Skandapurana 1.2.21

English (machine translation) 1.2.21

Language: English

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Then Brahmā with Sarasvatī, and Mahāviṣṇu with Padmā,

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Indra with the daughter of Puloman, and the other guardians of the directions,

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multitudes of gandharvas and apsarases, the Vasus, and the gods,

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the hosts of the thirty-three crores, and other hosts of sages,

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the eleven great Rudras and the twelve Ādityas,

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the Bhairavas, Piśācas, Vetālas, and Kaṭapūtanas,

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Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, Uragas, Bhūtas, and whatever other attendants of Śiva there were,

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all filled with joy and surrounded by hideous forms,

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surrounding the Great Lord, arrived by the thousands.

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Seeing that praise of valor performed by the yoginīs and Dānavas,

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terrible as the end of an eon, they all felt extreme astonishment.

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Seeing the presence manifested by the god, Umā, delighting him,

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cast off the pain of separation from him, which had grown for a long time.

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Her hair standing on end, her face moist with sweat, trembling, heavy-breasted,

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Then Śiva, dismounting from the bull and taking her by the hand,

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spoke thus with affection, the radiance of his neck and body adorned with a smile:

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"Why are you perturbed in this way, O goddess, without any cause?

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I too have joined my hands in reverence, seeing that you are to be worshipped by all.

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Do you not know our oneness, like that of the moonlight and the moon?

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This is established from eternity, O ruler of the gods; such innocence of yours [is surprising].

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Where is this body of yours, limbs soft as a śirīṣa flower, O daughter of the lord of mountains,

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and where are austerities and absorptions, suited for hardened folk? / I am Nārāyaṇa, and you are Lakṣmī; I am Brahmā, and you are Sarasvatī;

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you are Vāruṇī, and I am the king of serpents; you are Rohiṇī, and I am the moon;

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you are Svāhā, and I am the carrier of oblations; I am the sun, and you are Suvarcalā;

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you are the Jāhnavī, and I am the ocean; I am Meru, and you are the fertile earth;

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you are the daughter of Puloman, and I am Śakra; you are Rati, and I am the mind-born [Kāma];

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you are intellect, and I am the king of kings; you are peace, and I am the wind;

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I am the lord of the waters, and you are the wave; you are Prakṛti, and I am Puruṣa;

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you are knowledge, and I am what is to be known; you are speech, and [I] the meaning, O Pārvatī;

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I am Īśvara, and you are my portion; solely through you, whose very nature is command,

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O sovereign of the ordinances of creation, preservation, destruction, and grace!

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Therefore, no difference between the two of us should be imagined by you, like ordinary folk.

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O goddess, though having assumed bodies by your own will, of the two whose nature is the light of consciousness,

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you constantly perturb [yourself] and are indeed jealous of me in vain!

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A remedy for that has been seen, which is now performed by me."

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Having spoken thus, the seated Lord placed her on his side;

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Gaurī, as if concealing herself out of modesty in his very limb,

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the two bodies attained unity, merged together through love,

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like two meanings instantly [united] through direct perception of close contact.

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White as camphor on one half, rose-red as vermilion on the other,

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wondrous was that body of the two Śivas, which had attained oneness:

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on one half a garland of locks, on the other half a necklace, and in the middle a key;

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half of the body of the crescent-crested Lord was framed by the crescent moon,

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charming with a single anklet, a single earring, and a single bracelet;

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possessing a single golden-brown eye, the body with a single breast shone splendidly.

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Having granted half of his abode to the goddess, Vāmadeva said to her:

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"O goddess, let there be no further occasion for anger on your part hereafter.

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Because you departed for austerity, abandoning Guha who was seeking your breast,

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therefore reside here beside me under the name Apītastanī.

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Worshipping both you, the goddess Apītastanī, and me, the Lord of Śoṇādri,

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may all people delight in worldly enjoyment and liberation.

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May this goddess Durgā, born of your portion, the slayer of Mahiṣa,

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remain present right here, bestowing the accomplishment of mantras upon men.

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May this holy Khaḍgatīrtha, by a single immersion,

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remove all diseases of men and destroy all their sins.

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And may this Lord of Pravālagiri, a deity who destroys sins,

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abundantly grant prosperity to men who possess devotion and faith.

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And this Gautama, O goddess, a recipient of your grace,

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shall enjoy [fruits] suited to his austerity in the worlds as long as the moon and stars endure.

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And may these seven Mothers, the sole mothers of the seven worlds,

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from this day forward make their presence [felt] for the prosperity of the worlds.

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May the Śāstṛs, Bhairavas, guardians of the sacred field, and Baṭukas as well,

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always maintain their presence right here in this sacred field of Aruṇa.

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Here, in this sacred field of Aruṇa, I dwell under the name Aruṇa;

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and you too, as the goddess Aruṇā, moist with compassion, should stay [here].

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Since the two deities, the Aruṇas, grant their presence to those who desire it,

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therefore in this sacred field of Aruṇa all perfections are easily obtained.

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This propitiation of the Lord of Śoṇagiri, performed by the daughter of the king of mountains—

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whoever listens to it, having cast off foes, will easily attain heaven and liberation."

Thus ends the twenty-first chapter, named 'Description of the Praise of Pārvatī by Śiva', in the second half of the Aruṇācalamāhātmya, in the first Māheśvarakhaṇḍa of the glorious Skandapurāṇa, a collection of eighty-one thousand verses.

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit