Skandapurana 5.41

Sūta said: / In the northern region of that very god who reclines on the water, / there is a celebrated place that destroys all sins. 1

Devoted to fasting, whoever worships it with devotion / at the sleeping and awakening of Hari goes to the realm of Viṣṇu.

The second lunar day, named Aśūnyaśayanā, / which falls in the dark fortnight when the God of gods is asleep, is forever dear [to him].

Whoever worships there that god who reclines on the waters / according to the rite enjoined by scripture on that [day] goes to the abode of Hari.

The seers said:
How did he who reclines on the waters arrive there, O son of Sūta? / By what rite is he worshipped? Tell us all that in detail.

Sūta said:
Formerly there was a lord of Dānavas named Bāṣkali, of great power, / invincible to all the gods, Gandharvas, serpents, and Rākṣasas.

Then, having subjugated the entire surface of the earth, that mighty one / went to the abode of the gods together with hosts of Daityas.

There took place a great battle destructive of gods and Asuras, / between the enraged gods and Dānavas.

Dreadful, day after day, for ten thousand years, / there arose mud of blood and a mountain made of bones.

Then, when the tenth thousandth year arrived, / the thousand-eyed [Indra], with his army and retinue, was conquered by him.

Then, having abandoned heaven together with all the hosts of gods, / he went for refuge to the shelter of Viṣṇu, Śvetadvīpa,

where the blessed Lord Viṣṇu stays, overcome by yogic sleep, / lying on the couch of Śeṣa, with his feet massaged by Lakṣmī.

Then, with hymns originating from the Vedas, all the gods with Indra, / true devotees, praised that god on every side.

Then, having arisen, the Lord of the World said to the slayer of Bala: / “Is all well, O thousand-eyed one, right now in the three worlds, / since you have come here in person along with the hosts of gods?”

Śakra said:
There is a powerful lord of Daityas named Bāṣkali who obtained a boon from Hara, / invincible in battle by the gods; by him I have been defeated in fight,

and residence in heaven has now been established [by him], O slayer of Madhu. / Therefore, O best of gods, this [one] has come for refuge along with the gods.

Formerly, O Lord, all of us were protected by you from fear of Hiraṇyākṣa / and Hiraṇyakaśipu, and likewise of other wicked souls.

Therefore protect [us] from this mightier Dānava as well; / from Bāṣkali, O Lord of gods, there is no other supreme refuge besides you.

The blessed Lord said:
I myself shall subdue him when the time has arrived; / therefore, Śakra, until that time, perform great austerity,

by which power will arise for you through the potency of austerity, O Vāsava, / for the slaying of that mighty Daitya Bāṣkali.

Śakra said:
In what sacred field, O Lord of the World, shall I perform very great austerity / for the destruction of that Daitya? Proclaim that to us.

Sūta said:
Having heard that, the blessed Lord Viṣṇu then addressed Puraṃdara, / having pondered in his mind for a long time on sacred fields and sanctuaries:

“The sacred field Camatkārapura, O Śakra, bestows perfections; / therefore, having gone there swiftly, perform austerity for his slaying.”

Śakra said:
Deprived of you, Keśava, we shall not go elsewhere, / being terrified out of fear of the Dānava lord Bāṣkali.

Therefore, come there yourself in person, O Lord of the gods, / so that, protected by you, I may perform very great austerity.

Sūta said:
Then that blessed Lord Viṣṇu, having said “So be it,” along with the gods / went to the sacred field Camatkārapura together with Śrī.

Then all the hosts of gods, having gone there, / delighted and resolute for the sake of austerity, established separate hermitages.

Vāsudeva also, calling to mind the Ocean of Milk there, / quickly brought it, vast, into that ancient lake.

He made his couch there as formerly in Śvetadvīpa, / while being praised on all sides by all the gods filled with humility.

Then, when the auspicious second day of the dark fortnight / of Āṣāḍha arrived, Bṛhaspati himself spoke gentle words / to the thousand-eyed [Indra], whose eyes were troubled with tears:

Bṛhaspati said:
Today, O Puraṃdara, is the second [lunar day] named Aśūnyaśayanā, / exceedingly dear to Viṣṇu as he sleeps soundly in the reservoir of water.

Worshipped on this [day] for four months, / [and] constantly meditated upon in the mind, Viṣṇu who reclines on the waters / grants all desires [to one] undertaking the vow duly according to the scriptural rule.

Having thus worshipped Hari on the second day for four months, / the thousand-eyed one became endowed with splendor.

Seeing him endowed with splendor, Janārdana, deeply pleased, / said: “Śakra, go today for the slaying of that Bāṣkali / together with all the hosts of gods; victory will be yours.”

Śakra said:
O Lord, I fear that evil-minded lord of Dānavas; / without you I will not go, even with all the gods.

The blessed Lord said:
Together with you, O thousand-eyed one, this Sudarśana discus / of mine will go for the slaying of the enemies of the gods.

Having spoken thus, Hari released the Sudarśana discus / at that time along with Śakra for the slaying of the lords of Dānavas.

Accompanied by that discus, Śakra also went and completely / destroyed all the Dānavas in the forefront of battle.

And that Bāṣkali, cut to pieces by that discus, / fell upon the surface of the earth like a mountain struck by a thunderbolt.

Having likewise slain many other heroic Dānavas arrogant with strength, / the Sudarśana discus returned once more to the hand of Hari.

Those gods also, Indra and the rest, overjoyed and freed of doubt, / approached Viṣṇu once again and, having bowed, then spoke:

"By your power, O Lord of Gods, all the enemies of the gods have been slain, / and the sovereignty over the three worlds has been regained, free of thorns.

Therefore tell me what duty I must perform that will bring me welfare / forever, O Lotus-eyed One, and likewise strike terror into my enemies."

The Blessed Lord said: / "I must always remain right here in this form, O Vāsava, / for the welfare of all the worlds, in the pool that holds holy water.

Therefore, coming here during Cāturmāsya, O husband of Śacī, / you must diligently observe the vow of Aśūnyaśayana.

Thereby, O thousand-eyed one, you will have no adversaries, / and the attainment of your desired fruit will be assured by my grace, without doubt.

Any other man who worships me here with devotion / will also attain those worlds difficult to reach even for the gods.

Therefore go, O thousand-eyed one, and rule in heaven. / At this very spot, O Lord of Gods, I am always to be seen, without doubt, / whenever a necessity arises, just as in Śvetadvīpa."

Sūta said: / Then, having bowed and beheld him, Śatakratu departed; / Vāsudeva also remained right there for the welfare of the world.

Thus, O best of brahmins, Janārdana, reclining on the waters, / the Supreme Lord, settled there for the welfare of all the worlds.

Whoever worships him with devotion, endowed with supreme faith, / particularly during Cāturmāsya, attains the highest state.

Likewise, Dvārakā was established there by all the hosts of gods; / having worshipped [there] during Cāturmāsya, mortals go to heaven.

Even at other times, a mortal attains the desires residing in their heart; / therefore, with all effort, that Dvārakā must be worshipped by men / at all times, and especially during Cāturmāsya.

All this, which destroys every transgression, has been told to you: / the most sacred narrative of the God of Gods reclining upon the waters.

Thus ends the forty-first chapter, named 'Description of the Origin of Jalaśāyin,' in the Māhātmya of the Sacred Field of Śrī Hāṭakeśvara, in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa, the sixth [section], in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.