the entire science of bodily marks and an abode of knowledge and rules. (7)

Looking at that child from the tips of his nails to the ends of his hair, / his eyes opened wide with astonishment, and he gave a slight smile. (8)

Seeing the wise man with a smiling face, Mṛkaṇḍa too, / endowed with modesty and with a somewhat pleased heart, inquired: (9)

Mṛkaṇḍa said: / “Why, O tiger among brahmins, having gazed at this child of mine, / were you seized with astonishment for a long time, and then wore a smiling face?” (10)

Sūta said: / Questioned repeatedly by him, that best of brahmins / then told the very cause of his laughter. // 11

The brahmin said: / "O noble sage, by the bodily marks / seen on this child, a man would truly become free from old age and death. // 12

Yet the death of this child will come six months from this day; / there is no doubt: what I have spoken is true. // 13

Knowing this, O best of the twice-born, by my instruction / do what is beneficial for the boy in this world and the next." // 14

Having spoken thus, that foremost brahmin went to his desired quarter. / Mṛkaṇḍu also then performed the tying of the muñja girdle for him. // 15

Reflecting somewhat in his heart on the cause, though it was not the proper time for the boy, / he, knowing the reasons, then spoke to that son: // 16

"Whichever foremost twice-born you see wandering about, son, / you must certainly offer him a respectful salutation out of humility." // 17

In this way, as he remained firm in his vow and intent on bowing to the foremost brahmins, / six months minus three days passed. // 18

In the meantime, the seven seers, devoted to Agnitīrtha, / arrived at the place where Mārkaṇḍa was, wearing his girdle. // 19

Seeing all those sages, the son of the sage bowed down. / 'May you be long-lived!' he was told by all of them individually. // 20

Then, having looked for a long time at that celibate student because of his childish nature, out of curiosity, / Vasiṣṭha, the foremost of sages, uttered these words: // 21

"This child has been respectfully told by all: 'May you be long-lived!' / Yet on the third day he will undoubtedly give up his life. // 22

Therefore such a word of ours would not be fitting, O twice-born; / let that action be taken whereby he may possess a long life." // 23

Then, having deliberated among themselves, all those eminent sages / said, "There can be no means of survival except the Grandfather. // 24

Therefore, bringing this boy whose life is exhausted before him, / let it be done by his word so that he may enjoy a long life." // 25

Then, quickly taking along the celibate student, / they left their journey of the tīrtha and went to the world of Brahmā. // 26

Then, bowing to that god and praising him with Vedic hymns, / the twice-born sat down immediately afterward in his presence. // 27

After them, the boy too bowed to the Grandfather, / and was told by the self-manifest one: "May you be long-lived!" // 28

Then the lotus-born spoke to all the rested sages: / "From where have you now come, and for what reason? // 29

And tell what duty of yours who have arrived at my home / should be done now; also, who is this boy of noble vows?" // 30

The sages said: / "While wandering over the surface of the earth in the course of a pilgrimage to tīrthas, / we arrived in the vicinity of Camatkārapura, O Grandfather. // 31

There we were greeted respectfully by this boy, O god; / in turn, he was respectfully told by all of us: 'May you be long-lived!' // 32

Yet the remainder of his life is only three days, / O best of gods; we are truly ashamed because of that. // 33

Therefore, taking him along, we have arrived in your presence; / you too have spoken likewise: 'May this boy be long-lived!' // 34

Therefore, O lotus-born, perform that act so that we, together with you, / may be truthful. For this reason we have come." // 35

Sūta said: / Hearing that speech of the sages, the lotus-born, / smiling, took the boy and spoke these words: // 36

"By my favor, this boy will be free from old age and death; / there is no doubt he will be proficient in Vedic learning. // 37

Therefore, O best of sages, go first to the surface of the earth / taking this boy to that very dwelling of his, // 38

before his aged father, distraught at not seeing his son, / meets his death together with his lawful wife, O best of the twice-born!" / Then all those best of sages, taking that boy, / came to the surface of the earth, near his very hermitage; // 39–40ab

they left him at Agnitīrtha after speaking to him, / and then quickly went elsewhere for the sake of their pilgrimage to tīrthas. // 40cd–41

In the meantime, the brahmin Mṛkaṇḍu, affectionate toward his son, / did not see his son, and subsequently lamented, deeply distressed: // 42

"Alas! Why is my beloved son not seen today? / Has he fallen into a well, or has he been struck down by serpents? // 43

Having plunged me and his mother into burning grief, / my little son has departed on the long road; Fate has acted against me! // 44

Look, O brahmin lady: sinful as I am, an evildoer, / I did not see the face of the boy as he set out for the abode of Yama! // 45

It was told to me previously by that great-souled wise man: / 'In six months your son will abandon his body.' // 46

Because of sorrow for my son, I will enter the fire / before my body is burned up by the fire of grief, O fair-faced lady!" // 47

The brahmin lady said: / "Indeed, my mind is also set upon what you have declared. / Why then do you delay, O brahmin? Bring firewood quickly, // 48

so that, along with you, I may enter the fire, / exceedingly consumed with grief for my son, for the appeasement of sorrow." // 49

Sūta said: / As the couple was speaking thus, O best of the twice-born, / that joyful boy came into their presence. // 50

Seeing him, the brahmin, delighted along with the brahmin lady, / ran forward toward him, his eyes flooded with tears of joy. // 51

Embracing him again and again along with his wife, he then asked: / "Where did you go from your own hermitage, child? Why have you come here after so long?" // 52

having cast me together with my wife, advanced in years, into an ocean of grief. / Therefore, dear son, do not ever do such a thing again."

Mārkaṇḍeya said: / "Sages arrived here today, and they were greeted by me / in proper order with humility, father, remembering your instruction.

I was told by all those best of twice-born: 'May you be long-lived!' / having seen me, a boy observing vows, O lord, filled with astonishment.

Then, having looked [at me], father, the sage situated among them, / Vasiṣṭha, spoke to all those sages as if smiling:

Vasiṣṭha said: / 'He to whom it was said by you, O bulls among sages, "May you be long-lived!"— / this very boy will meet his death on the third day.'

Then those sages, afraid of falsehood, father, immediately / took [me] and went there where Brahmā was residing.

Having been paid homage, I was also told by that lotus-born [Brahmā]: / 'May you be long-lived!' and I was asked: 'From where have you come here?'

Then the entire account was related to him by all those sages: / 'This arose from our blessing, and therefore we have come here.

In such a way that this boy, O god, through your grace, O grandfather, / may become long-lived in the world, so you ought to act.'

Then, father, I was made free from old age and death by Brahmā, / and was sent swiftly back towards my own home together with them.

Those sages, however, having released me right here near the hermitage, / all entered this very beautiful pool for ritual ablution."

Having heard his speech, Mṛkaṇḍa, filled with joy, / went swiftly there where those sages were staying.

Bowing to all those sages, standing with folded hands, / he said: "By your grace my family has reached prosperity.

This was well said by certain teachers, O best of sages, / relying on good people, and is renowned in the three worlds:

'The sight of good people is holy, for good people are indeed sacred fords; / a sacred ford bears fruit in time, [but] association with good people [bears fruit] immediately.'

Therefore, having arrived today at my home as guests, / what hospitality may I offer you? Let it be spoken, O best of twice-born!"

The seers said: / "This alone is hospitality worth ten million to us, O sage: / that your boy, though short-lived, has become free from death."

Mṛkaṇḍa said: / "Our boy was embraced by death, O lords of sages; / having protected [him] today, the entire lineage has been redeemed by you.

For a killer of a brahmin, a drinker of liquor, a thief, and likewise one who has broken his vow, / expiation has been prescribed by the good; for an ungrateful person, there is no expiation.

Therefore, O lords of sages, so that the fault of ingratitude might not fall on me, / something must without doubt be done by you all."

The seers said: / "If you consider [making] a return favor, O best of twice-born, / make a temple for the god, the Supreme Lord [Brahmā], according to our word,

by whom this boy of yours was made free from death today. / Therefore establish that god, the great-grandfather, by the sacred ford.

Together with your son, worship [him] afterwards day and night. / We ourselves, along with you, [shall worship] that god, the grandfather;

we and other best of twice-born shall worship him constantly. / Since your friendship with this boy was established here, / therefore it will be celebrated by the name Bālasakhya.

The sacred ford is known by others as bringing welfare to children, / to those afflicted with disease and those afflicted with fear, always through our word.

Whatever people bathe a child in this sacred ford, O twice-born, / whether afflicted with disease, afflicted with fear, or tormented by planetary spirits and the like,

he will become freed from all defects, there is no doubt, / through the grace of the grandfather and through our word, O twice-born.

Moreover, those human beings, O vipra, who, free from desires and endowed with faith, / perform merely a ritual ablution, go to the supreme state."

Having spoken thus, all those sages of praiseworthy vows, / taking leave of that sage, went swiftly to other sacred fords.

Mṛkaṇḍa too, along with his son, established the grandfather in that place, / delighted, in the month of Jyeṣṭha when the moon was in Jyeṣṭhā.

Then, unwearied, endowed with faith, together with his son, / he worshipped day and night, and reached the supreme state.

Sūta said: / From that time on, that sacred ford has been known as Bālasakhya, / purifying all creatures and destroying diseases of children.

Whatever child performs ritual ablution there in Jyeṣṭha during Jyeṣṭhā, / he does not suffer affliction for a whole year, O twice-born.

He becomes unassailable by planetary spirits, bhūtas, piśācas, / and especially by śākinīs and all other wicked beings.

Thus ends the twenty-first chapter, named 'Description of the Māhātmya of the Bālasakhya Tīrtha', in the section on the Māhātmya of Hāṭakeśvara Kṣetra, in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa, the sixth [book] in the eighty-one-thousand-verse collection of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa. 21.