Skandapurana 5.40

The seers said: / "Regarding this great stone of Brahmā spoken of by you there, / which grants liberation to all living beings and destroys sins,

how was it established there, and what is its power, O son of Sūta? / Tell us all this completely, for we are not satiated."

Sūta said: / "Formerly, a great concern arose for Brahmā of unmanifest birth, / residing in the world of Brahmā, originating from a pilgrimage to sacred fords:

'All the gods indeed have sacred fords on the surface of the earth, / except for me; therefore, I must establish a sacred ford on the earth's surface,

where, having arrived at the three junctures of the day, reaching the mortal world, / I may then perform the rites arising from the twilight devotions,

and whatever other righteous, beneficial rite there is, / I may perform that, just as the other gods, Śiva and the rest, have done.

For in heaven there is no eligibility for actions whatsoever; / only the fruit of auspicious deeds is enjoyed here.

Therefore, wherever on the surface of the earth this stone shall fall, / there I must go at the three twilight junctures, solely for the performance of rites.'"

Having spoken thus, the Grandfather hurled toward the earth's surface / that very expansive stone originating from his seat.

Then that stone, made of all kinds of jewels, fell upon the earth / in the sacred field of Camatkārapura, the source of supreme prosperity among all sacred fields.

Then the lord of the world, having personally come to the surface of the earth, / looked upon that sacred field filled on all sides with sacred fords.

Then, seeing that stone positioned in the most sacred place, / he was filled with joy and spoke thereafter:

"Ah, there is none more fortunate than me in the three worlds, / since my presence has come to be here in a sacred field consisting of all sacred fords!

Since no ritual activity proceeds without water, / therefore a great pool of pure water must be made here by me."

Then he thought of his daughter Sarasvatī, / who flows in the realm of Pātāla out of fear of the touch of people.

Then, bursting through the surface of the earth, the great river appeared, / washing that stone on all sides with pure waters.

Then, assuming an embodied form, she spoke to the great-grandfather: / "For what purpose have I been remembered, O god? Let your command be given!"

Brahmā said: / "You must always remain right here upon the stone in my presence, / so that with your waters I may perform rites at all three twilight junctures.

Likewise, the mortals who take a ritual ablution in your water / shall attain the supreme perfection difficult to obtain even by gods and humans."

Sarasvatī said: / "I am an unmarried maiden, O best of gods, flowing in the realm of Pātāla; / terrified of the fear of human touch, I will not come to the earth's surface.

Yet your command must by no means be disobeyed by me. / Considering this, O best of gods, do whatever is fitting."

Brahmā said: / "For your sake I shall fashion a great pool right in this place, / inaccessible to all mortals; you should dwell there."

Having spoken thus, the lord of gods dug a great pool. / Then Sarasvatī took up her abode there.

Then the Grandfather commanded serpents whose glance is venomous: / "By my order, you must always abide in this pool.

You must act in every way, O best of serpents, / so that mortals do not touch Sarasvatī by any means."

Sūta said: / Having thus established Sarasvatī in that sacred field, / and that wondrous stone in the middle, Brahmā indeed went to the world of Brahmā.

Then a great seer named Maṅkaṇaka, strict in his vows / and expert in the science of poisons, arrived at that sacred field.

While he was wandering about in order in that [pool] guarded by serpents, / they encircled that sage and bound him with their coils.

He too, by the power of his science, rendered those serpents venomless. / Having bathed there, become pure, and offered libations to the ancestors, / he emerged from that water, having accomplished his purpose and filled with joy.

Then, as soon as the sage properly gathered the kuśa grass, / the tip of his hand was pierced by the tip of a darbha blade. 6.40.30

Then, from that wound, an abundance of plant sap flowed out. / Seeing that, he became especially joyous and filled with wonder. 31

Realising, 'I have achieved perfection,' he then began to dance; / climbing onto the rock sacred to Brahmā, he was overwhelmed with tears of joy. 32

Now, as that great-souled sage was dancing in this manner, / the entire world, both immovable and moving, began to dance. 33

The whole of Camatkārapura was broken; the best of brahmins fled; / as palaces collapsed there, a great cry of despair arose. 34

Then all the hosts of gods, seeing his actions, / spoke to the bull-vehicled [Śiva] to stop his dance: 35

'Since he is dancing, the world, both immovable and moving, / dances, O Lord of gods; therefore, go and stop him. 36

None other, O best of gods, is in any way capable / of restraining this sage; therefore, O Īśāna, bring about the welfare of the world.' 37

Hearing their words, the Lord whose banner bears a bull, / having assumed the form of an eminent brahmin, ran up to him. 38

And he said, 'O sage, why are you dancing now? / Therefore, tell your motive quickly, for our curiosity is great.' 39

Addressed thus by Śaṃkara, O best of brahmins, that eminent brahmin / showed him his hand covered with plant sap. 6.40.40

'Do you not see, O brahmin, that from my hand great plant sap / has arisen from the opening of the wound? Therefore perfection has arrived. 41

For this reason, O brahmin, I am doing this dance, / having attained supreme bliss born of perfection, O best of perfected beings.' 42

While he was speaking thus, the Lord whose banner bears a bull / struck his own thumb with the tip of his finger at that very moment. 43

From the wound's tip there suddenly emerged ash / resembling snow and crystal, causing great astonishment. 44

Then that god spoke to that brahmin, O best of brahmins: / 'I, from the tip of whose thumb white ash has come forth— 45

even so, O best of sages, I feel no impulse to dance. / Why, then, do you dance merely at the sight of plant sap? 46

Desist therefore from this reprehensible dance; / the austerity of a twice-born leaks away from singing and dancing, O eminent brahmin.' 47

Then, seeing that discharge of ash from the wound, / he abandoned his dance with shame and offered him obeisance. 48

He said, 'I consider you to be none other than the god Maheśvara; / therefore, bestow grace upon me, so that there may be no loss of my austerity.' 49

The Blessed Lord said: / 'By my grace your austerity shall always flourish; / in this place I will remain forever together with you. 6.40.50

Because I was prayed to by you when you were rejoiced, O sage, / I will become famous on earth under the name Ānandeśvara; / and this city will be known as Ānanda after my name.' 51

Having spoken thus, Mahādeva vanished from sight; / and that Maṅkaṇaka, the lord of sages, performed austerity there. 52

Then those serpents, bowing down to the lord of sages, said: / 'O lord, we have all been rendered poisonless by you. 53

Therefore, bestow grace upon us so that we may have fierce venom; / otherwise we shall face humiliation from all people.' 54

Maṅkaṇaka said: / 'Untruth has never been spoken by me, even in jest; / therefore, all of you shall become water-serpents of such a kind.' 55

Sūta said: / From that time on, water-serpents came to be on the earth; / having the same appearance and two tongues, but completely devoid of venom. 56

Then mortals, bathing in that auspicious pool belonging to Sarasvatī / and touching that Citraśilā, attain the supreme state. 57

Then the thousand-eyed [Indra], terrified, went to the god Pitāmaha / together with Yama, and swiftly spoke these words: 58

'By your grace, men are seen going to heaven, / O Pitāmaha; at the great sacred ford that was established by you on earth / belonging to Sarasvatī, men bathe there and go to heaven. 59

Even those of sinful conduct, excluded from all duty, / having bathed there and touched the rock, attain the good state at that very moment.' 6.40.60

Yama said: / 'O all-pervading Lord, my proper function has become invalid— / the determination of the auspicious and inauspicious [deeds] of all embodied beings. 61

Therefore, O god, abandon me or [destroy] that excellent sacred ford, / by whose power my hells have become bereft of people.' 62

Hearing those words of Yama, the Great-Grandfather / said to Śakra standing beside him: 'Bring about the destruction of that sacred ford.' 63

Then Śakra went to the pool and filled it with dust— / that pool belonging to Sarasvatī and that Citraśilā, O brahmins. 64

Even today, a person properly situated in that place / who performs austerity quickly attains perfection. 65

That Maṅkaṇaka also, together with the god Śambhu, / remains there even today, O eminent brahmin, though it is filled with dust. 66

The liṅga installed there by Maṅkaṇaka is of great glory; / touching it, mortals are freed from sins, O best of brahmins. 67

A man who worships it on the fourteenth day of the bright fortnight of Māgha, / even if joined with sins, is glorified in the world of Śiva. 68

Thus ends the fortieth chapter, named 'Description of the Glory of Citraśilā', in the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa, the sixth [section], in the eighty-one-thousand-verse collection of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa. 40