Skandapurana 6.2.7

The glorious Mahādeva said:

[Listen to] the seventh, Triviṣṭapeśvara, O daughter of the mountain, O goddess,

by the mere darśana of which heaven is attained.

Formerly, in the Vārāha Kalpa, the spotless celestial seer Nārada,

desiring to see Śatakratu, went to heaven, O goddess.

There, in a delightful garden grove adorned with wish-granting trees,

everywhere filled with breezes pleasant to the touch with the fragrance of blossoms,

resounding with the sounds of vīṇās and flutes, attended by gods and Gandharvas,

illuminated by diamonds, sapphires, cat's-eye gems, moonstones, and the like,

auspicious and incomparable in qualities even to the world of Brahmā and other realms,

he saw the lord of the gods, Śatakratu, seated there,

being praised joyfully by gods, Siddhas, Cāraṇas, and Kinnaras.

Questioned by Vāsava, O goddess, the great sage Nārada

related the māhātmya of the forest of Mahākāla:

"The delightful forest of Mahākāla brings constant bliss and is auspicious,

to be resorted to, meritorious, pure, and the highest of sacred fords.

Whatever people behold the holy, auspicious forest of Mahākāla,

their sin of killing a brahmin and the like is certainly destroyed.

The god himself resides here, surrounded by all the hosts of beings;

therefore it is declared by the wise to be the foremost among chief sacred fords.

On earth, holy Naimiṣa destroys all sins;

ten times greater than that is said to be the supreme sacred ford Puṣkara.

Ten times greater than that is said to be Prayāga, which fulfills all desires;

ten times greater than that is said to be the renowned Amareśvara.

The holy eastward-flowing Sarasvatī is recorded as ten times greater than that;

ten times greater than that is said to be the well of Gayā, which is superior. (12)

Ten times greater than that, O goddess, Kurukṣetra is held superior;

and ten times more holy than Kurukṣetra is Vārāṇasī. (13)

Ten times greater than that, Mahākāla is distinguished as best;

the Mahākāla forest, O Indra, is indeed the ornament of the three worlds. (14)

Sixty thousand crores and sixty hundred crores

of liṅgas are present there, granting enjoyment and liberation. (15)

Indeed, ninety million Śaktis dwell in that sacred field; (16)

and even worms, insects, and moths dying there, in that sacrificial rite,

go in divine aerial chariots to the eternal realm of Rudra.

Having heard this wondrous māhātmya from Nārada, the foremost of the gods, (17)

together with all the hosts of gods, Indra came in haste,

filled with joy, to the glorious Mahākāla forest. (18)

Beholding that auspicious, delightful Mahākāla forest of such kind,

superior even to heaven, remembered as imperishable even at the dissolution of the world, (19)

with wondrous and auspicious golden mansions,

and hundreds of palaces adorned with terrestrial gems and corals, (20)

fashioned with diamonds and sapphires, resembling pure crystal,

and variegated archways made of rubies—

beholding such a delightful, supreme Mahākāla forest, (21)

all those gods, filled with joy, praised Nārada:

“O wisest among the celestial seers, by whom this narrative was spoken! (22)

We shall not go to Kailāsa, nor to such a Meru;

we shall not go to Mandara, nor shall we go to heaven. (23)

This is the supreme Amarāvatī; indeed, this is the auspicious Bhogavatī;

this is the world of Brahmā, and likewise the world of Viṣṇu.” (24)

Meanwhile, O goddess, heaven became empty.

Heaven, perceiving itself to be desolate and reflecting again and again,

assumed a bodily form and resolved to depart: (25)

“Abandoning me, all the gods have gone to the Mahākāla forest;

I too shall go to that very place where those gods have gone.” (26)

Having said this, it instantly arrived in the supreme Mahākāla forest;

and then, out of curiosity, it beheld that excellent sacred ford on the earth's surface,

delightful, surrounded at that time by those gods. (27)

At that very moment, a bodiless voice spoke:

“O Triviṣṭapa, establish me right here in your own name,

to the east of Karkoṭaka and to the south of Mahāmāyā.” (28)

Thus addressed by the God of gods, delighted with a mind absorbed in him,

it established the god Triviṣṭapeśvara under its own name. (29)

Having worshipped him with auspicious flowers, it said this, O fair-faced one:

“From this day forward, this earthly realm shall become famous by your name. (30)

Those who behold you with devotion, even if they are doers of evil deeds,

shall go to the supreme abode, adorned with celestial ornaments. (31)

On the eighth and fourteenth days [of the fortnight], or especially on the transit of the sun,

whatever person performs worship endowed with devotion, (32)

mounting an excellent aerial chariot that moves at will and is adorned with jewels,

shining like the risen sun, shall dwell in my presence. (33)

What need of various gifts offered? What need of diverse sacrifices performed?

Those who behold you with devotion shall obtain all those fruits. (34)

Meditating on whatever desire people worship [you],

the fulfillment of that very desire will come to pass, without a doubt.” (35)

And the gods spoke once again upon beholding my excellent liṅga,

the divine Īśvara installed by the fortunate Triviṣṭapa: (36)

“Those fortunate ones who worship the god Triviṣṭapeśvara

shall have an imperishable, celestial abode in heaven.” (37)

Having spoken thus, [Indra] worshipped the Triviṣṭapa liṅga once more,

and along with Triviṣṭapa, he went back to his own abode. (38)

This power that destroys sin has been declared to you, O goddess;

from hearing it or reciting it, one attains the imperishable heavenly realm. (39)

Thus ends the seventh chapter, entitled "The Description of the Greatness of Triviṣṭapeśvara," in the Greatness of the Eighty-Four Liṅgas in the Avantī Section, the fifth part of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.