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# Skandapurana 6.3.159

Skandapurāṇa 6.3.159

- **Language:** Sanskrit

### [6.3.159.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.1)

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca -  
tato gacchenmahārāja tīrthaṃ paramapāvanam .  
narmadāyāṃ suduṣprāpaṃ siddhaṃ hyanarakeśvaram .. 159.1 ..

> Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya said: / Then, O great king, one should go to the supremely purifying sacred ford / on the Narmadā, very difficult to attain, the perfected Anarakeśvara.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.2)

tasmiṃstīrthe naraḥ snātvā pāpakarmāpi bhārata .  
na paśyati mahāghoraṃ narakadvārasaṃjñikam .. 159.2 ..

> Having bathed in that sacred ford, O descendant of Bharata, even a doer of sinful deeds / does not see the very terrible \[place\] called the gate of hell.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.3)

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca -  
śubhāśubhaphalaistāta bhuktabhogā narāstviha .  
jāyante lakṣaṇairyaistu tāni me vada sattama .. 159.3 ..

> Yudhiṣṭhira said: / Having experienced their fruits through good and bad results, dear sir, / by what signs are men born here \[in this world\]? Tell me those, O best of good men.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.4)

yathā nirgacchate jīvastyaktvā dehaṃ na paśyati .  
tathā gacchanpunardehaṃ pañcabhūtasamanvitaḥ .. 159.4 ..

> Just as the individual soul departs having abandoned the body, and sees it not, / so, entering a body again, joined with the five gross elements,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.5)

tvagasthimāṃsamedo'sṛkkeśasnāyuśataiḥ saha .  
viṇmūtraretaḥsaṅghāte kā saṃjñā jāyate nṛṇām .. 159.5 ..

> together with hundreds of skin, bones, flesh, fat, blood, hair, and sinews— / in this mass of feces, urine, and semen, what consciousness arises for men?  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.6)

evamuktaḥ sa mārkaṇḍaḥ kathayāmāsa yogavit .  
dhyātvā sanātanaṃ sarvaṃ devadevaṃ maheśvaram .. 159.6 ..

> Addressed thus, that knower of yoga, Mārkaṇḍeya, spoke, / having meditated on the eternal, all\[-pervading\] Maheśvara, the god of gods.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.7)

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca -  
śṛṇu pārtha mahāpraśnaṃ kathayāmi yathāśrutam .  
sakāśādbrahmaṇaḥ pūrvamṛṣidevasamāgame .. 159.7 ..

> Mārkaṇḍeya said: / Listen, O son of Pṛthā, to the great question; I shall tell it as it was heard / of old in the presence of Brahmā at the assembly of seers and gods.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.8)

gururātmavatāṃ śāstā rājā śāstā durātmanām .  
iha pracchannapāpānāṃ śāstā vaivasvato yamaḥ .. 159.8 ..

> The teacher is the chastiser of the self-controlled; the king is the chastiser of the wicked; / in this world, of secret sins, the chastiser is Yama, son of Vivasvat.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.9](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.9)

acīrṇaprāyaścittānāṃ yamaloke hyanekadhā .  
yātanābhirviyuktānāmanekāṃ jīvasantatim .. 159.9 ..

> For those who have not performed atonement, indeed in various ways in Yama's realm, / having experienced manifold series of lives through tortures,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.10](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.10)

gatvā manuṣyabhāve tu pāpacihnā bhavanti te .  
tatte'haṃ sampravakṣyāmi śṛṇuṣvaikamanā nṛpa .. 159.10 ..

> when they arrive at human existence, they bear the marks of sin. / I shall explain that to you; listen with an attentive mind, O king.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.11](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.11)

sahitvā yātanāṃ sarvāṃ gatvā vaivasvatakṣayam .  
vistīrṇayātanā ye tu lokamāyānti cihnitāḥ .. 159.11 ..

> Having endured all tortures and gone to the abode of the son of Vivasvat, / those whose tortures are exhausted come to the world marked \[by signs\].  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.12](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.12)

gadgado'nṛtavādī syānmūkaścaiva gavānṛte .  
brahmahā jāyate kuṣṭhī śyāvadantastu madyapaḥ .. 159.12 ..

> A liar becomes a stammerer, and one who lies about cows becomes mute. / A killer of a brahmin is born a leper, and a drinker of liquor has black teeth.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.13](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.13)

kunakhī svarṇaharaṇādduḥścarmā gurutalpagaḥ .  
saṃyogī hīnayoniḥ syāddaridro'dattadānataḥ .. 159.13 ..

> A stealer of gold has diseased nails; a violator of the teacher's bed has bad skin. / One who has improper sexual union is born from a low womb; a miser becomes poor.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.14](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.14)

grāmaśūkaratāṃ yāti hyayājyayājako nṛpa .  
kharo vai bahuyājī syācchvānimantritabhojanāt .. 159.14 ..

> One who sacrifices for those unfit to sacrifice becomes a village pig, O king. / One who sacrifices for many becomes an ass; from eating at an invitation \[improperly\], a dog.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.15](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.15)

aparīkṣitabhojī syādvānaro vijane vane .  
vitarjako'tha mārjāraḥ khadyotaḥ kakṣadāhataḥ .. 159.15 ..

> One who eats uninspected \[food\] becomes a monkey in a lonely forest. / A slanderer becomes a cat; one who sets fire to brush becomes a firefly.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.16](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.16)

avidyāṃ yaḥ prayaccheta balīvardo bhaveddhi saḥ .  
annaṃ paryuṣitaṃ vipre dadānaḥ klībatāṃ vrajet .. 159.16 ..

> He who teaches false knowledge surely becomes an ox. / One who gives stale food to a brahmin falls into impotency.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.17](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.17)

mātsaryādatha jātyandho janmāndhaḥ pustakaṃ haran .  
phalānyāharato'patyaṃ mriyate nātra saṃśayaḥ .. 159.17 ..

> From envy one is born blind; one who steals a book is blind from birth. / The child of one who steals fruits dies—of this there is no doubt.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.18](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.18)

mṛto vānaratāṃ yāti tanmukto'tha galāḍavān .  
adattvā bhakṣayaṃstāni hyanapatyo bhavennaraḥ .. 159.18 ..

> Having died, he becomes a monkey; freed from that, he has an enlarged goitre. / A man who eats those \[fruits\] without giving \[to others\] becomes childless.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.19](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.19)

haranvastraṃ bhavedgodhā garadaḥ pavanāśanaḥ .  
pravrājī gamanādrājan bhavenmarupiśācakaḥ .. 159.19 ..

> One who steals clothing becomes an iguana; a poisoner becomes an eater of wind (a snake). / From intercourse with an ascetic woman, O king, one becomes a piśāca of the desert.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.20](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.20)

vātako jalahartā ca dhānyahartā ca mūṣakaḥ .  
aprāptayauvanāṃ gacchan bhavetsarpa iti śrutiḥ .. 159.20 ..

> A stealer of water becomes a diver-bird, and a stealer of grain a rat. / Having intercourse with a girl who has not reached puberty, one becomes a snake—so states the tradition.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.21](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.21)

gurudārābhilāṣī ca kṛkalāso bhavecciram .  
jalaprasravaṇaṃ yastu bhindyānmatsyo bhavennaraḥ .. 159.21 ..

> One who covets the teacher's wife becomes a chameleon for a long time. / A man who breaks a water-reservoir becomes a fish.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.22](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.22)

avikreyān vikrayan vai vikaṭākṣo bhavennaraḥ .  
ayonigo vṛko hi syādulūkaḥ krayavañcanāt .. 159.22 ..

> A man who sells things that should not be sold becomes one with deformed eyes. / One who engages in unnatural intercourse becomes a wolf, and an owl from cheating in a purchase.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.23](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.23)

mṛtasyaikādaśāhe tu bhuñjānaḥ śvopajāyate .  
pratiśrutya dvijāyārthamadadanmadhuko bhavet .. 159.23 ..

> One who eats on the eleventh day after a person's death is born as a dog. / Having promised wealth to a twice-born man and not giving it, one becomes an insect.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.24](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.24)

rājñīgamādbhavedduṣṭataskaro viḍvarāhakaḥ .  
parivādī dvijātīnāṃ labhate kācchapīṃ tanum .. 159.24 ..

> From intercourse with a queen one becomes a wicked thief, \[then\] a dung-eating boar. / A slanderer of twice-born men receives the body of a tortoise.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.25](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.25)

vrajeddevalako rājanyoniṃ cāṇḍālasaṃjñitām .  
durbhagaḥ phalavikretā vṛściko vṛṣalīpatiḥ .. 159.25 ..

> An attendant on idols, O king, enters the womb called cāṇḍāla. / A seller of fruits becomes unfortunate; the husband of a śūdra woman becomes a scorpion.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.26](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.26)

mārjāro'gniṃ padā spṛṣṭvā rogavānparamāṃsabhuk .  
sodaryāgamanātṣaṇḍho durgandhaśca sugandhahṛt .. 159.26 ..

> One who touches fire with his foot becomes a cat; one who eats meat \[unlawfully\] becomes diseased. / From intercourse with a sister one becomes a eunuch, and a thief of fragrant scents becomes foul-smelling.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.27](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.27)

grāmabhaṭṭo divākīrtirdaivajño gardabho bhavet .  
kupaṇḍitaḥ syānmārjāro bhaṣaṇo vyāsa eva ca .. 159.27 ..

> A village bard, a candāla, and an astrologer become asses. / A pseudo-scholar becomes a cat, and a barking dog indeed is Vyāsa \[in improper speech\].  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.28](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.28)

sa eva dṛśyate rājanprakāśātparamarmaṇām .  
yadvā tadvāpi pārakyaṃ svalpaṃ vā yadi vā bahu .. 159.28 ..

> That very \[mark\] is seen, O king, from the revealing of another's secrets. / Whatever belongs to another, whether little or much,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.29](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.29)

kṛtvā vai yonimāpnoti tairaścīṃ nātra saṃśayaḥ .  
evamādīni cānyāni cihnāni nṛpasattama .. 159.29 ..

> having taken it, one attains an animal womb—there is no doubt about this. / These and other signs, O best of kings,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.30](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.30)

svakarmavihitānyeva dṛśyante yaistu mānavāḥ .  
tato janma tato mṛtyuḥ sarvajantuṣu bhārata .. 159.30 ..

> ordained by their own karma, are those by which human beings are recognized. / Thence comes birth, thence death among all living beings, O descendant of Bharata;  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.31](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.31)

jāyate nātra sandehaḥ samībhūte śubhāśubhe .  
strīpuṃsoḥ samprayogeṇa viṣuddhe śukraśoṇite .. 159.31 ..

> it arises—there is no doubt here—when good and bad karma become balanced, / through the union of man and woman, when semen and blood are purified.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.32](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.32)

pañcabhūtasamopetaḥ saṣaṣṭhaḥ parameśvaraḥ .  
indriyāṇi manaḥ prāṇā jñānamāyuḥ sukhaṃ dhṛtiḥ .. 159.32 ..

> Endowed with the five elements, the supreme lord is the sixth: / sense faculties, mind, vital breaths, knowledge, lifespan, pleasure, steadfastness,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.33](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.33)

dhāraṇaṃ preraṇaṃ duḥkhamicchāhaṅkāra eva ca .  
prayatna ākṛtirvarṇaḥ svaradveṣau bhavābhavau .. 159.33 ..

> retention, impulse, pain, desire, egoism, / effort, form, complexion, voice, aversion, existence, and non-existence—  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.34](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.34)

tasyedamātmanaḥ sarvamanāderādimicchataḥ .  
prathame māsi sa kledabhūto dhātuvimūrchitaḥ .. 159.34 ..

> all this belongs to that beginningless self desiring a beginning. / In the first month, it becomes liquid, mingled with the bodily humours.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.35](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.35)

māsyarbudaṃ dvitīye tu tṛtīye cendriyairyutaḥ .  
ākāśāllāghavaṃ saukṣmyaṃ śabdaṃ śrotrabalādikam .  
vāyostu sparśanaṃ ceṣṭāṃ dahanaṃ raukṣyameva ca .. 159.35 ..

> In the second month it is a mass of tissue, and in the third endowed with sense faculties. / From space \[comes\] lightness, subtlety, sound, and the capacity of hearing; / from wind \[comes\] touch, motion, combustion, and dryness;  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.36](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.36)

pittāttu darśanaṃ paktimauṣṇyaṃ rūpaṃ prakāśanam .  
salilādrasanāṃ śaityaṃ snehaṃ kledaṃ samārdavam .. 159.36 ..

> from bile \[comes\] sight, digestion, heat, form, and illumination; / from water \[comes\] taste, coolness, moisture, wetness, and softness;  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.37](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.37)

bhūmergandhaṃ tathā ghrāṇaṃ gauravaṃ mūrtimeva ca .  
ātmā gṛhṇātyajaḥ pūrvaṃ tṛtīye spandate ca saḥ .. 159.37 ..

> from earth \[comes\] smell, the sense of smell, heaviness, and bodily form. / The unborn self assumes these first, and in the third month it stirs.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.38](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.38)

daurhṛdasyāpradānena garbho doṣamavāpnuyāt .  
vairūpyaṃ maraṇaṃ vāpi tasmātkāryaṃ priyaṃ striyāḥ .. 159.38 ..

> By not granting pregnancy cravings, the fetus may incur a defect, / deformity, or even death; therefore, what pleases the woman should be done.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.39](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.39)

sthairyaṃ caturthe tvaṅgānāṃ pañcame śoṇitodbhavaḥ .  
ṣaṣṭhe balaṃ ca varṇaśca nakharomṇāṃ ca sambhavaḥ .. 159.39 ..

> In the fourth month there is stability of the limbs, and in the fifth the generation of blood. / In the sixth comes strength, complexion, and the appearance of nails and hair.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.40](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.40)

manasā cetanāyukto nakharomaśatāvṛtaḥ .  
saptame cāṣṭame caiva tvacāvān smṛtivānapi .. 159.40 ..

> Endowed with consciousness through the mind, covered with hundreds of nails and hairs, / in the seventh and in the eighth month it has skin and memory.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.41](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.41)

punargarbhaṃ punardhātrīmenastasya pradhāvati .  
aṣṭame māsyato garbho jātaḥ prāṇairviyujyate .. 159.41 ..

> Now to the fetus, now to the mother does its vitality flow back and forth. / Therefore a fetus born in the eighth month is deprived of life.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.42](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.42)

navame daśame vāpi prabalaiḥ sūtimārutaiḥ .  
nirgacchate bāṇa iva yantracchidreṇa sajvaraḥ .. 159.42 ..

> In the ninth or the tenth month, by the powerful winds of delivery, / it emerges like an arrow through the opening of a machine, full of agony.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.43](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.43)

śarīrāvayavairyukto hyaṅgapratyaṅgasaṃyutaḥ .  
aṣṭottaraṃ marmaśataṃ tatrāsthā tu śatatrayam .. 159.43 ..

> Equipped with bodily limbs and provided with major and minor appendages, / there are one hundred and eight vital points and three hundred bones.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.44](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.44)

sapta śiraḥkapālāni vihitāni svayambhuvā .  
tisraḥ koṭyo'rdhakoṭī ca romṇāmaṅgeṣu bhārata .. 159.44 ..

> Seven cranial bones were ordained by the self-manifest \[creator\]. / There are three and a half crores of hairs on the limbs, O Bhārata.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.45](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.45)

dvāsaptatisahasrāṇi hṛdayādabhinisṛtāḥ .  
hitānāma hi tā nāḍyastāsāṃ madhye śaśiprabhā .. 159.45 ..

> Seventy-two thousand \[channels\] issue forth from the heart; / those channels are called the hitā, and among them is the moon-bright one.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.46](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.46)

evaṃ pravartate cakraṃ bhūtagrāme caturvidhe .  
utpattiśca vināśaśca bhavataḥ sarvadehinām .. 159.46 ..

> Thus the cycle turns among the fourfold classes of living beings; / birth and destruction occur for all embodied souls.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.47](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.47)

gatirūrdhvā ca dharmeṇa hyadharmeṇa tvadhogatiḥ .  
jāyate sarvavarṇānāṃ svadharmacalanānnṛpa .. 159.47 ..

> An upward course comes by righteousness, while a downward course comes by unrighteousness. / It arises for all social classes from falling away from one's own duty, O king.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.48](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.48)

devatve mānavatve ca dānabhogādikāḥ kriyāḥ .  
dṛśyante yā mahārāja tatsarvaṃ karmajaṃ phalam .. 159.48 ..

> In the state of godhood and the state of manhood, actions such as gifts and enjoyments / that are seen, O great king, all that is the fruit born of action.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.49](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.49)

svakarma vihite ghore kāmaksodhārjite śubhe .  
nimajjennarake ghore yasyottāro na vidyate .. 159.49 ..

> When one's actions are performed in a terrible manner, earned through lust and anger \[or\] virtuous, / \[if sinful\] one may sink into a terrifying hell from which there is no crossing over.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.50](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.50)

uttāraṇāya jantūnāṃ narmadātaṭasaṃsthitam .  
evametanmahātīrthaṃ narakeśvaramuttamam .. 159.50 ..

> For the rescue of living creatures, situated on the bank of the Narmadā, / is this great sacred ford, the supreme Narakeśvara.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.51](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.51)

narakāpahaṃ mahāpuṇyaṃ mahāpātakanāśanam .  
tattīrthaṃ sarvatīrthānāmuttamaṃ bhuvi durlabham .. 159.51 ..

> It removes hell, grants great religious merit, and destroys heinous sins; / that sacred ford is the best of all sacred fords, hard to attain on earth.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.52](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.52)

tatra tīrthe tu yaḥ snātvā pūjayeta maheśvaram .  
mahāpātakayukto'pi narakaṃ naiva paśyati .. 159.52 ..

> Having bathed at that sacred ford, he who worships the Great Lord, / even if possessed of heinous sins, never sees hell.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.53](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.53)

tatra tīrthe tu yo dadyāddhenuṃ vaitaraṇīṃ śubhām .  
sa mucyate sukhenaiva vaitaraṇyāṃ na saṃśayaḥ .. 159.53 ..

> He who gives an auspicious Vaitaraṇī cow at that sacred ford / is freed with ease at the Vaitaraṇī river; of this there is no doubt.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.54](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.54)

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca -  
yamadvāre mahāghore yā sā vaitaraṇī nadī .  
kiṃrūpā kiṃpramāṇā sā kathaṃ sā vahati dvija .. 159.54 ..

> Yudhiṣṭhira said: / That river Vaitaraṇī at the terrible door of Yama, / what is its form, what is its extent, and how does it flow, O twice-born?  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.55](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.55)

kathaṃ tasyāḥ pramucyante keṣāṃ vāsastu saṃtatam .  
keṣāṃ tu sānukūlā sā hyetadvistarato vada .. 159.55 ..

> How are \[men\] delivered from it, and whose dwelling is there perpetually? / To whom is it favorable? Tell me this in detail.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.56](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.56)

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca -  
dharmaputra mahābāho śṛṇu sarvaṃ mayoditam .  
yā sā vaitaraṇī nāma yamadvāre mahāsarit .. 159.56 ..

> Glorious Mārkaṇḍeya said: / O son of Dharma, O mighty-armed one, hear everything spoken by me / concerning that great river named Vaitaraṇī at the door of Yama.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.57](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.57)

agādhā pārarahitā dṛṣṭamātrā bhayāvahā .  
pūyaśoṇitatoyā sā māṃsakardamanirmitā .. 159.57 ..

> It is unfathomable, shoreless, and frightful as soon as it is seen. / Its waters are pus and blood, and it is made of flesh and mud.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.58](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.58)

tattoyaṃ bhramate tūrṇaṃ tāpīmadhye ghṛtaṃ yathā .  
kṛmibhiḥ saṅkulaṃ pūyaṃ vajratuṇḍairayomukhaiḥ .. 159.58 ..

> Its water swirls rapidly like clarified butter in a frying vessel; / the pus is swarming with worms with adamantine beaks and iron mouths,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.59](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.59)

śiśumāraiśca makarairvajrakartarisaṃyutaiḥ .  
anyaiśca jalajīvaiḥ sā suhiṃsrairmarmabhedibhiḥ .. 159.59 ..

> and with porpoises and crocodiles equipped with adamantine shears, / and with other exceedingly cruel aquatic creatures that pierce the vitals.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.60](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.60)

tapanti dvādaśādityāḥ pralayānta ivolbaṇāḥ .  
patanti tatra vai martyāḥ krandanto bhṛśadāruṇam .. 159.60 ..

> Twelve fierce suns scorch it, as if at the end of a cosmic dissolution; / mortals fall therein, crying out most dreadfully.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.61](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.61)

hā bhrātaḥ putra hā mātaḥ pralapanti muhurmuhuḥ .  
asipattravane ghore patantaṃ yo'bhirakṣati .. 159.61 ..

> "Alas, brother! Son! Alas, mother!" they wail repeatedly. / \[Consider\] who protects one falling in the terrible sword-leaved forest!  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.62](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.62)

prataranti nimajjanti glāniṃ gacchanti jantavaḥ .  
caturvidhaiḥ prāṇigaṇairdraṣṭavyā sā mahānadī .. 159.62 ..

> Creatures try to swim across, sink down, and faint with exhaustion. / That great river must be seen by the four classes of living beings.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.63](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.63)

taranti tasyāṃ saddānairanyathā tu patanti te .  
mātaraṃ ye na manyante hyācāryaṃ gurumeva ca .. 159.63 ..

> They cross over it through good gifts; otherwise, they fall. / Those who do not respect their mother, teacher, and preceptor,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.64](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.64)

avajānanti mūḍhā ye teṣāṃ vāsastu saṃtatam .  
pativratāṃ sādhuśīlāmūḍhāṃ dharmeṣu niścalām .. 159.64 ..

> and the fools who show them contempt—their dwelling is there perpetually. / A devoted and virtuous wife, properly wedded and steadfast in duties—  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.65](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.65)

parityajanti ye pāpāḥ saṃtataṃ tu vasanti te .  
viśvāsapratipannānāṃ svāmimitratapasvinām .. 159.65 ..

> those wicked men who abandon her dwell there perpetually. / Of those who have placed their trust—masters, friends, and ascetics—  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.66](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.66)

strībālavṛddhadīnānāṃ chidramanveṣayanti ye .  
pacyante tatra madhye vai krandamānāḥ supāpinaḥ .. 159.66 ..

> and of women, children, the elderly, and the wretched, those who seek faults / are cooked in the middle of it, screaming, being great sinners.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.67](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.67)

śrāntaṃ bubhukṣitaṃ vipraṃ yo vighnayati durmatiḥ .  
kṛmibhirbhakṣyate tatra yāvatkalpaśatatrayam .. 159.67 ..

> The evil-minded one who obstructs a tired and hungry brahmin / is devoured there by worms for three hundred cosmic ages.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.68](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.68)

brāhmaṇāya pratiśrutya yo dānaṃ na prayacchati .  
āhūya nāsti yo brūte tasya vāsastu saṃtatam .. 159.68 ..

> He who promises a gift to a brahmin and does not give it, / or having called him says "there is nothing," his dwelling is perpetual.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.69](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.69)

agnido garadaścaiva rājagāmī ca paiśunī .  
kathābhaṅgakaraścaiva kūṭasākṣī ca madyapaḥ .. 159.69 ..

> The arsonist, the poisoner, the informer to the king, the slanderer, / the interrupter of holy tales, the false witness, and the drinker of spirits;  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.70](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.70)

vajravidhvaṃsakaścaiva svayaṃdattāpahārakaḥ .  
sukṣetrasetubhedī ca paradārapradharṣakaḥ .. 159.70 ..

> the breaker of diamond-hard \[pledges\], the usurper of what he himself gave, / the destroyer of dams in good fields, and the violator of another's wife;  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.71](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.71)

brāhmaṇo rasavikretā vṛṣalīpatireva ca .  
gokulasya tṛṣārtasya pālībhedaṃ karoti yaḥ .. 159.71 ..

> a brahmin who sells juices and spices, a husband of a Śūdra woman, / and he who breaks the embankment of a herd of cows afflicted with thirst;  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.72](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.72)

kanyābhidūṣakaścaiva dānaṃ dattvā tu tāpakaḥ .  
śūdrastu kapilāpānī brāhmaṇo māṃsabhojanī .. 159.72 ..

> the defiler of maidens, the one who torments \[the recipient\] after giving a gift, / a Śūdra who drinks the milk of a brown cow, and a brahmin who eats meat—  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.73](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.73)

ete vasanti satataṃ mā vicāraṃ kṛthā nṛpa .  
sānukūlā bhavedyena tacchṛṇuṣva narādhipa .. 159.73 ..

> these reside there perpetually; have no doubt of it, O king. / Hear, O ruler of men, how it may become favorable \[to someone\]:  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.74](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.74)

ayane viṣuve caiva vyatīpāte dinakṣaye .  
anyeṣu puṇyakāleṣu dīyate dānamuttamam .. 159.74 ..

> At a solstice, at an equinox, during Vyatīpāta, on the conjunction day of the moon, / and at other meritorious times, the supreme gift should be given.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.75](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.75)

kṛṣṇāṃ vā pāṭalāṃ vāpi kuryādvaitaraṇīṃ śubhām .  
svarṇaśṛṅgīṃ rūpyakhurāṃ kāṃsyapātrasya dohinīm .. 159.75 ..

> One should make an auspicious Vaitaraṇī \[cow\], either black or reddish-brown, / with golden horns, silver hooves, and milked into a bell-metal vessel,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.76](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.76)

kṛṣṇavastrayugācchannāṃ saptadhānyasamanvitām .  
kuryātsadroṇaśikhara āsīnāṃ tāmrabhājane .. 159.76 ..

> covered with a pair of black garments, accompanied by the seven grains; / one should place it, seated on a copper vessel, with the height of a droṇa measure.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.77](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.77)

yamaṃ haimaṃ prakurvīta lohadaṇḍasamanvitam .  
ikṣudaṇḍamayaṃ baddhvā hyuḍupaṃ paṭṭabandhanaiḥ .. 159.77 ..

> One should fashion a golden Yama equipped with an iron staff, / and having tied a raft made of sugarcane stalks with silk cords,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.78](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.78)

uḍupopari tāṃ dhenuṃ sūryadehasamudbhavām .  
kṛtvā prakalpayedvidvāñchattropānadyugānvitām .. 159.78 ..

> and having placed that cow born from the body of the sun upon the raft, / the wise man should furnish it with an umbrella and a pair of sandals.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.79](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.79)

aṅgulīyakavāsāṃsi brāhmaṇāya nivedayet .  
imamuccārayenmantraṃ saṃgṛhyāsyāśca pucchakam .. 159.79 ..

> He should present a finger-ring and garments to a brahmin, / and holding the tail of this \[cow\], he should recite this mantra:  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.80](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.80)

oṃ yamadvāre mahāghore yā sā vaitaraṇī nadī .  
tartukāmo dadāmyenāṃ tubhyaṃ vaitaraṇi namaḥ .  
ityadhivāsanamantraḥ .. 159.80 ..

> "Om. That river Vaitaraṇī at the terrible door of Yama— / desiring to cross it, I give this \[cow\]; homage to you, O Vaitaraṇī!" / Such is the consecration mantra.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.81](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.81)

gāvo me cāgrataḥ santu gāvo me santu pṛṣṭhataḥ .  
gāvo me hṛdaye santu gavāṃ madhye vasāmyaham .. 159.81 ..

> "May cows be in front of me; may cows be behind me; / may cows be in my heart; I dwell in the midst of cows."  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.82](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.82)

oṃ viṣṇurūpa dvijaśreṣṭha bhūdeva paṅktipāvana .  
sadakṣiṇā mayā dattā tubhyaṃ vaitaraṇi namaḥ .  
iti dānamantraḥ .. 159.82 ..

> "Om. O best of the twice-born, whose form is Viṣṇu, O god on earth, sanctifier of assemblies, / \[this cow\] is given by me along with a priestly gift; homage to you, O Vaitaraṇī!" / Such is the donation mantra.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.83](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.83)

brāhmaṇaṃ dharmarājaṃ ca dhenuṃ vaitaraṇīṃ śivām .  
sarvaṃ pradakṣiṇīkṛtya brāhmaṇāya nivedayet .. 159.83 ..

> Having circumambulated the brahmin, Dharmarāja, / and the auspicious Vaitaraṇī cow, he should offer everything to the brahmin,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.84](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.84)

pucchaṃ saṃgṛhya surabheragre kṛtvā dvijaṃ tataḥ .. 159.84 ..

> holding the tail of the cow and placing the twice-born in front; then:  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.85](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.85)

dhenuke tvaṃ pratīkṣasva yamadvāre mahābhaye .  
uttitīrṣurahaṃ dheno vaitaraṇyai namo'stu te .  
ityanuvrajamantraḥ .. 159.85 ..

> "O cow, wait for me at the terrifying door of Yama; / wishing to cross over, O cow, homage be to you, O Vaitaraṇī!" / Such is the mantra for following after.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.86](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.86)

anuvrajeta gacchantaṃ sarvaṃ tasya gṛhaṃ nayet .  
evaṃ kṛte mahīpāla saritsyātsukhavāhinī .. 159.86 ..

> One should accompany him as he walks away, and take everything to his house. / When this is done, O king, that river becomes one of pleasant flow.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.87](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.87)

tārayate tayā dhenvā sā sarijjalavāhinī .  
sarvānkāmānavāpnoti ye divyā ye ca mānuṣāḥ .. 159.87 ..

> By means of that cow, that river flowing with water carries \[him\] across. / He obtains all desires, both celestial and human.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.88](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.88)

rogī rogādvimuktaḥ syācchāmyanti paramāpadaḥ .  
svasthe sahasraguṇitamāture śatasaṃmitam .. 159.88 ..

> A sick person is freed from illness, and the greatest calamities are pacified. / \[Given\] when healthy, \[the fruit\] is a thousandfold; when afflicted, it is equivalent to a hundredfold.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.89](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.89)

mṛtasyaiva tu yaddānaṃ parokṣe tatsamaṃ smṛtam .  
svahastena tato deyaṃ mṛte kaḥ kasya dāsyati .  
iti matvā mahārāja svadattaṃ syānmahāphalam .. 159.89 ..

> The gift given on behalf of one who has died, in his absence, is regarded as equal \[to ordinary fruit\]. / Therefore one should give it with one's own hand; once dead, who will give to whom? / Considering this, O great king, what is given by oneself yields great fruit.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.90](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.90)

ityevamuktaṃ tava dharmasūno dānaṃ mayā vaitaraṇīsamuttham .  
śṛṇoti bhaktyā paṭhatīha samyaksa yāti viṣṇoḥ padamaprameyam .. 159.90 ..

> Thus has the gift pertaining to the Vaitaraṇī been declared to you by me, O son of Dharma. / Whoever hears or recites it properly with devotion here goes to the immeasurable realm of Viṣṇu.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.91](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.91)

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca -  
prāpte cāśvayuje māsi tasminkṛṣṇā caturdaśī .  
snātvā kṛtvā tataḥ śrāddhaṃ sampūjya ca maheśvaram .. 159.91 ..

> Glorious Mārkaṇḍeya said: / When the month of Āśvayuja arrives, on the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight, / having bathed, performed the śrāddha, and worshipped Maheśvara,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.92](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.92)

pitṛbhyo dīyate dānaṃ bhaktiśraddhāsamanvitaiḥ .  
paścājjāgaraṇaṃ kuryātsatkathāśravaṇādibhiḥ .. 159.92 ..

> a gift is given to the ancestors by those endowed with devotion and faith. / Afterwards, one should keep a vigil by listening to holy stories and other means.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.93](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.93)

tataḥ prabhātasamaye snātvā vai narmadājale .  
tarpaṇaṃ vidhivatkṛtvā pitḥṇāṃ devapūrvakam .. 159.93 ..

> Then at daybreak, having bathed in the waters of the Narmadā / and duly performed the water libation to the ancestors preceded by the gods,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.94](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.94)

sauvarṇe ghṛtasaṃyuktaṃ dīpaṃ dadyāddvijātaye .  
paścātsaṃbhojayedviprān svayaṃ caiva vimatsaraḥ .. 159.94 ..

> one should give a lamp with clarified butter in a golden vessel to a twice-born. / Afterwards, free from malice, he should feed the brahmins and himself.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.95](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.95)

evaṃ kṛte naraśreṣṭha na janturnarakaṃ vrajet .  
avaśyameva manujairdraṣṭavyā nārakī sthitiḥ .. 159.95 ..

> When this is done, O best of men, a living being does not go to hell. / A stay in hell must inevitably be seen by men.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.96](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.96)

anena vidhinā kṛtvā na paśyennarakānnaraḥ .  
tatra tīrthe mṛtānāṃ tu narāṇāṃ vidhinā nṛpa .. 159.96 ..

> Having acted according to this rite, a man does not see the hells. / For men who die in that sacred ford according to the rite, O king,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.97](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.97)

manvantaraṃ śive loke vāso bhavati durlabhe .  
vimānenārkavarṇena kiṃkiṇīśataśobhinā .. 159.97 ..

> there is a stay for a manvantara in the world of Śiva, which is hard to attain. / In an aerial chariot having the colour of the sun, adorned with hundreds of small bells,  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.98](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.98)

sa gacchati mahābhāga sevyamāno'psarogaṇaiḥ .  
bhunakti vividhānbhogānuktakālaṃ na saṃśayaḥ .. 159.98 ..

> he goes, O fortunate one, served by hosts of apsarases. / He enjoys various pleasures for the stated time; there is no doubt.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.99](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.99)

pūrṇe caiva tataḥ kāla iha mānuṣyatāṃ gataḥ .  
sarvavyādhivinirmukto jīvecca śaradāṃ śatam .. 159.99 ..

> And when that time is fulfilled, having attained human status here, / free from all diseases, he would live for a hundred autumns.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.100](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.100)

prāpya cāśvayuje māsi kṛṣṇapakṣe caturdaśīm .  
ahorātroṣito bhūtvā pūjayitvā maheśvaram .  
mahāpātakayukto'pi mucyate nātra saṃśayaḥ .. 159.100 ..

> Having reached the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight in the month of Āśvayuja, / having fasted for a day and night and worshipped Maheśvara, / even if joined with great sins, one is liberated; of this there is no doubt.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.101](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.101)

aṣṭāviṃśatikoṭyo vai narakāṇāṃ yudhiṣṭhira .  
vimuktā narakairduḥkhaiḥ śivalokaṃ vrajanti te .. 159.101 ..

> There are indeed twenty-eight crores of hells, O Yudhiṣṭhira. / Freed from the miseries of hell, they go to the world of Śiva.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.102](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.102)

tatra bhuktvā mahābhogāndivyaiśvaryasamanvitān .  
labhante mānuṣaṃ janma durlabhaṃ bhuvi mānavāḥ .. 159.102 ..

> Having enjoyed great pleasures there, endowed with celestial sovereignty, / men obtain human birth, which is hard to attain on earth.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

### [6.3.159.102\_1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159.102_1)

.. iti śrīskande mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pañcama āvantyakhaṇḍe revākhaṇḍe'narakeśvaratīrthamāhātmyavarṇanaṃ nāmaikonaṣaṣṭyuttaraśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ ..

> Thus ends the one hundred and fifty-ninth chapter, entitled "The Description of the Māhātmya of the Anarakeśvara Sacred Ford", in the Revākhaṇḍa of the fifth Āvantyakhaṇḍa in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.  
> — English (machine translation) (machine translation)

## Translations (1)

- [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda~en-mt.6.3.159.1) — English, machine translation

## Linked texts (5)

- [Revākhaṇḍa (Vāyupurāṇa)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.vayu.revakhanda.159.1) — Sanskrit
- [Dānamayūkha](https://indike.org/pramana/in.niti.dharma.dana.danamayukha.3.p86.1) — Nīlakaṇṭha Dīkṣita 1600, Sanskrit
- [Vivādaratnākara](https://indike.org/pramana/in.niti.dharma.vyavahara.vivada.vivadaratnakara.19.p8) — Caṇḍeśvara, Sanskrit
- [Smṛtiratnākara (Vivādaratnākara, Kṛtyaratnākara…)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.niti.dharma.nibandha.mahanibandha.smrtiratnakara.18.p9) — Caṇḍeśvara Ṭhakkura, Sanskrit
- [Garuḍapurāṇasāroddhāra](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.garudasaroddhara.5.30-2) — Sanskrit

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Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda.6.3.159) · Pramāṇa