Skandapurana 7.13

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Sanatkumāra said:
Then, having seen Mahādeva, the sole kinsman of the seven worlds, / with folded hands, bowing with their knees and head, they all said: // 1
"O Lord, best of the gods, for the sake of the world, / a gift was formerly accepted by Hari, through which evil seized him. // 2
Therefore, O Lord of this universe, being implored by us, / bring welfare to your devoted and bowed servant, O Lord of Gods! // 3
Let this sacrifice be completed; let Hari be freed from evil; / let all the gods, along with Indra, recover their own vigor!" // 4

20. infant son – ms. kha. 21. having reached hundreds – ms. ka; he, having reached those – (?). 22. reality – ms. kha; then (?) 23. dwelling in the heavenly realm – mss. ka, kha; ... because of dwelling – ms. kha.
1. they him – ms. gha. 2. and with bowed heads – mss. ka, kha. 3. to the evil one – mss. ka, kha. 4. foremost – ms. kha. 5. let them attain – mss. ka, kha.
667
Sanatkumāra said:
Having heard their words, the Lord, with a joyful face, / completing the sacrifice, pierced that mountain with his trident. // 5
From that fissure then, waters white as nectar, conch, and the moon / flowed forth; then they gave a ceremonial bath to Viṣṇu there. // 6

Then, as soon as he had bathed, there emerged from his body / a demonic evil, exceedingly dreadful, deformed, with a distorted face. // 7
She rushed to slay the gods, [but] was restrained by the friend of the gods; / […] / he said to her: "The gods, along with Indra, must not be slain by you. // 8
Right here your well-worshiped place shall be, / holy above all sacred fords, destroying all sins. // 9
You will constantly deliver seven [generations] before and after.

Known in the world as Saṃdhyā, auspicious, best of all sacred fords, // 8.121.10
an auspicious divine stream of water that bestows the fruits of all sacrifices; / having worshiped you, mortals will deliver seven families." // 11
Sanatkumāra said:
Then, by Rudra's command, all those deities, / having duly worshiped the God of Gods, the husband of Umā, // 12
and having established a sanctuary for the god, departed to heaven itself; / and when the hosts of gods had left, Hari, then on Śiva's peak, // 13

having then performed the horse sacrifice, remained worshiping the god. / Then, as he performed it for six thousand years / and six months, the Lord of Gods, whose emblem is the bull, was pleased. // 14
Śiva, with Nandi and with his attendants, rejoiced and, extremely pleased in spirit, / spoke to him again: "Speak, what shall I give you?" // 15

6. him – mss. ka, kha, gha. 7. and holy – ms. kha. 8. destroying – ms. ka. 9. will deliver – ms. kha. 10. having worshiped her – ms. ka. 11. seven families (?), having worshiped seven families you (?) 12. deities – mss. ka, kha. 13. words then – ms. ka. 14. indeed – ms. kha. 15. to Śiva's peak – mss. ka, kha. 16. having a very joyful mind – ms. ka.
668
Viṣṇu said:
"O Lord, O protector of the world, slayer of Kāla, tell me that / whereby no diminution will come upon me, either through evil or through austerity." // 16

Sanatkumāra said:
Then, laughing, the pleased Lord of Gods, the lord of creatures, / having addressed Viṣṇu, said: "Practice the secret Great Vow!" // 17

And he, having provided protection, [taught] him that auspicious [way], bearing all virtues: / yoga, yantra, and observance, which accomplishes supreme sovereignty, // 18

which is the divine Pāśupata rite that fulfills all desires; / having practiced it for twelve years, he attained supreme sovereignty. // 19
The trident-bearing God himself, being pleased upon seeing him thus, / gave him half of his body; that became Viṣṇu-Śaṅkara. // 8.121.20

Whatever mortal listens to this regularly on every junction-day / and worships Śiva-Viṣṇu, he will attain the supreme goal. // 21
Thus that Viṣṇu, Vāmana of immense might, having conquered [the demons], / handed over the entire threefold world to all the gods. // 22
Sanatkumāra said:
Then, when the threefold world was occupied by the gods, O best of sages, / those asuras who remained from the slain took refuge with two Dānavas. // 23

[Taking refuge in] both Tāraka and Maya, they waged war alongside the immortals. / Maya and Tāraka, surrounded by sons and grandsons, / and the Dānava Vipracitti, and those who are remembered as his sons, / all the Nivātakavacas, the Paulomas, the sons of Kālakā, / and the valiant Saiṃhikeyas, and likewise the host of Bali's descendants—

[Apparatus readings] / 669 / these and many other Dānavas, arrogant with power, / armored and enraged, then challenged the gods. / Seeing them calling them out, the gods also, fully mailed, / uniting with them then, waged battle, eager for combat.

Between them took place that tumultuous battle, hair-raising, / for eight hundred and sixteen thousand / divine years; and victory in that conflict did not fall to either side. / Then the gods in that battle, by the unassailable Saiṃhikeyas,

mighty beings though they were, were defeated like herds of beasts by lions. / Discerning their strength, thousand-eyed Purandara / went for refuge to Rudra, the imperishable lord of the gods of gods. / Having gone, he saw Mahādeva, who had made his abode upon the peak of the mountain Svarṇacūḍa, / together with the Goddess, surrounded by his Gaṇas, / blazing like fire, difficult to behold for the undisciplined. / Announced beforehand to him by Nandin, that best of gods, / having seen [him] and bowed with his head, spoke these words:

"O God, eight hundred and sixteen thousand / divine years of the battle of the gods have elapsed. / Both Tāraka and Maya, Dānavas maddened by war— / taking refuge in them both, all the Asuras are slaughtering the gods like beasts.

To those gods who are being slain, O best of gods, / grant life, or whatever, O God, is fitting."

Sanatkumāra said: / Having heard his words, the blessed Lord whose banner bears a bull, / having reflected thereupon, then said: "Rāma, Rāma!"

[Apparatus readings] / 670 / The blessed Lord said: / "Rāma, Rāma, O mighty-armed one! You have performed very great austerity. / Go, and by good combat make all the gods free from anguish!" / Sanatkumāra said: / Addressed thus then, glorious Rāma Jāmadagnya / spoke in a humble voice, bowing down with deep reverence:

Rāma said: / "O Blessed One, I am of little strength, severely emaciated by austerity. / Knowing nothing of divine weapons, O Lord of gods, I shall not be able to fight, O Omnipresent One!"

The God said: / "Go, O best of brahmins! Today you will be able to fight; do not grieve today. / I shall reinvigorate you; do not worry, O Bhārgava!" / Sanatkumāra said: / Then the blessed Lord Hara said to Indra, the lord of gods: / "He will slay your enemies; provide him with a chariot!" / Sanatkumāra said: / Then Śakra also, having bowed down and taken Rāma with him, / went to that place where that battle was happening. / Then Purandara, having equipped him with an excellent chariot, / Śakra himself said to Rāma: "Challenge the Saiṃhikeyas!"

He, in that excellent chariot, Rāma, best among strikers, / wearing armor, quivers fastened, holding arrows, sword, and bow, / with arm-guard and finger-guards fastened, bearing fixed flags and banners, / rushed with speed against the unassailable Saiṃhikeyas.

[Apparatus readings] / 671 / Between them and him a most terrible battle took place, / like a dreadful one between tigers and a lion in the forest. / There the Siddhas, Gandharvas, and Cāraṇas saw a marvel: / that though he was but one on the battlefield, he appeared in manifold forms. / Neither taking out diverse arrows nor drawing them on the string, / nor bending his bow, was Bhārgava seen then. / His very great bow was seen by the enemies / only as bent into a complete circle, and he became difficult to look upon.

Enraged, that mighty Bhārgava, wheeling around, / shot ten sharp arrows into each of their faces, O Vyāsa. / There they witnessed the wondrous dexterity of that wise one; / a great cry of 'Well done! Well done!' arose there among the living beings.

Sanatkumāra said: / Their faces pierced by those arrows, the mighty Saiṃhikeyas, / though prideful, fell onto the earth like palm trees struck by the wind. / Then that troop of ten thousand enemies of the gods / was consumed by Bhārgava, just as the universe [is consumed] by Time. / Then the gods together with the ṛṣis, Gandharvas, and Cāraṇas, / crying 'Well done! Well done!' to him, praised him with joyful faces. / Sanatkumāra said: / Having witnessed that deed of his, the blessed Pākaśāsana, / having honored Bhārgava with great reverence along with the gods—

The one of great splendor embraced him again and again and spoke this:
“This deed is yours alone; no one else in heaven possesses its equal.

Since those sons of Siṃhikā have suddenly been slain by you,
that great deed belongs only to you, or to Tryambaka at Tripura.
There is no one equal to you in the world; I speak this truly.
They could not be equaled by any god or by any mortal;
though invulnerable to all living beings, they were slaughtered by you alone.
Therefore, pleased with you, we grant you invulnerability,
inexhaustible strength in battle, and supreme fame on earth.
And Tryambaka will approach you with desired divine boons,
and you shall conquer the host in battles as you desire.”
Sanatkumāra said:
Thus spoken to by those pleased gods, O Vyāsa, that ascetic of great austerities,
the renunciant with a gladdened and delighted mind, went to the god Tryambaka.
The gods, too, well-prepared, then swiftly rushed upon
Tāraka, who was maddened by war, together with Maya.
Those mighty ones, their fury held back by the onslaught of the Daityas, yet rushing with the speed of an ocean,
fell upon the hordes of Daityas and struck them violently, as forest lions strike elephants.
Thus ends the one hundred and twenty-first chapter, named “The Bestowal of Boons on the Son of Jamadagni,” in the Skandapurāṇa.

Sanatkumāra said:
Seeing the slaying of the sons of Siṃhikā and the victory of the gods,
the Daitya armies suddenly broke on all sides.
[… / …]
Driven back on another side was Tāra, the heroic Maya, Virocana,

Vipracitti, Ṣaṇḍa, and the great Asura Prahlāda.
Then, enraged, Kālanemi advanced against Keśava in battle.
Mounting a great chariot equipped with a raised banner a hundred nalvas high,
the Dānava rushed with speed against Keśava.
Even as he charged, Keśava loosed his great, unhindered discus, O Vyāsa;
he then obstructed it.
Seeing it obstructed, all the gods became enraged;
disarmed, they were indeed defeated by Kālanemi.
[…]
Having routed them, the lord of Daityas turned them away,
and having done so, the imperishable one then assumed the status of World-Protector.
Pervading the earth and heaven at that time, existing as one of great power,
like the Self-manifest one, he wandered through the three worlds by worldly illusion.
Sanatkumāra said:
Seeing that Daitya established in such a state, the gods along with Indra,
terrified with fear, then took refuge with the imperishable Hari.
And Hari, the refuge, the lord of the gods and friend of the three worlds,
granted them freedom from fear, desiring the death of the Dānava.

Pervading heaven and earth in every way with his cosmic form at that time,
he remembered that lotus-marked discus which had been fashioned by Rudra.

Then with it, O Vyāsa, he struck off the great head of the Dānava,
as a violent wind knocks down a ripe fruit from the top of a palmyra palm.
When that Daitya was slain, both Tāraka and Maya,
the great warriors, retreated and rushed swiftly toward Pātāla.

Sanatkumāra said:
Thus, O Vyāsa, took place that fierce battle [against the sickness] caused by Tāraka,
in which Kālanemi was slain, along with the renowned Virocana,

the valiant sons of Siṃhikā, the great Asura Tuhuṇḍa,
Surocana, Śatāvarta, Hāla, and Gārgyaśiras,

Vipāka along with Pāka, Caṇḍa, Kārtasvana, and Kubha.
These and other lords of Daityas were slain in [that war against] Tāraka’s sickness.
And at the battle of the banner, the cruel Vipracitti was slain with his younger brother.

Vyāsa said:
How did that battle take place between the gods and the Asuras,
and how did its name come to be “Dhvaja” (Banner)?

And after performing that deed difficult for all beings,
the descendant of Bhrgu’s line, the son of Jamadagni, came into the presence of Tryambaka.
What was he told by the god of gods? This I wish to know.

Sanatkumāra said:
Sent by the immortals themselves at that time, Jamadagni’s son
went to Puriścandra, the secret dwelling of the god.

Vyāsa said:
How did that celestial dwelling, Puriścandra,
become the secret abode of the Great Lord? Relate that, O one of steadfast vows.
Sanatkumāra said:
Here I shall relate to you an ancient event, O wise one,
hearing which even an evildoer may attain the supreme destination.
Formerly there were two seers of great soul, Nara and Nārāyaṇa;
for the sake of the gods' purpose, it is said, they committed the slaying of a brahmin.

Overcome by that evil deed, those two extraordinarily powerful gods
lost their senses and fell severely into animal wombs.
Then, when a divine year had elapsed, the boundless-minded
Brahmā himself arrived there along with the gods and the seers.

[Variant readings]
675
Then the lord of the gods awakened him along with Nara;
yet the two were not awakened, entirely enveloped by [their past] karma. // 25
Then Brahmā spoke to all those dwellers of heaven:
"For the sake of Nārāyaṇa, perform the supreme duty. // 26

Then the god, along with Nara, will be freed from the [sin of] brahmin-slaughter."
Bowing their heads to him as he spoke thus,
all the gods, with folded hands, said:
"Instruct us: what austerity, what rite [should we perform]?" // 27
Brahmā said:
"Disciplined, feeding on air, with senses conquered,
all of you properly chant the Rudrahṛdaya; thence you will attain yoga." // 28

Sanatkumāra said:
Saying, "So be it," the lords of the gods, lying in the water
together with the seers, chanted for six million years. // 29
Then, after a great span of time, for those of composed self,
subtle yoga appeared, from which an auspicious fire arose. // 30
Burned by that fire, the sin of brahmin-slaughter then completely abandoned
Nara and Nārāyaṇa and entered into the water. // 31

The waters, entered by it, did not remain sapid; they lost their taste,
they became devoid of fragrance, discolored, and bereft of luster;
the earth became devoid of strength, and heat lost its sharpness. // 32

Sanatkumāra said:
Then, seeing it thus, they again applied themselves [in yoga]
and chanted the Rudrahṛdaya with concentrated minds. // 33
Then the blessed god, trident in hand, whose emblem is the bull, arrived
and said to the gods: "I am pleased; speak of what you desire." // 34

[Variant readings]
676
Sanatkumāra said:
Then, properly beholding Rudra, those deities rejoiced;
and bowing low, they praised the bearer of Indra's vehicle of sacrifice. // 35
The gods said:
"Salutations to the supreme deity, possessing the splendor of the fire at the end of an eon,
to the one in the water undergoing austerity, and to the heart of the Rudras! // 36

Salutations to the one who holds a great axe in hand, whose dwelling is golden,
to the lord of the Vasus, and to the lord of the gods! // 37
Salutations to the pure, to the licking fire, to Sadyojāta, to wrath,
to the lord of the planets, and to the heart of the planets! // 38
Salutations to the king of planets, who is followed by the great planets!
Salutations to the one fierce in peace and self-restraint, who bears a fierce staff! // 39
Salutations to Yama, to the protector of Yama, who holds Yama's staff!
Salutations to the supreme deity, and to the highest of the high! // 40

Salutations to the lord of the great, and to the bearer of the water-pot,
to Vāmadeva, to the eldest, and to the lord of animals! // 41
To the lord of Pradhāna, and to the impeller of Pradhāna;
salutations to the thousand-faced one, to the bearer of the mace, to the bearer of the trident! // 42
Salutations to the creator who has the form of the wind, who possesses manifold forms!
Salutations to the destroyer of the sacrifice, and to the slayer of the fire of desire! // 43
Salutations to the one whose limbs are the Vedic meters, whose eyes are irregular,
to the destroyer of the aggregate of senses, and to the knower of the end of the Veda! // 44

May there be salutations to the slayer with the thunderbolt, and to the one ecstatic in mind,
to the one garlanded with the Vedas and Vedāṅgas; salutations to you who wear a garland of lotuses! // 45

[Variant readings]
677
Salutations to the burner of mountains, and to the one born from the Mountain's daughter,
to the great, universal-formed one, revered by the great! // 46
To the one with hundred thousands of eyes, with an eye upon the forehead,
to the author of great yoga, and likewise to Tatpuruṣa! // 47
Salutations to the secret of the Vedas, praised by the gods and the Vedas,
to the yogin who is meditated upon, who laughs like the falling of a thunderbolt! // 48

Salutations to you who dwell in the heart; salutations to the all-pervading one,
to the lord of Kumāra's boons, and to the father of Kumāra! // 49
To the one who wanders with a staff in hand, to the end-maker, to the undefeated one,
to the auspicious, the auspicious-formed, the promoter of all that is auspicious! // 50
To Śiva, to the lord of Śivā, to the ever all-auspicious one,
to the secret of the archery Veda, and to the propagator of the archery Veda! // 51
To the destroyer of all sins, and to the slayer of all evil;
O lord of the gods, be benevolent and gentle, and grant us what is in our hearts. // 52
Whatever improper word has been uttered by us, O blessed one, O all-pervading lord,
all that you ought to forgive out of affection for your devotees. // 53
This friend of the gods, whose self is overcome by evil, O all-pervading lord,
together with Nara, O lord of the gods, may he become pure as the moon!" // 54
Sanatkumāra said:
Whatever person, endowed with devotion, regularly and attentively recites
this hymn to Tryambaka, O Vyāsa, is freed from evil. // 55

He would also be released from all sins, and he regains what was lost;
and he meets with no bad state of existence, even if he were a great doer of sin. // 56
Sanatkumāra said:
Thus praised and pleased by the gods, the blessed lord of the world,
the lord of the gods, spoke to all the gods, O son of Satyavatī. // 57

[Various readings]
678
The God of gods said:
“O gods, I am well pleased; choose the boon you desire!
I shall grant it, O greatly wise ones; do not remain silent, speak out in full!”
The gods said:
“This Hari, O Mahādeva, has his mind afflicted by sin.
Dispel it swiftly from him, like the sun [dispelling] mist!
For the benefit of the world and for the sake of the gods, this mighty one
performs deeds, O Lord of gods; destroy, therefore, his sin!”

“And may we, dwelling among the attendants, attain equality with you,
the status of attendants, O Lord of all gods, if you deem it proper, O All-pervading One!”
Sanatkumāra said:
While those gods were speaking thus, O best of seers,
the blessed Śarva, laughing with a delighted heart, spoke:
“This Viṣṇu, O gods, shall immediately be released from this sin,
and this sin, O blessed ones, shall come into existence in saline soil,
and in the sap of trees, and in the foam of waters,
and in the smell of great serpents, and likewise in the reviling of women,

and in proclaiming the inauspicious misfortune of an initiated brahmin,
in slander of brahmins, and in failing to praise cows,

and in not kindling the fire, and in the damming of rivers.
Whatever man, filled with passion and delusion, should do these things,
he would incur this [sin] in the world, even if he were a self-manifest guardian of the world.

When, however, Viṣṇu becomes the son of Vasudeva,
then this Nara shall enjoy her in bodily form.

[Various readings]
679
Having enjoyed there the boon-giver who was born as Hari’s sister,
he, completely freed from sin, shall then walk this world again.

Yet, so that this sister of his does not cause any affliction,
let him perform severe austerity, exceedingly hard to practice.
And you, together with the seers, right here, deeply concentrated,
perform the preparatory rite untroubled, by my command.”

Sanatkumāra said:
Having been addressed thus by the God, all the gods then said to Hari:
“Perform severe austerity; from that you will indeed attain the highest good.”
Then he, ascending Candra, king of mountains, deeply concentrated,
performed immense austerity, mortifying the host of senses.
The noble gods also, together with the seers of noble vows,
deeply concentrated, performed austerity on Hiraṇyavarṇa, king of mountains.

Then, when their observance was concluded, the wielder of the Pināka
enjoined that blazing, great Pāśupata observance.

With a pleased heart, having addressed the bulls among gods,
he spoke in a voice deep and grave like the sound of clouds and kettledrums.
The God of gods said:
“This preparatory rite has been well performed by you yourself, O world-guardians;
having observed this Pāśupata [vow], go, untroubled and free from fear!

This supreme and purifying observance is superior to Sāṃkhya and Yoga;
nothing higher than this, nor more subtle, exists anywhere.

With all his limbs smeared with ashes, sky-clad and pure,
worshipping Rudra with steadfastness of body, one is freed from all sins.

[Various readings]
680
Ashes are superior to wet bathing; in wet [bathing], the destruction of living beings is certain.
One should know wetness as Prakṛti, and Prakṛti as bondage.
For the abandoning of Prakṛti, bathing with ashes is prescribed,
as well as being sky-clad and pure, so that one may never be reborn.
Among yantras, it is the supreme yantra, other than which none exists;
six-limbed, granting all desires, revered by all the worlds,
pure, all-purifying, removing all sins, auspicious,
and increasing austerity—let them practice it with focused minds.
The yantra should be understood as sinless, and that is considered Prakṛti.
Bondage is declared to be threefold, and renunciation itself has its fruit;
therefore, for the abandoning of everything, one should practice this yantra,

always unregarded in the world, so that one may never decay;
and attaining the supreme yoga, which is the highest among yogas,
than which there is nothing greater, six-limbed, fulfilling all desires,
liberated by which a yogin falls no more into death and the like.
Attaining that yoga, perfected by divine action,
the great yogin is not smeared by deeds done or undone.”
Sanatkumāra said:
Thus commanded by the God of gods, the heaven-dwellers,
having completed that severe observance, became attendants of Śaṃkara.
Attaining the status of attendants of that trident-bearing God,
deeply suffused with austerity, they favored that region.
The gods said:
“Because our preparatory rite was well practiced here to its completion,
therefore this is known as the secret sanctuary of Maheśa.”

[60-76 Apparatus variants]
[681]
‘[This sacred place] shall be renowned in the three worlds as Puriścandra, radiant,
five yojanas broad, and just as long, auspicious,

thronged with siddhas and cāraṇas, echoing with flocks of apsarases,
resounding with many birds, filled with rivers and waterfalls,
a holy, great penance-grove for ascetic sages.’

Whoever comes here, prepares a caru offering and feeds a brahmin,
and worships the Lord of the god of gods, rejoices in Rudra’s world.

And whoever, observing restraints here, bathes in ashes with vows subdued,
should stay even for a single muhūrta, shall go to the midst of the gaṇas.
Imperishable, immortal, freed from old age and disease,
he becomes a leader of Rudra's gaṇas and attains the sovereign power of yoga.

Even a person of willful conduct, exceedingly wicked in soul, who dwells here for a single day,
attains the fruit of an horse sacrifice and is freed from all sins.

Even a person of evil conduct, full of desire, who abandons his life-breaths here,
reaches the assembly of the gods and shall move among the gods.

Sanatkumāra said:
Then all those deities, having attained that supreme austerity,
performed the sacrificial ablution to Īśa, the Supreme Self.

Then, having accomplished their purpose, endowed with the power of great yoga,
all those celestials set their minds on going to Hari.

Approaching him who was blazing like the sun, O Vyāsa,
those mighty ones saw the imperishable Hari on Mount Hariścandra.

He too, with his sins shaken off after a long time, performing great austerities,
having then attained equality with the gods, was joyful in soul.

[77-87 Apparatus variants]
[682]
Rising up with speed towards them, O best of seers,
he swiftly descended from the peak and stood among them.
Then, delighted, meeting together fully with Hari,
they endowed that peak of the mountain with a reward:
‘Because Hari shone here as stainless as the moon
by means of great austerity, therefore this Lord of Mountains
shall be known as Hariścandra; of this there is no doubt.
And because a descent was made here by one who is not ordinary,
therefore let this precipice become holy in the world in every way.’
O lords of gods, whichever man, coming here, casts himself from this cliff,
shall go to Hari's exceedingly radiant world.
A person afflicted with disease, [even if] tainted by the great sins,
who gives up his life-breaths here, is also freed from great terror.
Whatever a man continually prays for here at the precipice,
all that he swiftly obtains—so it is declared.
Sanatkumāra said:
The knower of dharma who reads or listens to this [account of] Hariścandra and Puriścandra
destroys all his sin.
And whatever man, pure and free from malice, always reads this in an assembly of twice-born and gods,
he, stainless, blazing with brilliance like the sun, dwells in heaven like an immortal, foremost among them.
Thus ends the one hundred and twenty-second chapter, titled ‘Description of Mount Hariścandra’, in the Skandapurāṇa.

[88-102 Apparatus variants]
[683]
Sanatkumāra said:
Having reached that Puriścandra, Rāma, son of Śakti,
his mind tormented by the asuras, saw the Supreme Lord.
Beholding Mahādeva, imperishable, together with Ambā and his attendants,
he bowed, joined his palms in reverence, and stood humbly before him.