Skandapurana 6.3.142

Chapter 142

The venerable Mārkaṇḍeya said:
Then, O great king, one should go to the excellent Rukmiṇītīrtha,
where by merely performing ritual ablution one becomes handsome and fortunate. // 142.1

Especially on the eighth, fourteenth, and third days,
one should perform ritual ablution there and will not be born in this world again. // 142.2

A person who, having bathed in the Rukmiṇītīrtha, gives a gift of gold,
does not encounter sorrow through the power of that sacred ford. // 142.3

Yudhiṣṭhira said:
How did such greatness come to this sacred ford, O lord of sages,
by which this sacred ford grants beauty and good fortune? Tell me. // 142.4

Mārkaṇḍeya said:
I shall narrate an ancient legend just as it happened,
which was told of old by the elders through succession, O Bhārata. // 142.5

I shall relate that to you; listen with a single-minded heart.
There was a city named Kuṇḍina which Bhīṣmaka protected. // 142.6

Supplied with elephants, horses, and chariots, wealthy, exceedingly glorious,
surrounded by a thousand women, he ruled an excellent kingdom. // 142.7

His wife, the queen, was dearer [to him] than life itself.
Upon her he begot a single son, Rukma. // 142.8

A second child, a daughter named Rukmiṇī, was born.
Then a bodiless voice spoke indeed to that king: // 142.9

'This maiden must be given to a four-armed one on earth, O Bhīṣmaka!'
Hearing that speech, he rejoiced along with his beloved [wife]. // 142.10

Accompanied by learned brahmins, he entered the maternity room.
Having caused benedictions to be recited, he gave her the name Rukmiṇī. // 142.11

Because she had a golden mark from her birth, O Bhārata,
she was then called Rukmiṇī by the brahmins. // 142.12

Then, in the course of time, she became eight years old.
And remembering repeatedly that speech previously uttered // 142.13

by the bodiless voice, the king, the lord of the earth, reflected:
'To whom should this girl be given by me? Who will be the four-armed one?' // 142.14

Meanwhile, Damaghoṣa, the prominent lord of Cedi,
arrived there from the excellent Raivata mountain. // 142.15

He entered the royal palace where King Bhīṣmaka was.
Seeing him arrived at his home, the king honored him. // 142.16

Having offered a spacious seat, he led him to the assembly and seated him:
'Is all well with you, O king of kings, O Damaghoṣa endowed with prosperity? // 142.17

Today has become an auspicious day; I was eager for the sight of you.
My daughter, O king of kings, has indeed reached eight years of age. // 142.18

She is to be given to a four-armed one, said a bodiless voice.'
Hearing Bhīṣmaka's words, Damaghoṣa spoke this: // 142.19

'My son is four-armed, renowned throughout the three worlds.
Let this maiden be given to him, to Śiśupāla, O Bhīṣmaka!' // 142.20

Hearing that speech of Damaghoṣa, O ruler of the earth,
Rukmiṇī was then promised by Bhīṣmaka to Śiśupāla. // 142.21

The auspicious ceremonies were commenced there by Bhīṣmaka, O Yudhiṣṭhira.
Those kinsmen who lived in the various directions and other lands // 142.22

were all invited and arrived in due order.
Then Balarāma and Keśava, ornaments of the Yādava lineage, // 142.23

invited, came to Kuṇḍina, to Bhīṣmaka's [palace].
Those two best of Yadus were honored properly by Bhīṣmaka. // 142.24

Then, at the time of dusk, Rukmiṇī, infatuated with desire,
went outside the city with her female companions to worship Ambikā. // 142.25

There she saw Hari, the lord of gods, wearing the attire of a cowherd.
Seeing him, she fell into bewilderment, agitation brought on by love. // 142.26

Keśava, too, seeing her, said to Saṃkarṣaṇa:
'This jewel among women, dear brother, should be abducted—this is my mind.' // 142.27

Hearing Keśava's words, Saṃkarṣaṇa said:
'Go, O mighty-armed Kṛṣṇa, and seize this jewel among women swiftly! // 142.28

And I will follow along behind your path,
causing great slaughter among all the Dānavas.' // 142.29

Having obtained Saṃkarṣaṇa's assent, Keśava, the slayer of Keśin,
took the maiden, placed her on his chariot, and departed swiftly. // 142.30

He departed suddenly, O king, with the speed of the wind itself.
Then a great cry of despair arose in Bhīṣmaka's city. // 142.31

The enraged Dānavas rushed out like the tide of the great ocean,
all roaring, armed with weapons, running upon the path of the chariot. // 142.32

Then they reached Baladeva, who followed the path of the chariot.
A battle took place between them and Bala, bringing destruction to all beings, // 142.33

just like formerly in the Tārakā battle renowned in the worlds.
Mace in hand, mighty-armed, Bala had no equal in the three worlds. // 142.34

Dragging them violently with his plowshare, he felled them with blows of his mace.
Balabhadra of mighty strength could not be slain by the Dānavas. // 142.35

He crushed all the Dānavas and stood firm like an unshakeable mountain.
And seeing Bala enraged, hard to overcome even for the gods, // 142.36

Bhīṣmaka's son, possessed of great fiery energy, celebrated as Rukmin,
accompanied by an akṣauhiṇī of exceedingly heroic men, // 142.37

bypassing Balabhadra, then challenged [him] in battle.
Having bypassed that battle swiftly along the chariot-path, // 142.38

Lord Keśava then departed along with Rukmiṇī.
Crossing the Vindhya ahead, the imperishable teacher of the three worlds // 142.39

reached the bank of the Narmadā, where he had formerly attained perfection;
whereby he became invincible by the power of this sacred ford. // 142.40

For this reason, dear child, it is called Yodhanīpura.
Rukma too, that lord of Dānavas, arrived... // 142.41

Enraged, he answered Acyuta: “Halt! Halt! Do not flee! / Today I will send you to Yama's abode with sharpened arrows!”

Thus the two heroes roared at each other. / A terrible battle ensued between them, like the one between the fire-born [Skanda] and Tāraka.

The dānava discharged volleys of arrows against Keśava. / Disregarding his arrows, Keśava, the slayer of Keśin,

Viṣṇu himself, then grew enraged and took up the Sudarśana discus. / Just as he was about to strike him, he was checked there by Rukmiṇī:

“He does not recognize you as the lord of the gods, the four-armed Janārdana. / Taking pity on me, show your own form.”

Addressed thus by Rukmiṇī, he showed [it], O Bhārata. / Seeing that form, the gods standing in the sky praised him. / Then the god gave divine vision to Rukma, O Bhārata.

Rukma said: / “O Keśava, that your chest was struck with arrows by me, / devoted to sin and wretched of fortune, you ought to forgive all that.

Formerly, O Lord, Jānakī was given by Janaka himself; / by me is Rukmiṇī given to you, O Keśava, lord of the gods.

Marry [her] according to rule, with the rite prescribed by the sacred ordinances.” / Having heard Rukma's words, the teacher of the world was then pleased.

The lord of the god of gods said to Rukma, the son of Bhīṣmaka: / “Go to your own city, do not fear, and rule the kingdom free from thorns.”

Hearing Keśava's words, Rukma, best among dānavas, / bowed to that lord of the world and went to his father's house.

When Rukma had gone, Kṛṣṇa then invited the best among the twice-born: / Marīci, Atri, Aṅgiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu,

and the illustrious Vasiṣṭha—these are the seven mind-born [sons]. / These are the seven brahmins established with certainty in the Purāṇa,

forbearing, blessed with offspring, adorned by great seers; / thus these truthful sons of Brahmā, O wise one,

dwell taking refuge on the bank of the Narmadā, with their senses mastered, / dedicated to austerity and self-study, devoted to silent recitation and oblations.

Invited by the high-souled Keśava, O king of kings, / he then performed a śrāddha according to rule, following the rite spoken by Brahmā.

Hari worshipped those seven foremost brahmanical seers. / Janārdana gave twelve villages to them there:

“As long as the moon and the sun [shine], as long as the earth stands, / for so long is this gift given by me; let no one be an adversary [to it].

Whichever sinless kings preserve what has been given by me, / to them I shall bring welfare; I will grant the supreme goal.

As long as the five great elements remain in the worlds, / for that long those who protect what has been given by me shall rejoice in heaven.

But the fool who revokes what is given to you on the surface of the earth, / his residence shall be in hell until the destruction of all beings.

Whether given by oneself or given by another, land must be protected; / whoever holds the earth at any time, his is the fruit at that time.

He who seizes land, whether given by himself or given by another, / becomes a worm in excrement and sinks along with his ancestors.

Land stolen unjustly or caused to be taken away unjustly: / the taker and the one who causes the taking is born a worm in excrement.

The giver of land remains in heaven for sixty thousand years; / he who revokes it and he who assents [to the seizure] shall dwell in hell for as many [years].

Those gifts given here formerly by rulers of men, which bring righteousness, wealth, and renown, / are like remnant offerings: what virtuous person would take them back?

Having thus worshipped them according to proper rule, O Pāṇḍava, / the slayer of Madhu took Rukmiṇī's hand in marriage as ordained.

Then the mace-bearer, having defeated all the foremost dānavas / and having accomplished that very splendid deed, went to his own place.

Both Kṛṣṇa and Saṃkarṣaṇa set out for Dvāravatī. / Seeing that Keśava, the destroyer of distress, was departing,

the brahmins, truthful and strict in their vows, set forth. / Seeing those brahmins coming along the road of his chariot,

resting there for a moment, Keśava spoke these words: / “What is the purpose of your coming? Tell me everything, O best of the twice-born.

Performing your own duties, what remains to be done for me?” / Hearing the god's words, the sages spoke:

“Praised with true disposition for thousands of crores of kalpas, / you are difficult for mortals to attain; having attained [you], why do you abandon us?”

Hearing the words of the brahmins, the Lord said this: / “In Mathurā, in Dvāravatī, and at Yodhanīpura,

I shall come at the three times [of day]; truly, truly, again and again.” / Having heard this, those brahmins returned to Yodhanīpura.

He descended by a third part in the manifestation at Mathurā. / This whole reason for the origin of the sacred ford has been told to you,

past, present, and future, as well as the other [truths], / hearing which one is freed from all sins; of this there is no doubt.

Whoever bathes in that sacred ford and worships Bala and Keśava, / by him the god who upholds the world, possessing the three guṇas, is worshipped.

A person who fasts and performs circumambulation / is freed from all sins; no doubt should be held on this.

Whatever trees are in that sacred ford, even the men who only look upon them, / they too are freed from sins, even those equal to the slaying of an embryo.

Those who, having risen in the morning, behold Bala and Keśava, / become equal to that discus-bearing god of gods.

They are worshipful, they are to be bowed to, their life is well-lived, / who bow down to the lord of the world, God Nārāyaṇa, Hari.”

Whatever gift, ritual ablution, or worship of the gods is performed at that sacred ford, O king, / all that becomes imperishable for him—thus Śaṅkara declared.

And whatever fruit is declared for those who die after entering fire, / listen to that in its entirety as it is being told, O best of kings.

By means of an aerial chariot bright as the sun, garlanded with nets of tinkling bells, / he goes to the fiery world of Agni and rejoices there for his desired span of time.

And those who die in the water, within the midst of Yodhanīpura, / dwell in the world of Varuṇa until the dissolution of all beings.

For those who die by fasting at that sacred ford, O ruler of men, / their destination is one from which there is no return; no doubt should be entertained on this point.

Now listen to the fruit of him who gives the supreme gift of a brown cow / at that sacred ford in accordance with the prescribed rites.

As many hairs as she has, and as many as her offspring has, O descendant of Bharata, / for that many [years] they rejoice in heaven, honored with all desires.

For as many hairs as there are on the cow, for so many years he is glorified; / and when he falls from heaven, he will then be born in the three worlds into a family possessing many cows.

Whoever gives silver or gold at that sacred ford / is glorified in the world of Viṣṇu in a golden aerial chariot.

Whoever gives sandals and clothing at that sacred ford / attains the heaven he desires by the power of this gift.

Whatever fruit comes from the recitation of the Ṛg, Yajur, and Sāmavedas, / at that sacred ford, O king of kings, he attains that fruit through the Gāyatrī alone.

Whatever merit there is at Prayāga, at Gayā, and at Tripuṣkara, / and at Kurukṣetra, O king of kings, when the sun is seized by Rāhu,

and whatever merit is at Someśvara during an eclipse of the moon, / he obtains that fruit there merely by a ritual ablution; of this there is no doubt.

A man who performs a ritual ablution on the twelfth day and bows to Janārdana / has delivered his ancestors and attained the fruit of his birth.

If he feeds a single brahmin at a solstice, during Vyatīpāta, / and especially on the twelfth day, ten million have been fed.

All the sacred fords on the earth extending as far as the ocean, O Pāṇḍava, / are present right there on the twelfth day, O son of Pāṇḍu.

Gifts, sacrifices, oblations, and offerings of food come to an end, / but what is done at that sacred ford never perishes, O great king.

The past and the future of this excellent sacred ford's māhātmya / has all been told to you in detail by me, O descendant of Bharata.

Thus ends the one hundred and forty-second chapter, named the Description of the Māhātmya of Rukmiṇītīrtha, in the Revākhaṇḍa of the fifth section, the Āvantyakhaṇḍa, in the Skandamahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.