Skanda Purana 6.1.3

Sanatkumāra said:

Then, when the face was severed, Brahmā, enveloped by anger and darkness,

took the sweat produced on his forehead and struck it upon the ground. // 1

From that sweat was born an ear-ringed hero with a bow, a great quiver,

and a thousand coats of armor, and he said: "What shall I do?" // 2

Brahmā said to him, pointing out Rudra with power:

"Let this wicked-minded one be slain so that he is not born again!" // 3

Having heard Brahmā's command, raising his bow behind him,

he set out after the Great Lord, holding arrows, filled with great fury. // 4

Seeing that fierce man, Bhava was astonished and went on,

holding divine arrows and a bow in his hand, advancing with swift strides. // 5

"He is exceedingly strong and should not be killed by me; he will become a friend of Viṣṇu.

Indeed he should be favored by me, for he is engaged in austerity for friendship." // 6

Reflecting thus, the Lord also went to the hermitage of Viṣṇu,

having then bewildered that man, O brahmin, with the sound of a "huṃ!" // 7

And striking him down, delighted, sporting in the maintenance of the universe,

[he went] where the illustrious and majestic Nārāyaṇa was practicing austerity, // 8

invisible to all beings, the soul of the universe, the creator of the universe, the all-pervading Lord.

Arriving there, the three-eyed god saw Madhusūdana // 9

standing on one big toe upon the ground, engaged in supreme, unperturbed austerity,

wondrous, enveloped by the radiance of a thousand suns at the end of an era, // 5.1.3.10

the ancient Supreme Person, endowed with the support of merits.

Seeing the god Nārāyaṇa, he said, "Give alms!" // 11

displaying the skull in front, ferocious and blazing like fire.

Beholding Rudra with the skull in his hand, Viṣṇu thought: // 12

"Who else could be a worthy beggar for the giving of alms right now?"

Resolving, "He is worthy," he offered his right arm. // 13

Knowing his inner thought, the moon-crested god pierced it with his trident.

Then a stream of blood flowed from the arm of the Lord; // 14

having the form of molten gold, pure like a flame of fire,

it fell into the skull, received by Śambhu. // 15

Straight, swift, and rapid, like a ray of the sun in the sky,

fifty yojanas long and ten yojanas in width, // 16

it flowed from Hari's arm for a thousand divine years.

Indeed, for some time the Lord, concentrated in thought, received the alms. // 17

given by Nārāyaṇa into the worthy vessel, the excellent vessel.

Then Nārāyaṇa addressed these supreme words to Hara:

"Indeed, your vessel is full." Then the Supreme Lord,

Hara, hearing the speech of Hari that sounded like a raincloud,

whose eyes are the moon, sun, and fire, adorned with the crescent moon on his crest,

cast his gaze into the skull and looked at Janārdana with his three eyes.

Stirring with his finger, he said: "The skull is overflowing."

Hearing this speech, Hari withdrew the stream of blood.

Then from the side of Hari, the Lord with his own finger

churned that blood with the cast of his gaze for a divine thousand years.

As the blood was churned, there arose in succession an embryo and a bubble,

and after that there appeared one wearing a diadem and holding a bow,

having a thousand arms and red eyes, repeatedly touching the bowstring,

with a quiver at his neck, shoulders like a bull, and wearing archer's finger-guards.

A man resembling Arjuna shone forth in the skull.

Seeing him, the blessed Viṣṇu addressed these words to Rudra:

"O Blessed One, who is this man who has manifested in the skull?"

Hearing Hari's question, the Lord said to him: "Listen, O Hari!

This man is named Nara, the foremost among knowers of supreme weapons.

Since he was addressed by you as 'Nara', he shall therefore be Nara.

Both Nara and Nārāyaṇa shall become renowned in the age,

in battle, in the tasks of the gods, and in the protection of the worlds.

O Nārāyaṇa, this Nara will be your friend;

he will be a great sage companion for you when you are alone in battle and in austerity.

His brilliance will exist in the world to test experiential knowledge.

This divine fifth head of Brahmā possesses supreme splendour;

illuminated by the splendour of Brahmā, from the blood of your arm,

and from the casting of my gaze—since these three splendours are combined,

born from their union, he will cause distress to enemies.

Those who will be invincible and difficult to conquer for you and others,

and terrifying to Śakra and the foes of the immortals—he will terrify precisely them."

When Śambhu had spoken thus, amazed by his splendour,

Hari also, right there, praised Hara and Keśava:

"Salutations to you, O Hara, O Hari! Salutations to Śaṃkara, to Viṣṇu!

Salutations to you who hold the trident in hand! Salutations to you who hold the sword in hand!

Homage, homage to you, the pure one! O Hṛṣīkeśa, salutations be to you!

Salutations be to the Lord of speech! Homage, homage to Śrīdhara!"

To that Nara who was thus praising with devotion, his hands joined in reverence,

quickly taking both his hands which were joined in reverence in that same manner,

and lifting him out of the skull, [Hara] spoke these words again:

"That terrible being born of Brahmā's sweat,

who fell into a sleep of delusion at the sound of my hum roar—

awaken him quickly!" Having spoken thus, Hara vanished.

Having quickly awakened him before Nārāyaṇa's eyes

and struck him with his left foot, Nara stood up in anger.

A great battle took place between the two, the one born of sweat and the one born of blood,

making the entire earth resound with the twang of their drawn bows.

One piece of armour remained for the sweat-born one, and likewise two arms for the blood-born one.

Thus an equally matched divine battle took place on earth.

A thousand years less three, O good twice-born,

passed while the two, the sweat-born and the blood-born, were fighting, O sage.

The two-armed blood-born one, seeing the sweat-born one with only one piece of armour,

pierced that supreme man of Brahmā with the force of his arrows.

Madhusūdana, agitated, said this to Brahmā:

"O Brahmā, the exalted one belonging to you has been struck down by my Nara."

Hearing that, Brahmā, perturbed, spoke to Madhusūdana:

"O Hari, if my Nara is vanquished, in another birth..."

By him, gratified, Hari said: "It shall be so."

Putting an end to their battle and stopping the two, he indeed said:

"Then in another birth, my Nara will be [born] in Kali [Yuga]."

"Then, when a great battle arises, I shall appoint him there."

Then, having summoned Maheśvara and the Lord of Gods (Indra), Viṣṇu

said to them: "These two men, O Rudras, must be protected according to your power.

Born from sweat and born from blood, they are portions of yourself upon the earth.

Having become your own portions, they are to be directed by you upon the surface of the earth at the end of Dvāpara."

Then the Lord of Gods (Indra) spoke these sorrowful words to Viṣṇu:

"O Lord, in this manvantara, back when it was the Tretāyuga,

by your great form here, desiring the welfare of the son of the Sun,

the mighty-armed one named Vālin was struck down for the sake of Sugrīva.

Afflicted by that grief, I will not accept your man."

To the Lord of Gods who was refusing and stating another reason,

Viṣṇu said: "O Maghavan, to remove the burden of the earth,

I too shall take an incarnation in the mortal world, O mighty lord."

Then Śakra became delighted indeed by those words of Viṣṇu.

Having accepted the man, rejoiced, [he said]: "May your word be true!"

Having said this, and having dismissed the sun and the moon,

the lotus-eyed one (Viṣṇu) went to Brahmā in the abode of Brahmā [and said]:

"O Brahmā, a detestable deed was done by you desiring to kill the Lord,

in that you, O lord of the gods of gods, addressed a man in anger.

For the purification of this sin, perform a supreme expiation.

Taking the triad of fires, O Brahmā, worship the agnihotra.

Let one indeed be the Gārhapatya, the second the Āhavanīya,

and the third the Dakṣiṇāgni; arrange them in three fire-pits.

Gratify yourself in the circular one, me in the one shaped like a bow,

and god Hara in the four-cornered one, with the names of the Ṛg, Yajus, and Sāman.

Offering oblations into the fire with austerity, and immediately worshipping Hara alone,

having offered into the fire for a thousand divine years, you will attain perfection.

With your self purified by expiation, having attained Maheśvara,

becoming free from blemish, your dejection will then depart."

Having spoken thus, the noble Hari of fierce splendor departed to his own abode.

Brahmā also, fixing his mind on austerity, carried out all that was spoken by Acyuta.

Thus ends the third chapter, named 'Description of the Expiation of Brahmā', in the Avantīkṣetramāhātmya in the fifth Avantyakhaṇḍa in the glorious Skandapurāṇa, a compendium of eighty-one thousand [verses].