Skandapurana 5.77

The seers said: / Regarding what you said about those two supreme lords, / Umā and Maheśvara, O Sūta, being established by King Hariścandra, 1

as you narrate, seated in the middle of the sacrificial altar, / or whether two others were installed there near Camatkārapura: 2

Pārvatī and Parameśvara ever seated in the middle of the altar— / it is traditionally heard, O Sūta, that their wedding previously took place / when they reached Oṣadhiprastha, the dear city of the Himavat. 3

On this point doubt has arisen for us, though your word is trustworthy. / Having heard this, tell us: is this a delusion of yours, or of ours? 4

Sūta said: / No delusion has arisen for me, but rather for you, O best of brahmins! / Yet I shall explain the entire reason; listen attentively. 5

That charming wedding of the two, Umā and the Three-Eyed Lord, / which took place previously in Oṣadhiprastha and delighted all the gods, 6

took place in the Vaivasvata interval of old, O best of brahmins, / in the seventh [manvantara]—the famous one that is known to you here. 7

And the marriage of the two that occurred in the sacred field of Hāṭakeśvara / took place with great circumstance in the first [manvantara], that of Svāyambhuva Manu. 8

The seers said: / The wedding of the two, Pārvatī and Hara, which took place in ancient times / at Oṣadhiprastha, O Sūta, has been heard by us at length. 9

The wedding of the Bull-Riding Lord in the sacred field of Hāṭakeśvara / during Dakṣa's lovely sacrifice in the time of Svāyambhuva Manu of old— 10

that must be narrated to us by you, O upholder of the lineage of the Sūtas, / at length, just as it occurred. This is a matter of great curiosity to us! 11

Sūta said: / Here I shall tell you, destroying all sins, / the full occasion of the wedding of the spear-wielding god of gods. 12

From the right thumb of Brahmā, Dakṣa, son of Pracetas, was born. / And five hundred daughters were born to him, O brahmins. 13

The eldest of them was a virtuous maiden named Satī, pure-smiling, / endowed with all virtues and possessing long eyes. 14

Neither goddess, nor Gandharva woman, nor Asura woman, nor maiden of the Nāgas / was of such form as that slender-waisted lady was. 15

Then Dakṣa gave her as wife to the spear-bearer, / she who had been earnestly sought after repeatedly, giving the eager maiden to him who was full of desire. 16

Then, having contemplated the most meritorious sacred field suitable for giving away the daughter, / he arrived with his daughter, ministers, and attendants. 17

Then he brought various wealth suitable for a wedding, / abundant and especially auspicious. 18

Then, during the bright fortnight of Caitra, under the constellation ruled by Bhaga, / on the thirteenth day, a Sunday, Maheśvara arrived, 19

accompanied by all the hosts of gods led by the god Viṣṇu, / by the Ādityas, Vasus, Rudras, and the two Aśvins, as well as others, 20

by Siddhas, hosts of Sādhyas, Bhūtas, Pretas, and attendants of Vināyaka, / by Gandharvas, multitudes of Cāraṇas, Guhyakas, Yakṣas, and Rākṣasas. 21

Meanwhile Dakṣa, the hairs of his body bristling with delight, / went out to meet him together with all his hosts of kinsmen, 22

while great musical instruments were played, and sūtas, māgadhas, and bards / recited on all sides, and numerous singers sang. 23

Then all the gods, honoured there by Dakṣa himself, / sat down in proper order according to rank and seniority, / encircling the entire altar situated inside the pavilion. 24

Then Dakṣa bowed down and spoke to the Grandfather with love: / "You must perform the wedding ritual of the Lord, 25

in person, so that our daughter Satī may be fortunate, / ever endowed with sons and grandsons, well-behaved, and dear to her husband." 26

Saying, "So be it!" with an inner soul full of joy, / he rose and then performed the rites preceded by ceremonial worship. 27

Having performed the ceremony of giving away the bride right there according to rule, / the Creator then duly caused the joining of hands to be done between the two / before the mothers, as was proper for Satī and the Lord. 28

Then, approaching the altar according to the rules of the domestic ritual manuals, / he carried out all the rites of fire in detail as prescribed. 29

As he looked with curiosity at the lovely limbs of Satī, / the delighted Grandfather became increasingly overcome with desire. 30

Therefore, afflicted by extreme passion, he gazed upon her [body], / leaving aside her face which was veiled with cloth, so that no one might notice.

Out of shame before Śambhu, he did not look directly at her face; / nor did she, overcome with shame, reveal her face.

Then, in order to behold it, he devised a stratagem; / stricken with passion, he subsequently acted by means of smoke.

By repeatedly casting copious wet fuel into the fire, / and from offering a meager oblation of clarified butter, [dense smoke] arose from the damp substances.

In the meantime, smoke burst forth on all sides, / such that the base of the altar was made pitch dark.

Then, their eyes troubled by the smoke, the blessed destroyer of Tripura / and the others who were present there covered [their eyes] with their hands.

Then the grandfather, afflicted with passion, lifted the garment / and gazed upon the face of Satī with an inner soul full of delight.

Then, from that gaze, his semen immediately flowed forth / and fell upon the surface of the earth, resembling a heap of frost.

And then, in that moment, the lotus-born [Brahmā] covered that semen / with a heap of sand, so that no one might notice.

Then the blessed Śambhu, knowing that by his divine eye, / spoke this out of anger on account of the shedding of his semen:

"O sinner, what is this reprehensible deed that you have committed? / It was entirely improper to look upon my beloved’s face with lust!

You think this web of deeds was not perceived by Śaṃkara; / yet how could anything in the three worlds remain hidden from me, O creator? / Whatever is moving or unmoving in the three worlds, / I dwell within it, O fool, just like oil within sesame seeds.

Therefore touch your own head, O Brahmā, without any doubt!" / As Brahmā thus touched his head with his hand, / in that very instant the rider of the bull appeared manifest directly in that form.

Then, O twice-born ones, with his limbs filled with shame, he stood with downcast face / in the presence of all the immortals, Indra and the rest, who stood on all sides.

Then, overcome with shame, he prostrated himself before Maheśvara, / and having praised him, he said: "Forgive me, forgive me!

Declare, O Lord, an expiation for the purification of this sin, / and punishment according to justice, so that my sin may depart."

The Blessed Lord said: / "Indeed, in this very form residing upon your head, / perform austerity, established in absorption, dedicated to worshipping me.

It will attain renown everywhere on earth by the name Rudraśiras, / the fulfiller of all rites for radiant twice-borns.

Because this deed of mortals was committed by you now, / therefore you shall become a mortal and wander upon the surface of the earth.

Whoever, having seen you in this form, shall ask: / 'What is this blessed destroyer of Tripura doing on Brahmā’s head?'—

and then hears your entire conduct out of curiosity, / shall attain liberation from the sin committed regarding another's wife.

In whatever manner people proclaim this deed of yours, / in that very manner your purification from this sin shall occur.

For this indeed is proclaimed as your expiation, O Brahmā: / causing ridicule among people in the world, bringing you supreme reproach.

And this semen of yours that fell upon the altar / when you were stricken with passion, seen by me, shall not be in vain.

By as many grains of sand as it has been touched, / just so many sages of strict vows shall come into being,

known as the Vālakhilyas, all of them thumb-sized in measure, / endowed with the power of austerity, capable of cursing and bestowing grace."

In that interval, from the middle of the altar at that very moment, / eighty-eight thousand sages of cultivated self, / thumb-sized in measure, came forth, O best of the twice-born.

Then, bowing down, they spoke loudly to god Pitāmaha: / "Show us, O father, a place free of strife for the sake of austerity."

Pitāmaha said: / "In this sacred field, perform austerity along with me, O sons, / whereby you shall attain the supreme perfection that is very difficult to attain in the world."

Agreeing with 'So be it,' and having built an auspicious hermitage there, / the Vālakhilyas performed austerity and attained supreme perfection.

Then Brahmā also brought that entire nuptial rite in due order / to completion, as was prescribed in the Veda by himself.

While showers of flowers fell on all sides from the courtyard of the sky, / while musical instruments were played, and songs were being sung,

while the foremost brahmins recited, and married women [of heaven] such as Rambhā / danced passionately, captivating to the eyes of the gods—

thus a great festival took place, as songs led by Tumburu / were sung as formerly in heaven.

Then, at the conclusion of the rite, the blessed destroyer of Tripura / said to the lotus-born [Brahmā] with devotion: "What sacrificial fee may I give you,

pertaining to marriage, O best of the gods, even if it be very difficult to obtain? / Speak quickly, O fortunate one; there is nothing that I cannot give."

Pitāmaha said: / "O Lord of gods, in this very form upon this altar / you must reside always here for the purification of men's sins,

so that, having made my hermitage in your presence, O moon-crested one, / I may perform the highest austerity for the destruction of this sin.

On the thirteenth day of the bright fortnight of Caitra, under the lunar mansion of Bhaga, / on a Sunday, whatever mortal beholds [you] with devotion, / right then their sins shall go to destruction.

Whatever woman is unfortunate, barren, one-eyed, or bereft of beauty, / even she, merely by darśana of you, shall become endowed with exquisite form, / having offspring, rich in good fortunes, and blessed; of this there is no doubt."

Maheśvara said: / For the welfare of all the worlds, stationed on this altar, / I shall remain together with my wife, O Brahmā, in truth, because of your word. (72)

Sūta said: / Thus the Blessed One, whose banner bears the bull, together with his wife, / remains standing in the midst of the altar, destroying the sins of the worlds. (73)

All this has been related to you, how formerly his marriage, / the marriage of the Lord whose emblem is the bull, took place in the Svāyambhuva Manvantara, O twice-born ones. (74)

Whenever a wedding arrives or at its beginning, whoever listens / with focused mind to this narrative after having worshipped the one whose banner bears the bull, / every rite of his connected with the wedding will be free of obstacles; (75)

and the maiden will be endowed with happiness, good fortune, good character, proper conduct, and virtues; / likewise, she will have sons, be virtuous, and devoted to her husband. (76)

Thus ends the seventy-seventh chapter, named 'Description of the Glory of the Altar Serving as the Abode of Hara', in the Glory of the Sacred Field of Śrī Hāṭakeśvara, in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa, the sixth [part] in the Śrī Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses. (77)