Skandapurana 6.2.9

The venerable Rudra said: / Know the ninth liṅga to be Svargadvāreśvara, O Pārvatī, / which removes all sins, O goddess, and bestows heaven and liberation as its fruit. / When those sisters, beginning with Aśvinī, came / to the supreme mountain Kailāsa, O goddess, they were filled with wonder upon seeing you: / 'We have been invited to the sacrifice together with our husbands and retinues / out of affection by our father, O goddess, with great honour. / Were you remembered, O large-eyed one, or did father forget you? / For what reason were you not invited by our father?' / Hearing those words of theirs, you, out of dishonour, / then gave up your life-breaths through yoga before them, O Pārvatī. / Then, burning with grief, they went to where the lord of creatures was / and reported the whole incident before Dakṣa just as it had happened. / Hearing those terrible words, Dakṣa said nothing at all. / When I saw you fallen on the ground having succumbed to death, O goddess, / the gaṇas were then dispatched to destroy the sacrifice. / Having gone there, those fierce gaṇas, by the hundreds and thousands, / misshapen, terrifying, frightful, bearing various weapons and of great strength, / released showers of arrows while making ferocious roars. / Then all the hosts of gods, the Vasus together with the suns, / the Viśvedevas and the Sādhyas, bows in hand, possessing great might, / marched forth to battle and unleashed sharp shafts. / Meeting there, the Pramathas fought with the gods; / they released showers of arrows like clouds discharging streams of water. / In their midst, a gaṇa of great might named Vīrabhadra / struck Śakra in the heart with a trident. / Rendered unconscious by that blow, he sank down. / Then the elephant Airāvata was struck on the frontal globes with a fist; / struck suddenly by him, that king of elephants, roaring with ferocious cries / and seized with fear, rushed towards the sacrificial enclosure. / In the meantime, the gods were routed by him; / then they sought refuge with Viṣṇu, the sole leader of the universe. / Then, filled with rage upon seeing the gods / all put to flight by the gaṇas, Viṣṇu quickly released the Sudarśana. / As that Sudarśana discus of Viṣṇu came hurtling with speed, / [Vīrabhadra] opened his mouth and suddenly swallowed it into his stomach. / When that unfailing discus, destroyer of the Daityas, was thus swallowed, / Nārāyaṇa, enraged, O goddess, rushed at Vīrabhadra. / Seizing him by both feet, he hurled him down to the ground from far away; / and as he was being struck on the ground with a mace, the Sudarśana, / accompanied by gouts of blood, issued forth from his mouth. / Having received a boon from me, O goddess, that best of gaṇas, Vīrabhadra, / did not succumb to death even though struck with the mace. / Then all the Pramathas, distressed by the power and might of Viṣṇu, / arrived with difficulty, suddenly, where I was staying, O goddess. / Seeing me with trident in hand, Viṣṇu vanished. / Indra too, together with the thirty [gods], with the ancestors and the brahmins, / his heart seized with terror of me, vanished from sight. / When the sacrifice had thus been destroyed and the host of gods was lost, / a gaṇa was then stationed by me at the gate of heaven, O goddess: / 'Entrance must never be granted to the thirty [gods], O lord of gaṇas! / A blockage of the gate must be vigilantly maintained by my command. / Whichever god is seen must undoubtedly be slain.' / And then heaven became deserted, and the gods were utterly defeated. / But when the gate of heaven was blocked, Śakra and the others, bewildered by fear, / consulted again and again and went to the world of Brahmā. / Before him, the entire blockage of heaven's gate was reported: / 'The gate of heaven is occupied by the gaṇas of the Great Lord, O grandfather! / Entrance has become difficult to obtain now that the gate is blocked. / By what means shall we go to the world of heaven as before? / We have no joy without heaven, O grandfather!' / Hearing these words of theirs, it was then spoken by Brahmā: / 'Lord Śaṃkara, the Great God, the master of the world, must be propitiated; / he, the maker of creation and destruction, is to be praised, revered, and saluted. / Difficult to attain is heaven, O gods, without his favor.

He is the protector, the creator, the capable one, and he is our supreme refuge.

He alone is to be propitiated, and he is considered the most worthy of worship.

Therefore, with every effort, go to Śiva for refuge.

I shall explain the means; let it be heard attentively.

Accompanied by the thirty [gods], O Śakra, go quickly at my command

to the delightful Mahākālavana, to the east of Kapāleśvara.

The supreme liṅga Svargadvāra is situated there, O Vāsava,

fashioned by the Great God out of compassion for the worlds.

Propitiate it swiftly; he will grant your desire.'

Hearing the words of Brahmā, the thirty [gods] were exceedingly delighted.

They came then to the Mahākālavana, O great goddess,

and beheld the auspicious, supreme liṅga that bestows the gate of heaven.

By the mere sight of it, the gate of heaven opened.

All went to the world of heaven just as before, O glorious one.

Seeing the thirty [gods] free from fear, I was then petitioned by the gaṇas.

And they were all commanded by me: 'Turn back, O best of gaṇas!

What was promised by myself—how could it turn out false?

The god who bestows the gate of heaven has undoubtedly been seen by the gods,

as spoken by Virañci in the delightful Mahākālavana.'

The hosts of the thirty [gods], beginning with Śakra, instantly reached the gate of heaven.

From then on, Śiva became renowned as Svargadvāreśvara.

He who bestows the world of heaven shall attain renown in the mortal world.

Those men in the world who behold Śiva as Svargadvāreśvara,

they indeed go to the world of heaven through the worship of Svargadvāreśvara.

Those who see the god Svargadvāreśvara even in passing

have no fear even in hundreds of millions of kalpas. (45)

Whatever merit is proclaimed to come from a thousand horse sacrifices,

greater than that is the merit, O goddess, from worshipping Svargadvāreśvara. (46)

Whatever sin has been accumulated previously through a thousand other births,

that sin dissolves through chanting the name of this liṅga. (47)

On the eighth or the fourteenth [day], or on a Monday,

those men who with devotion behold Śiva Svargadvāreśvara,

they enter into my body, O goddess, free from rebirth. (48)

When that liṅga is worshipped,

a hundred million liṅgas situated within it are worshipped here. (49)

From touching that liṅga, from praising it, and from worshipping it,

they easily go to heaven, and one attains one's desires. (50)

Whether free from desire or filled with desire, those who see [it] day after day,

they too, meritorious and fortunate, indeed go to the heavenly world. (51)

Thus in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, in the collection of eighty-one thousand [verses], in the fifth [section], the Āvantyakhaṇḍa, in the glorification of the eighty-four liṅgas, the ninth chapter, titled 'The Description of the Māhātmya of Svargadvāreśvara'. (9)

The glorious Mahādeva said:
Know the tenth, O Pārvatī, named Karkoṭeśvara, / by the mere sight of which one is not overcome by poisons. (1)
The serpents were cursed by their mother because they disobeyed her word: / 'Since my command was not obeyed by you in an act of sin, (2)
fire will burn you at the sacrifice of Janamejaya!' / Hearing then their mother's curse, terrified of death, the snakes (3)
all went to various places to preserve their lives, O illustrious one. / Śeṣa went to the snowy mountain to perform tapas, O beloved. (4)
The snake named Kambala went to the world of Brahmā; / then Śaṅkhacūḍa, lord of serpents, went to Maṇipūra; (5)
Kāliya, overwhelmed by fear, took refuge in the waters of the Yamunā. (6)
Thus those serpent kings, the nāgas, O lovely one of sweet smile, / all went to Kurukṣetra to perform tapas, O illustrious one. / Likewise the nāga Dhṛtarāṣṭra went to Prayāga, O beloved. (7)
And Elāpatra, lord of serpents, went to the world of Brahmā. / Having bowed to him who sat on the mother's lap, he spoke: (8)
'O god, we were cursed by our angry mother in your presence. / Why was she not prevented by you at the time of the curse?' (9)
Brahmā said:
'Your mother was not restrained by me because of the power of destined deeds; / indeed the snake sacrifice of King Janamejaya will take place. (10)
And you, child, by my command, go to the Mahākāla forest, / for the pacification of all serpents, quickly, filled with devotion. (11)
Worship the lord of gods near Mahāmāyā; / there your perfection will come to be by the grace of the god of gods.' (12)
Having gone there, Karkoṭa himself, collected in mind, O goddess, / worshipped the god, standing before Mahāmāyā. / Pleased with him, the lord of gods granted a boon, O illustrious one: (13)
'Those serpents that are cruel, sinful in conduct, and violent with poison, / their destruction will take place, but not of those who act righteously. (14)
I am pleased today with your devotion; enter into union with me.' / The nāga Karkoṭaka then dissolved into the god there, O beloved. (15)
From that time, the god Maheśvara became renowned as Karkoṭakeśvara; / by the mere sight of him, diseases perish. (16)
Whatever human being worships that god filled with devotion, / lordly power arises for him, and he redeems a hundred of his lineages. (17)
A sick person is freed from sickness, a suffering person is liberated from suffering; / by darśana alone, he immediately becomes freed from all sins. (18)
Those who regularly behold Karkoṭakeśvara / will obtain all desires and at the end dwell in my city. (19)
Those who see [him] on the fifth and on the fourteenth, or on a Sunday, / in their family snakes never cause harm. (20)
Even an unfortunate woman always attains good fortune; / a pregnant woman obtains a son free from disease, the ornament of his lineage; / afflictions caused by child-demons vanish, and there is no fear of untimely death. (21)
Whatever desire a devoted man meditates upon in his mind, / he attains that, however difficult to obtain, through the darśana of Karkoṭeśvara. (22)
This power that destroys sins has been told to you, O goddess, / of the god Karkoṭeśvara; hear now about the supreme Siddheśvara. (23)
Thus in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, in the collection of eighty-one thousand [verses], in the fifth [section], the Āvantyakhaṇḍa, in the glorification of the eighty-four liṅgas, the tenth chapter, titled 'The Description of the Māhātmya of Karkoṭeśvara'. (10)

The glorious Mahādeva said:

Know the auspicious Siddheśvara to be the eleventh liṅga, O goddess,

situated near Vīrabhadra, the granter of all perfections. (1)

Long ago, in the Devadāru forest, brahmins endowed with yoga,

restrained, performed tapas in rivalry to obtain perfection. (2)

Some ate vegetables, some took no food, while others fed on leaves;

some used their teeth as a mortar, and others used stones to grind their food; (3)

some were devoted to the vīrāsana posture, others were engaged in inhaling smoke; (4)

some hung with feet upward and faces downward; some lived exposed to the open sky; (4)

others, composed in mind, performed the kṛcchra, cāndrāyaṇa, and other penances;

yet supreme perfection was not attained even in hundreds of years. (5)

Afflicted by distress, they reflected: 'How will perfection arise?

Perfection is not gained here even by difficult tapas! (6)

Thus the sacred tradition that was sung by the sages of old has become useless:

"Everything is obtained through tapas; this world has tapas as its root." (7)

The magical collyrium, the pill, magical flight with wooden sandals,

the perfection of the sword, dwelling in subterranean caverns, and the wish-fulfilling jewel that was desired—' (8)

Thus reflected those seekers of perfection, filled with extreme indignation;

casting aside that duty of tapas, they arrived at an attitude of unbelief. (9)

At that very time, an incorporeal voice spoke:

comforting those Siddhas like a mother to her own begotten son:

"O noble ones, do not hold that revelation is in vain on the face of the earth.

Austerity is not to be despised, nor righteousness; listen to the reason for this:

O you whose wealth is austerity, no accomplishment will come to you here;

for that austerity performed out of rivalry and desiring accomplishment was in vain.

From desire comes the loss of austerity, and from egotism comes pride;

and likewise from anger, greed, and delusion; of this there is no doubt.

He, however, who is free from rivalry, devoid of desire and anger,

and performs action with devotion, enjoys the fruit of austerity.

He who is perfumed with good impressions, single-minded, concentrated,

believing in the hereafter, and full of faith, enjoys the fruit of austerity.

The man who always regards another's wife as a mother,

and another's wealth as a clod of earth, enjoys the fruit of austerity.

In such a person, O brahmins, the success of austerity is seen.

You have performed what is difficult to do purely out of rivalry.

Therefore, even in a thousand years, accomplishment will not come to be.

If my word is to be carried out with an unwavering mind,

having gone to Mahākālavana, all of you concentrated,

worship the Lord of gods, who ever bestows accomplishment.

From the darśana of that god, supreme accomplishment is obtained.

Even Sanaka and the others, intent on yoga, having approached the god

and worshipped him with devotion, attained the supreme perfection.

Formerly, by King Vasumat the very rare sword-accomplishment

was attained through the mere darśana by the power of this liṅga.

Travel by magic sandals was attained by the great-souled Haihaya,

the son of Kṛtavīrya, as well as a thousand vehicles.

And the power of making oneself invisible was obtained in former times by Anūru;

and gold-making by the Siddha, foot-ointment, alchemy,

and magic collyrium were likewise obtained from the darśana of this liṅga."

Hearing the voice from the sky, those Siddhas, filled with wonder,

went joyfully to the excellent Mahākālavana.

And they beheld the excellent liṅga, bestower of all accomplishments;

from the darśana of that liṅga, they attained supreme perfection.

From that time forth, the supreme Siddheśvara was celebrated by the gods.

Those men who see the supreme god Siddheśvara, O goddess,

accomplishment will not be hard for them to attain on the earth.

Those who, lacking devotion, happen to go to Siddheśvara in passing,

they will certainly become fully accomplished; of this there is no doubt.

Even one joined with great sins who remembers Siddheśvara,

will indeed become perfected, endowed with knowledge and sovereignty.

He who beholds the supreme god Siddheśvara according to rule,

after six months the accomplishment desired in his heart comes to pass.

Especially on the eighth and fourteenth days of the dark fortnight,

he who beholds Siddheśvara shall behold my abode.

The childless obtains a child, and the penniless obtains wealth;

the seeker of learning obtains learning, the seeker of a wife obtains a woman.

Whoever worships at a transit of the sun, on a Monday, or during an eclipse,

having delivered a hundred ancestral families, especially his own, O beloved,

rejoices in my world as long as the fourteen Indras endure.

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

concerning the god Siddheśvara. Listen now to Lokapāleśvara.

Thus ends the eleventh chapter, titled 'The Description of the Māhātmya of Siddheśvara', in the Māhātmya of the Eighty-Four Liṅgas in the fifth section, the Āvantyakhaṇḍa, of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, in the collection of eighty-one thousand verses.

The glorious Hara said:

"Know the twelfth, O ruler of gods, to be the auspicious Lokapāleśvara,

by the mere darśana of which one is freed from all sins.

Formerly, O goddess, hosts of Daityas by the thousands appeared,

of great prowess, from the chest of Hiraṇyakaśipu.

By them this earth was pervaded, together with its mountains and forests;

all their hermitages were wrecked, and sacrifices were ruined;

and brahmins who had mastered the Vedas and their auxiliary sciences were devoured.

The sacrificial fire-pits were filled with dust and with intoxicating liquor;

all the ritual pitchers were smashed, and the earthen vessels and utensils crushed to powder.

Deprived of Vedic recitation and the vaṣaṭ-call, shorn of svadhā and svāhā,

the earth, O goddess, was made bereft of sacrificial festivals.

Thereupon the guardians of the world, terrified, took refuge with Mādhava.

With folded hands, all of them afflicted with hunger and plunged into distress, spoke:

“O Lord, we have fallen into exhaustion, deprived of our sacrificial shares!

Formerly we were saved by you from Namuci and Vṛṣaparvan,

from the dreadful Hiraṇyakaśipu, from Naraka, and likewise from Mura.

So too, O best of gods, protect us; fear has overtaken us!”

Hearing those words of theirs, the wielder of the conch, discus, and mace

departed. Then the Daityas entered the abode of Varuṇa.

Issuing forth from there at night, they slew the best of brahmins,

ascetics who had undergone initiation, O goddess, devoted to vows of righteousness.

Then they went to heaven, O beloved, and Śakra, the lord of the Maruts, was conquered.

Likewise, having marched to the southern quarter, the King of Dharma was conquered next.

Then, having gone to the western quarter, the king of waters was completely defeated;

in the north, O goddess, the giver of wealth was defeated by those Daityas.

Then, thrown into turmoil, they came to Viṣṇu for refuge.

A means was then told by Viṣṇu to the gods, O goddess:

“Having gone to the Mahākāla forest, O gods, concentrated with devotion,

worship the Lord of All, Śaṃkara, who brings welfare to the world.

There your success will come to be, through his grace.”

Having heard this speech of Kṛṣṇa of boundless splendour,

the guardians of the world set out for the auspicious Mahākāla forest.

Right then and there, they were intercepted by the Daityas bearing weapons;

fleeing once again, they arrived where the divine Janārdana was.

They reported the terrible manner in which the three worlds had been besieged.

Those guardians of the world were addressed again and again by Nārāyaṇa:

“Take upon yourselves vows and adorn yourselves with skulls,

carrying skull-topped staffs, tranquil, adorned with the five seals,

all your limbs adorned with ashes, beautified with tiny bells,

undertaking the Great Vow; to the supreme Mahākāla forest

go together with Brahmā, with anklets fastened to your feet.”

Then those guardians of the world, having heard the words of Kṛṣṇa,

arrived, O great goddess, having assumed Kāpālika forms.

There they beheld the great liṅga, a wondrous mass of splendour,

and it was praised again and again with various hymns by the guardians of the world.

Then from that liṅga a flame of fire burst forth,

by which all those Dānavas were burnt and reduced to ashes.

Recognizing the greatness of the liṅga, they, with concentrated minds, gave it a name.

Because this supreme, luminous liṅga was worshipped by the guardians of the world,

it shall become known on the surface of the earth by the name Lokapāleśvara.

Having said this, all the thirty [gods], surrounded by the guardians of the world,

went each to their own celestial abode, filled with joy as before.

Those men who behold the auspicious Lokapāleśvara, O goddess,

shall be richly endowed with prosperities in birth after birth.

Neither poverty nor disease, nor untimely death,

and matchless sovereignty is always born for them from its darśana.

Whatever desire one intends when making this darśana,

all that comes to pass for him, and upon death he attains the supreme state.

Whatever fruit is obtained from a horse sacrifice properly performed,

that fruit one attains, O goddess, from worshipping Lokapāleśvara.

Even if someone should see the auspicious Lokapāleśvara merely by chance,

he rejoices in the heavenly world forever along with the guardians of the world.

Particularly on a solar transit, on a Monday, and on the fourteenth lunar day,

those men who behold it with devotion on the eighth lunar day and during the two solstices,

they become invincible here to their enemies in battle,

and upon death they go by aerial chariot to the realm of Śakra, so difficult to attain,

and successively to the realm of Varuṇa and of the giver of wealth, at their pleasure.

Then they go to the world of the Grandfather, which is very difficult even for gods to attain.

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

it is hard to attain, supreme, and secret. Now listen about Kāmeśvara.

Thus ends the twelfth chapter, named 'Description of the Glory of Lokapāleśvara,' in the Glory of the Eighty-Four Liṅgas of the Āvantyakhaṇḍa, in the fifth part of the Śrī Skanda Mahāpurāṇa containing eighty-one thousand verses.

Hara said: / Know Kāmeśvara, O goddess, as the thirteenth liṅga there, / by the mere sight of which auspicious good fortune arises. / While Brahmā was meditating, desirous of progeny, O Pārvatī, / there arose a great mass of beauty, shaped with the splendour of the sun, / covered with ornaments, attractive, adorned with heavenly adornments. / Seeing him, supreme, divine, handsome, adorned with charm, / unfathomable and unknowable, Brahmā said to him then: / 'Who are you? For what purpose, or why have you come here? / Speak, you who resemble Manmatha! You appear to me like Kandarpa.' / Hearing Brahmā's words, he respectfully said to him: / 'I am a portion produced by your intention, as you desired creation. / O noble Prajāpati, what shall I do? Command me!'

Brahmā said:

'The Prajāpatis whom I created, desiring creation,

are unable to generate progeny, so that these [beings] might obtain happiness through desire.

You are the foremost leader in the creation of progeny; this universe depends on you.

Bring about manifold creation, O Kandarpa, by my command!'

Addressed thus by Brahmā, O goddess, Smara disappeared.

Angered, Brahmā cursed him: 'You shall certainly go to destruction

by the fire born of Bhava's eye, because you did not heed my word!'

Hearing that terrible curse, Kandarpa, agitated with fear,

bowed down to Brahmā and, bending low with folded hands, said:

'Be gracious, O Lord of the gods of gods, to me who have no other refuge!

The angers of masters do not attain complete intensity towards one who has taken refuge.'

Brahmā said: