Skandapurana 5.212

Sūta said: / This māhātmya of Ratnāditya, which removes all leprosy / and destroys all heinous sins, has been proclaimed to you. / Now hear likewise another great māhātmya of the Sun. (1)

Formerly there was a certain brahmin afflicted with the disease of leprosy. (1b)

Staying there, O best of the twice-born, the Sun was worshipped by him. (2)

Having reached the south-eastern region after that, / with a purified soul he fashioned an image made of red sandalwood. (3)

Then, at the end of a thousand years, the Sun, being pleased, / appeared within his sight and said to him, “I am a giver of boons.” (4)

The brahmin said: / “If you are pleased with me, O god, take away the disease of leprosy, O Lord! / I have no need of anything else, nor even of kingdom in heaven.” (5)

The Holy One said: / “On a Sunday which is a seventh lunar day, O brahmin, circumambulate [me] / a hundred and eight times, having bathed in the auspicious holy pool, / with a fruit in your hand for each one; then you shall be freed from leprosy. (6)

Whosoever else on earth shall perform this observance / shall be freed from all diseases and go to my realm.” (7)

Sūta said: / Hearing that, the brahmin acted accordingly with faith; / and then he was freed from leprosy and attained a divine body. (8)

Then the blessed Sun said once more to him who was freed from disease: / “What other pleasing thing may I do for you? Speak, O best of brahmins.” (9)

He said: “O blessed Lord, you must always abide here.” (10)

The Holy One said: / “Henceforth my abode shall be in this place, / and my name will be known as Kuharavāsin.” (11)

Now after some time a son was born to Viṣṇu / named Sāmba, richly endowed with beauty, from Jāmbavatī, O best of the twice-born. (12)

He caused agitation even among women who were like mothers, O twice-born. (13a)

Now, as that best of the Yadus was walking along the royal highway, (13b)

the city women also, delighted, watched him with great curiosity; / abandoning their household chores, they climbed up onto the lattice-windows, (14)

eager to catch sight of him whose body was like Love incarnate— / some with their limbs only half-anointed, some with only one eye painted with collyrium. (15)

with hair only half bound up, and others leaving their children behind; / some, slipping a sandal on one foot, ran swiftly,

and the broad-hipped women ran about with a shoe on the second. / And while the other women were rushing to the latticed windows,

children and elders, overcome with anger, shouted loudly after them. / Their minds perturbed by the loosening of their skirt-knots,

the noble women went straight to their own windows. / Then, with the rays of their falling glances, that youth resembling Kāmadeva

drew their hearts down onto the surface of the earth. / A certain lovestruck woman, merely upon seeing that form of Sāmba,

stood motionless, her limbs burning with passion, appearing as if painted. / Another, afflicted with passion, let out sighs hot as fire; / and one, beholding him endowed with beauty and youth, / fell senseless from the window down onto the surface of the earth.

Other noble women conversed with one another: / “Blessed is that one loving woman who embraces him

throughout the entire night in the month of Māgha!” / Let the women be: even men, unrestrained,

spoke in such a manner, astonished by his beauty. / In this matter they said: “Let us serve him without taking any wealth,

so that we may constantly behold his face resembling the moon! / Undoubtedly the growth of his eyes was halted by his ears; / otherwise, we do not know how immense it would become.”

Thus being gazed upon by passionate women and by men alike, / he went out along the royal highway, eager to see his father.

Sisters, mothers, and those who were brothers' wives— / even the wives of brahmins fell into such a state; / and especially his own mothers and his sisters.

When another day arrived during the rainy season, at the onset of night, / in the dark fortnight, shrouded in darkness so that nothing before them could be seen,

his mother named Nandinī, afflicted by the arrows of Kāmadeva, / assumed the guise of his wife and approached his bed.

He too, thinking her to be his beloved, made love to that passionate woman / with diverse acts of lovemaking of an incredible nature.

There the best of the Yadus became suspicious concerning her: / “She who is the daughter of the king of Aṅga, dearer to me than my very life,

does not know such lovemaking as has been performed by this woman! / Even courtesans do not know of such lovemaking by any means.”

Then, seizing her firmly by the hand, he immediately brought a lamp. / As soon as he looked, she was that mother known as Nandinī.

And then he reproached her: “Alas! What is this that has been done? / It is despised by all the world and brings the torment of hell!

She too, overcome with shame and confounded by great dread, / vanished that very instant, possessed by overwhelming fear.

Sāmba too, wailing and distressed, found no sleep at all, O twice-born; / the remainder of the night seemed to him then like a hundred years.

Then, when the night had passed and the orb of the sun had arisen, / that son of Hari arose, filled with great sorrow.

Setting aside even his daily duties, he brought a certain excellent brahmin / who knew the ordinances of the Dharmaśāstras, and said to him:

Standing in secret, full of humility, with folded hands: / Sāmba said: / “If infatuation should happen to occur with one's mother, sister, or daughter,

tell me truly, how can his purification be attained? / Having examined all the Dharmaśāstras in their proper order, [tell me].”

The brahmin said: / “My child, an expiation is prescribed for [the violation of] another man's wife; / in all the codes of law it is prescribed differently for each of the castes.

And in the case of these three women, it is proclaimed for the three [higher castes]; / in this very manner the expiation has been declared for purification.

If infatuation occurs with a mother, or with a sister, O Yādava, / or through negligence with a daughter, purification must be performed by the wise. / For purification, I know of only the tiṅginī and nothing else.

In all the codes of law this decision has been pronounced; / that which I have declared to you has no alternative, O bull of the Yadus.

Whoever, being questioned, declares an expiation otherwise out of his own whim, / would become a sharer in that sin, just as the perpetrator himself.”

Sāmba said: / “What is the nature of the tiṅginī, and what is its measure, O best of the twice-born? / Tell me everything in detail; I have a need for it here.”

The brahmin said: / “Taking dry cow-dung powder and filling a pit measured to one's own size, / one must lie down in it, O Yādava, up to one's mouth.

Above, that powder made of cow-dung must be applied, / up to the level of the mouth, leaving one's face exposed.

Then one should kindle fire at the region of the feet, / so that burning of the body occurs very gradually.

Stationed there, one should not move a limb in any way; / nor should one cry out; one should meditate solely on Janārdana.

Then, through the loss of life, purification of the body is achieved.

The nature of the tiṅginī has thus been described by me. / This is the expiation that completely destroys great sins.”

Hearing his words, Sāmba, the son of Jāmbavatī, / made a resolve in his heart to undertake the tiṅginī.

Then, filled with self-disgust, he spoke to Vāsudeva in seclusion: / “Father, I was deceived by your wife Nandinī.

Assuming the form of my wife while it was dark, that sinful woman came; / thinking, ‘This is my own wife,’ she was enjoyed by me.

Then, recognizing her by her movements, I rebuked and dismissed her. / From that time on, this leprosy has settled upon my body.

I then questioned an excellent brahmin who knows the Dharmaśāstras: / ‘Tell me the expiation as taught for cohabiting with a mother.’

By him was declared the proper practice of Tiṅginī for my purification. / I shall undertake that practice to cleanse that sin. // 59

Give me your permission quickly, so that I may perform this duty; / and you must forgive whatever wrongdoing I committed in my childhood. // 60

Act in such a way that my mother does not grieve. // 61

Hearing his word, which was like the fall of a thunderbolt, Hari, / his eyes filled with tears, dejected, then spoke with a faltering voice: // 62

“This act was not performed by you out of lust, O son, / and because it was not done with knowledge, the sin is indeed very small. // 63

A sin committed knowingly becomes inexhaustible indeed, / if the king does not inflict punishment for it. // 64

Therefore, I shall proclaim to you the penance for complete purification, / and also the gift, O fortunate one, by which leprosy is destroyed. // 65

Enjoined, prohibited, and likewise regarded as suitable, / conditional and unconditional, are the words of the sages without remainder. // 66

Therefore in this matter, O son, follow my word; / great welfare will accrue [to you] in this world and the next. // 67

In the sacred field of Hāṭakeśvara, consecrated by Viśvāmitra, / there is the renowned Sun, the destroyer of all leprosy. // 68

When a Sunday falls on the seventh lunar day in the month of Mādhava, / during the asterism sacred to the ancestors and in the bright fortnight, // 69

at the rising of the sun, with a mind purified by faith, / whoever performs one hundred and eight circumambulations, // 70

along with the finest fruits individually of that same number, / his leprosy departs immediately, without doubt. // 71

A healthy man who performs circumambulations of that sun / is honoured in the realm of the Sun for as many yugas. // 72

The mortal who, having circumambulated him on a Sunday, / bows down with true devotion, is also released from diseases. // 73

Therefore, O great prince, worship that Sun, / the god indeed, by this ritual procedure which has been entirely described by me to you. // 74

Worship him swiftly with an unwavering mind; / freed from disease and sinless, you will then obtain a divine body. // 75

Do not indulge in despair arising from the disease of leprosy, / while that god named Kuharāśraya is present in that sacred field.” // 76

Then, having heard that speech, the son of Viṣṇu departed. // 77

Sūta said: / Hearing this speech of the discus-bearing god of gods, / Sāmba resolved to set out towards Arbuda. // 78

Then, when an auspicious day arrived, accompanied by elephants, horses, and chariots, / that son of Viṣṇu departed, surrounded by an army. // 79

He was followed for a long distance by Kṛṣṇa of unwearied deeds, / his eyes filled with tears, and by all the mothers, // 80

by the heroic Balabhadra, by wise Cārudeṣṇa, / by Yuyudhāna and Aniruddha, and by the wise Pradyumna. // 81

Then Jāmbavatī, seeing her son departing / intent on visiting the sacred ford, wailed like an osprey: // 82

“Alas, I am undone, I am ruined, unfortunate and ill-fated, / whose only son has also fallen into this condition!” // 83

Then, seeing her weeping, Madhusūdana said: / “Why do you cause an inauspicious omen for him as he departs, // 84

with eyes full of tears, wretched, and especially with your hair dishevelled? / Freed from disease, endowed with the fruit of the pilgrimage to sacred fords, / and released from the disease of leprosy, he will return to your presence.” // 85

In the meantime, having descended from his vehicle in haste, / Sāmba went to the place where Jāmbavatī was standing. // 86

Bowing to her, joyful in spirit, standing with joined palms, / prostrating and smiling warmly, he uttered this speech: // 87

“O Mother, do not grieve in vain on my account; / I shall return swiftly indeed after completing the pilgrimage to sacred fords.” // 88

Jāmbavatī said: / “May all those forest deities protect you in the forest, my child, / from beasts of prey, Piśācas, and wicked beings on every side, O son! // 89

May Govinda protect your head, and Madhusūdana your neck; / may Hṛṣīkeśa protect the region of your arms, and the destroyer of Daityas your heart! // 90

May the lotus-eyed one protect your belly, and the mace-bearer your hips; / may Kṛṣṇa protect both your knees, and the bearer of the earth your feet!” // 91

Touching his limbs with her own hand in this manner, / embracing him and smelling him repeatedly upon the crown of his head, // 92

that illustrious woman sent forth her son, having performed protection for him. / Accompanied by all the women of the inner apartments, she then turned back, // 93

her eyes filled with tears, dejected, sighing like a female serpent. / Likewise the Lord Viṣṇu, together with all the Yādavas, // 94

entered the city of Dvārakā after seeing Sāmba off on his journey, / his eyes filled with tears, dejected, led by Balabhadra, // 95

with sons, grandsons, friends, and other kinsmen. / Having departed from Dvārakā, Sāmba too, O best of brahmins, // 96

arrived in due course at the confluence of the Sindhu and the ocean, / where Viṣṇu himself, Lord of Yogins, established by Ambarīṣa, // 97

stands even today, destroying the sins of living beings. / Having bathed there and having worshipped the god, the Lord of Yogins, he then // 98

distributed various gifts according to his ability to brahmins, / and likewise to the wretched, the blind, the destitute, and others, // 99

vehicles, clothes, jewels, and whatever was desired by anyone. / That son of Hari, having remained there concentrated in mind for three nights, // 100

went thereafter to the holy hermitage of Cyavana, / where Viṣṇu, consecrated by Cyavana, resides // 1

on the holy bank of the Sindhu, destroying all sins. / There too, the descendant of Yadu gave gifts to the foremost brahmins. // 2

[gifts] that were desired, according to the rites seen in the scriptures. / There too, restrained, Sāmba remained, full of faith, 3

for three nights, and then departed after bathing in the auspicious water of the ocean. / Then, directing his steps slowly toward Puṣkara and other [places], 4

meditating day and night upon the god who dwells at Puṣkara, / that best of Yadus gradually reached Puṣkara. 5

Bathing in the sacred water of the pool, having gratified the ancestors and deities, / on the seventh lunar day, on a Sunday, taking fruits, / he went where the god Viṣṇu has been described as staying. 6

Having then worshipped with devotion the god who dwells in the cave / with garments, unguents, incenses, and various kinds of food-offerings, 7

he slowly made circumambulations with fruit in his hand, / reciting the Sūryagāyatrī, endowed with supreme faith. 8

Just as he performed the circumambulation of that Sun, / so too his leprosy departed, O best of brahmins! 9

At that moment, in the mind of the wise Sāmba [the thought] arose: / "I am freed from the disease of leprosy beyond doubt, O best of brahmins!" 10

Then, whatever he had brought with him there, / rich with elephants, horses, chariots, and jewels, all that, preceded by devotion, 11

he gave to the Nāgaras, as well as another five villages. / Having installed Sāmbāditya, he then departed for home. 12

Whatever little remained, all that, accompanied by devotion, / he gave to the brahmins devoted to the Sun, having worshipped the Maker of Day. 13

Eight thousand horses, three hundred elephants, / six hundred chariots yoked with swift horses, / and endless jewels Sāmba gave, and returned home. 14

Whoever recites with devotion this peerless narrative of Sāmba / or hears it, in his lineage leprosy does not arise. 15

Sūta said: / All this has been narrated to you regarding the excellent Viśvāmitrīya, / the fourth sacred ford, which brings auspiciousness to women. 16

Thus ends the two hundred and thirteenth chapter, titled "Description of the Majesty of Kuharavāsi-Sāmbāditya," in the Viśvāmitrīyamāhātmya of the Hāṭakeśvarakṣetramāhātmya in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa, the sixth [part] of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, a compendium of eighty-one thousand [verses]. 213