Skandapurana 6.2.3

Glorious Rudra said:

“Now the third is Ḍhuṇḍheśvara, who bestows the fruit of happiness and heaven,

a liṅga that takes away all sins and destroys the wicked deeds of men.

Long ago, O goddess, there was a troop-leader named Ḍhuṇḍha on Kailāsa;

he was lustful, ill-behaved, with senses impaired by addiction.

He went to the world of Śakra out of curiosity and at his own whim,

where Rambhā was dancing before Śakra, displaying

many kinds of charming moods, auspicious glances, hand-gestures, and the like, / body postures such as sūcīviddha, and hand positions such as patāka,

a dance accompanied by movements of the hands and other limbs, following tempo and rhythm.

Śakra too, along with the thirty gods, with eyes fixed upon her face,

became delighted in mind, his bodily hairs bristling and face radiant.

In the meantime, O goddess, Ḍhuṇḍha, by her graceful charm,

under the sway of lust and passion, and deluded by destiny,

struck Rambhā, who was engrossed in the dance performance, with a bunch of flowers.

He was cursed by Vāsava, who saw the impropriety of that troop-member:

‘Fall into the world of mortals! You have interrupted the stage-performance.’

Having been cursed thus by Śakra of boundless splendor, O goddess,

the troop-member fell into the world of mortals, unconscious, his senses bewildered.

Disoriented, his spirit crushed, he lamented again and again.

"Alas! I have reaped the fruit of unrighteousness, committed out of delusion.

Therefore, a discerning man must act with moral conduct,

resorting to the path of righteousness, whereby success may come to me."

Having said this, he performed tapas on Mahendra, the best of mountains,

on Śrīśaila, Malaya, Vindhya, Pāriyātra, [and] Yamālaya.

When he achieved no success, O goddess, then the great bank of the Gaṅgā,

the Yamunā, the Candrabhāgā, the Vitastā, the river Narmadā,

the Godāvarī, the Bhīmarathī, the Kauśikī, the auspicious Śāradā,

[and] the Carmaṇvatī—having reached [these] and bathed, he abandoned ritual action:

"The sacred ford is useless, tapas is useless, as is the fruit of pilgrimage to sacred fords,

since I, wandering through the realms of action, have not obtained what I desired."

In the meantime, O goddess, a bodiless voice spoke,

comforting the gaṇa leader: "Go to the abode of Mahākāla.

Whatever sacred fords there are on earth, Prayāga and the others—

Mahākāla is distinguished above them, constantly granting success.

There exists a most meritorious liṅga, accomplishing all goals,

in the presence of Piśāceśvara; worship it quickly!

By the grace of that liṅga, you will go again to Śaṃkara's

world, attainable by the radiant, [and] ever hard to attain for sinners."

Having heard that voice in the sky, the gaṇa then,

filled with joy, came to the supreme forest of Mahākāla.

There he saw that auspicious liṅga, which produces all prosperity,

[and] worshiped the Lord of the gods with supreme devotion.

Then, O Daughter of the Mountain, a voice came forth from the middle of the liṅga:

"Ah, my child, I am pleased with you! What wish shall I grant?"

Ḍhuṇḍha said:

"If you are pleased, O Lord of the gods, O you who are affectionate to those who seek refuge,

may my devotion to your lotus feet always be unwavering.

Grant this boon swiftly, if Maheśvara is pleased:

those mortals who behold you, O God, O Supreme Lord—

may they be immediately freed from sin on the face of the earth!"

Having heard Ḍhuṇḍha's speech, the liṅga said, O glorious lady:

"Those who will worship me again with supreme faith,

they shall always be free from sins.

They shall attain supreme desires [and] will become the best of gaṇas,

worthy of worship in all worlds, adorned with every ornament."

Having thus received a boon, Ḍhuṇḍha, with palms joined, spoke again:

"May this liṅga be celebrated always in the world by my name!"

"So be it," said the pleased liṅga, O Pārvatī.

From then on, that supreme deity has been renowned as Ḍhuṇḍheśvara,

by whose mere darśana men constantly attain success.

Those who with devotion worship the supreme god Ḍhuṇḍheśvara,

their sin accumulated since birth will vanish in that very instant.

He alone is virtuous in the world, he alone is dear to me,

the man who with devotion beholds the supreme liṅga Ḍhuṇḍheśvara.

Whatever merit is gained through a hundred Rājasūya sacrifices,

greater than that will be gained by seeing Ḍhuṇḍheśvara.

Whatever [sin] has been committed through mind, speech, or body, born in secret,

whether open or hidden, or even done through association—

all that will quickly vanish by darśana of Ḍhuṇḍheśvara.

Being addressed thus by me, O goddess, that Ḍhuṇḍha, the gaṇa leader,

by the māhātmyā of the liṅga went to my world;

and he shone alongside the gaṇa leaders, becoming most dear to me.

This power that destroys sins has been told to you, O goddess;

by hearing or reciting it, one is honored in my world.

Thus ends the third chapter, named 'Description of the Māhātmya of Ḍhuṇḍheśvara', in the Māhātmya of the Eighty-Four Liṅgas in the Avantī Section, the fifth [section] of the Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, in the collection of eighty-one thousand verses.