Skandapurana 1.3.32

English (machine translation) 1.3.32

Language: English

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Lomaśa said: / The Lord of the World held sway on Mount Kailāsa, / accompanied by many attendants, the great [Lord] accompanied by Vīrabhadra, (1)

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Rudra, accompanied by the seers, along with the gods headed by Indra, / whom Brahmā was intent on praising, and [before whom] Viṣṇu stood like a servant; (2)

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Indra along with the host of gods was intent on the duty of service; / whose parasol-bearer was the Moon, and the Wind was the bearer of the flywhisk; (3)

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the preparer of soup and food continuously, perpetually; / whose singers and praisers were the gandharvas, [worshipping] the wielder of Pināka; (4)

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and many vidyādharas as well as hosts of apsarases / danced before him; he on Mount Kailāsa, (5)

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with his sons headed by Gaṇeśa and Skanda, and with Girijā, / held sway, illustrious and moving about without fear; (6)

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by whom Andhaka, the great Daitya, that great enemy of the gods, / the wicked one, was pierced with the trident and held for a long time in the sky; (7)

by whom, having slain Gajāsura and stripped his hide, / a divine covering was made for a long time; and who was the burner of Tripura; / he shone, beautiful in all his limbs, with Viṣṇu having become his protector. (8)

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Desiring to see him, the venerable Nārada of divine vision / went to that best of mountains, Kailāsa, white like the moon, (9)

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resorted to by supreme nectar, exceedingly wondrous, / and white as camphor; having seen that exceedingly mighty one then, / Nārada, filled with wonder, entered Gandhamādana, (10)

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which was endowed with many marvels, well adorned with shining lights, / filled with singing vidyādharīs, and exceedingly radiant. (11)

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And there were many wish-fulfilling trees intertwined with creepers; / in their dense shade were distinguished wish-granting cows. (12)

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Many bees were greedy for the fragrance of the pārijāta groves; / and many swans were playing in the lakes. (13)

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Peacocks made their loud peacock cries there with delight; / all the birds warbled the fifth note, full of intoxication. (14)

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Elephants of fine brilliance were rejoicing with female elephants; / lions, roaring likewise, came together with tigers. (15)

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Bulls headed by Nandi were lowing continuously; / and there were many divine trees and groves of sandalwood, (16)

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nāga, puṃnāga, bakula, campaka, and nāgakesara trees, / and also wild rose-apples, and golden ketakas, (17)

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white water-lilies, oleanders, and water-lilies in abundance, / coral trees, jujube trees, areca palms, and trumpet-flowers, (18)

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and many other trees, all pleasing to Śambhu; / seen at once, endowed with various trees and creepers, / the many pleasure-gardens there seemed doubled. (19)

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The flood of the Gaṅgā, exceedingly wondrous, having just issued from the sky, / fell upon the beautifully adorned summit of that mountain. (20)

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A reservoir indeed of water, by which the world is purified; / it too was seen at that time as divided into two by the great-souled Nārada. (21)

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Everything was then seen as twofold by that great-souled one; / it was observed then, O brahmins, by the supreme Nārada. (22)

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Looking around in this manner, that venerable seer Nārada / went quickly, intent on looking upon Śiva. (23)

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While standing at the door, he beheld a great wonder indeed: / he saw two doorkeepers fabricated by Viśvakarman. (24)

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Nārada was bewildered and asked the two of them then: / 'I wish to enter, eager for the darśana of Śiva. (25)

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Therefore permission should be given for the darśana of Śiva.' / Seeing the two not listening, Nārada was astonished. (26)

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Having looked with the eye of knowledge, he then became silent; / and knowing the two to be artificial, the great-minded one entered. (27)

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And others of the same form were seen by that great-souled one; / and the seer, the venerable Nārada, was saluted by them. (28)

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He beheld many marvels such as these; / and then he clearly beheld Tryambaka accompanied by Girijā: (29)

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the virtuous woman seated on half the throne of the great-souled Śaṃkara, / the daughter of the King of Mountains, by whom the three worlds are pervaded; (30)

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Gaurī, fair-eyed, youthful, slender-limbed, and lovely-eyed, / by whom Śambhu was given form and the great one was made accessible, (31)

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and [by whom] the changeless one was agitated by many alterations; / that goddess was seen by him joined to half the body of Śiva. (32)

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Thus Śambhu, the Lord of the Three Worlds, was seen by Nārada, / resembling pure gold, served by gods and asuras. (33)

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His lotus-feet were served by Śaṅkha, the best of serpents, / and likewise by Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and especially by Takṣaka, / as well as by Padma and especially by the great Śeṣa.

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And he was continually served by other foremost serpents. / Vāsuki, clung to his neck, had become a garland of great splendor.

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Kambala and Aśvatara ever adorned him as ear-ornaments; / and other excellent, great-hooded serpents had gone to the base of his matted hair.

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Encompassed by numerous species and possessing diverse colors, there were serpents / such as Takṣaka, Kulika, Śaṅkha, and Dhṛtarāṣṭra of great splendor,

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Padma, Dambha, and Sudambha, Karāla, and Bhīṣaṇa. / These and many other venomous serpents

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became the bodily limbs of Hara, who is to be worshipped in the three worlds. / Certain foremost serpents shone with a single hood,

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some had a pair of hoods, and some possessed three of great splendor, / four, five, six, seven, and eight,

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nine, ten, eleven, / twelve, eighteen, and nineteen,

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some had forty hoods, fifty, and sixty, / and seventy, eighty, and ninety,

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and hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, / tens of millions, hundreds of millions, and billions.

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Those serpents, the ornaments of Śiva, whose hoods were infinite— / all of them were then seen by the great-souled Nārada.

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All of them, though possessors of wisdom, were also splendid serpent bodies; / having become garlands and ornaments, they bore jewels and possessed boundless splendor.

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His matted hair, marked by the crescent moon, was exceedingly beautiful, / and he was adorned with a third eye positioned on his forehead.

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Mahādeva had five faces and was endowed with ten arms; / likewise, his throat, dark as emerald, was exceedingly beautiful.

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His chest was broad, and his thighs and hips were supreme; / the two feet of Rudra were splendid, supreme, and magnificent.

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He beheld that matchless lotus-foot, luminous, beautiful, / most auspicious like the twilight glow, supreme, dispelling distress, / generating a mass of light, higher than the highest, the abode of graceful charm, / the highest cause of increasing joy for all, the purifying foot of Śambhu.

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Likewise, having seen the highest of the high, the supreme Satī, full of beauty and lovely, / shining forth with the great majesty of good fortune and charm, exceedingly lovely and auspicious,

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having seen that pure couple shining in the three worlds, / non-different yet appearing differentiated, devoid of qualities yet endowed with qualities,

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possessing form and formless, free of distress and bestowing happiness, / he, Nārada, dear to the Lord, bowed to them both with joy; / and rising up again and again, he then praised the two Lords of the Universe.

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Nārada said: / I bow to you both, the two foremost deities, higher than the highest, yet manifest by a portion. / The shining couple, who are the source-seed of the moving and unmoving, have been seen by me,

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the parents of the entire world, known in truth this very day / by me; there is no doubt in this, through your grace.

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When they were thus praised at that time by the great-souled Nārada, / the blessed Lord Śambhu, accompanied by Pārvatī, was pleased.

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Mahādeva said: / Are you at ease, O brahmin? What task may I perform for you? / Having heard that statement of Śambhu, Nārada spoke [these] words:

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Darśana has occurred this very day; by that I am pleased, O All-pervading One! / Through your darśana, everything is mine today, O Śambhu, there is no doubt.

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I have come here to Kailāsa, the foremost of mountains, for sport. / You ever dwell in the hearts of men, O blessed Lord,

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yet your darśana must constantly be sought by living beings here.

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Girijā said: / What sport should be [played] by you? Speak quickly before me! / Hearing that speech of hers, he said, as if laughing:

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A game of dice, O Mahādeva, of various kinds is seen here; / great pleasure would arise from playing a game of dice between the two [of you].

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When he had spoken thus and ceased, Satī, intensely angered, spoke words to the seer: / 'How do you know that supreme, well-known gambling, which ruins the belly of the wise?

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You are a son of Brahmā, a sage, a teacher of the wise through various renowned discourses; / wandering in the three worlds, there is indeed no other wise person than you!'

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Addressed thus at that time by the goddess, Nārada, who has the vision of a deity, / spoke words, laughing, to Girijā in the presence of Śiva.

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Nārada said: / 'I do not know gambling, nor do I resort to it; I am an ascetic and a servant of Śiva. / Why do you ask me, O princess, you who are supremely pure among the lords of yogins?'

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Hearing his speech, Girijā Satī then laughed and said to him: / 'You know everything, O young student! Today, behold me: I shall play dice with Maheśa before you.'

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Having spoken thus, the daughter of the king of mountains, the sole beauty of the world, took the dice; / she then engaged in the game with the great seer as witness, seated there accompanied by Bhava.

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Those two spouses intent upon the game were then beheld by the seer Nārada; / with a mind expanding in wonder, the wise [sage] rejoiced greatly as he looked on.

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Surrounded by her female companions, Satī, devoted to the dice game, / joined with Śiva and made him play the game by trickery.

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He then placed a wager, surrounded by great deceit; / and Bhavānī was then defeated by Śiva, as he smiled.

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Along with Śiva, Nārada then mocked her. / Having heard that she had lost the game of dice, and having heard the mockery,

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and greatly angered by Nārada's harsh words, / Pārvatī swiftly spoke, having also given [him] a push with the hand.

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Likewise, the crest-jewel, trembling and charming, / her face exceedingly radiant, and lovely even in anger, / was beheld by Hara, and repeatedly he caused the game of dice to proceed.

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Then Śaṃkara, who brings welfare to the world, was addressed by Girijā: / “I lost, and the wager has indeed been paid by me, not otherwise.

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What wager is made by you, O Śambhu? Let that indeed be spoken.” / Thereupon the three-eyed Lord laughed and said to Pārvatī:

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“This wager is laid by me, O Bhavānī, for your sake—this great ornament: / that crescent moon, indeed, and the great necklace, as well as the pair of ear-lotus ornaments.

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Having defeated me, O slender lady, let this very thing be happily taken by you.” / Then the game of dice was set in motion along with Śaṃkara.

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While the two of them, skilled in the science of dice, were thus playing, / Śaṃkara, adorned with many ornaments, was then defeated by Bhavānī.

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Laughing, Gaurī, exceedingly lovely, said to Śaṃkara: / “Give me this very day the lost wager, O Śaṃkara.”

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Then Maheśa, laughing, spoke these truthful words: / “I was not defeated by you, O slender lady; consider it according to reality.

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I am entirely unconquerable by living beings; therefore, do not speak such words, O virtuous lady. / Play the dice this day as you wish, and I will win again; just see!”

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Then Ambikā said to her husband Maheśa: “You are defeated by me today, there is no doubt in this.” / Having spoken thus, taking Śambhu by the hand, the fair-faced lady said: / “You are defeated, there is no doubt; you do not know it, O Śaṃkara.”

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Having thus laughed charmingly, Girijā looked upon Śambhu, and he was overwhelmed by her with playful words: / “Give me, O Lord of all blessings, what was lost, O enemy of Smara, as assented to by your word.”

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Śiva said: / “I am unconquerable, O large-eyed lady, [even] by you; there is no doubt here. / That which was said out of pride, consider it in accordance with truth.”

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Hearing those words of his, she laughed and said: / “Mahādeva is indeed unconquerable to all, O Lord.

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Yet by me alone have you been defeated in a fair game of dice! / You do not understand in the least what is meant concerning what is to be done and what is not to be done.”

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While the two supreme lords, husband and wife, were thus disputing, / Nārada, the best of seers, laughing, spoke these words:

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Nārada said: / “Listen, O lady whose eyes are broad as far as your ears, to that single word which is the sole blessing of the world: / This [Lord] is the foremost of the most fortunate; has he been defeated by you, that you speak falsely?

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Mahādeva is indeed unconquered, the supreme teacher of the gods. / He is formless, he has a fair form, and he is spoken of as beyond all forms.

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He alone is the supreme light, that luster which belongs even to them, / the Lord of the three worlds, the soul of the universe, Śaṃkara, who brings welfare to the world.

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How could he, unconquerable in the three worlds, be defeated by you, O goddess? / Out of your womanly nature, O fair-faced lady, you do not recognise this Śiva.”

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Addressed thus by Nārada, Pārvatī became exceedingly angry. / Seized with indignation, the virtuous lady uttered reproachful words:

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Pārvatī said: / “You should not speak out of thoughtlessness, O son of Brahmā, homage to you! / I am afraid of you; blessing to you, O divine seer, keep silent!

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How is it that Śiva has been extolled so much by you, O divine seer? / Through my favor he who is recited as Īśvara became more than a corpse.

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Having obtained his standing through me, he came into being; there is no doubt here.”

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Hearing these manifold [words], Nārada resorted to silence. / Seeing what had transpired, Bhṛṅgin then spoke these words:

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Bhṛṅgin said: / “You must not speak so much once again, O passionate lady! / My master, O slender-waisted lady, is indeed unconquerable and changeless.

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You are possessed of a womanly nature, O fair-faced lady; you do not know the God who is higher than the highest. / Placing desire at the forefront of old, O Bhavānī, you came to the fierce Maheśa.

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How it was done of old by that wielder of the Pināka—is that remembered, O fortunate lady? Tell us! / Kama was made bodiless by him then, and the forest of your father's mountain was burned.

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[…] this Śiva, the highest of the high, the supreme Self, was worshipped by you.

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Addressed thus by Bhṛṅgin, she became exceedingly angry, / and while Maheśa was listening, she questioned Bhṛṅgin and said:

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Pārvatī said: / “O Bhṛṅgin, because of the words you spoke out of partiality— / you are dear to Śiva, yet, O fool, you are intent on seeing division!

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I am of the nature of Śiva, O fool; Śiva is eternally situated in me. / How is a separateness from both Śivas spoken by you merely through the power of speech?

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Hearing that auspicious statement of Pārvatī then, / Bhṛṅgin, infuriated in the presence of Śiva, said to Pārvatī:

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“At the sacrifice of your father Dakṣa, the reviling of Śiva was heard by you; / hearing the disagreeable words, your body was instantly abandoned by you.

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Indeed at that very moment, O slender-limbed lady! What has been done by you now? / Do you not know yourself, in your agitation, to be a reviler of Śiva? / How was it that you were born from the best of mountains, O lady of excellent complexion? / How was it that you were heated by fierce austerity, O slender-waisted lady?

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You have no loving devotion to Śiva at present. / You are dear to Śiva, O slender-limbed lady, therefore do I speak thus to you.

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Nothing higher than Śiva exists in the three worlds; / loving devotion to Śiva must be performed by you, O lady of excellent complexion.

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You are a devotee, O Mahādevī, best among the most fortunate; / let him who was acquired by you through austerity be attended upon with effort.

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Śiva is the most excellent, the Lord of all; you ought not to act otherwise.” / Hearing the words of Bhṛṅgin, Girijā said to him:

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Girijā said: / “O Bhṛṅgin, maintain silence and remain steady, or else depart! / You do not know what should and should not be said; why do you babble like a Piśāca?”

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By whose austerity was this Śiva brought, and by which woman? / Who am I, and who is he known by you [to be], that you speak to me with a mind of duality?

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Who are you? With what are you endowed? And why do you babble so much? / I shall give you a curse; what can Śiva do now?

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Having addressed Bhṛṅgin with reproach, Satī then gave a curse: / 'Become devoid of flesh, O fool, O Bhṛṅgin, darling of Śaṃkara!'

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Having spoken thus, the goddess Pārvatī, beloved of Śaṃkara, / then filled with anger toward Śaṃkara,

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the slender-limbed woman seized [his] hand and pulled down the serpent Vāsuki from his neck, / as well as many other [ornaments].

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Enraged, she hastily stripped Śambhu of his ornaments: / his crescent moon was snatched away, and his peerless elephant hide;

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the two serpents Kambala and Aśvatara, who adorned Maheśa, / were seized by the great goddess, laughing with mocking words;

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and with mocking words, laughing, she [snatched] the covering of his loincloth. / Then the gaṇas and her companions became afflicted with embarrassment.

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Their faces turned away, both Bhṛṅgī of great austerity, / and Caṇḍa, Muṇḍa, Mahāloman, and Mahodara;

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these and many other gaṇas of his became dejected. / And seeing them in such a state, Maheśa was ashamed.

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Enraged, Śaṃkara addressed these words to Pārvatī:

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Rudra said: / 'All the seers are mocking severely, / and likewise Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and these gods led by Indra;

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they are all intent on mockery! What have you done today, auspicious lady? / You were born in a noble family, slender-limbed woman; how can you act thus?

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I was indeed defeated by you, fair-browed lady, if you truly know it; / therefore do this: give me back the excellent covering of my loincloth. / Give me merely the loincloth; you ought not to act otherwise!'

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Addressed thus then by that Śambhu, the yogin, / Satī Pārvatī of charming countenance laughed and said:

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'What need have you of a loincloth, a sage whose soul is purified? / For space-clad did you enter the Pine Forest back then;

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under the pretext of wandering for alms, the wives of the seers were enchanted. / When you departed then, O Śambhu, a great worship was performed by them;

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the loincloth fell there, as told by the sages without falsehood. / Therefore you must surrender it; it was truly lost in the gambling match!'

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Hearing that, Rudra, the supreme lord, became enraged, / staring at Pārvatī in extreme wrath with his third eye alone.

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Seeing Śaṃkara enraged, all the troops of gods then / and the young gaṇas were seized by great terror.

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Anxiously they all whispered there to one another: / 'Today Rudra is enraged against Girijā now;

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just as the god of love was burned, so will she be—the words are not otherwise.' / While those gaṇas and divine seers were thus deliberating,

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they were all looked upon by the goddess with the gesture of good fortune. / Then, laughing, Satī said to the noble person:

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'Why are you intent on glaring with your supreme eye? / I am not Time, I am not desire, nor am I the sacrifice of Dakṣa;

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I am not Tripura, O Śambhu, nor Andhaka, O you whose banner bears the bull! / What will you achieve today by merely glaring? / In vain have you become three-eyed before me!'

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The supreme goddess spoke these and many other such words. / Hearing the words, the god set his mind on departing:

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'Solitary forest alone is better today, desolate in ultimate truth, / [for one who is] alone, self-controlled in mind and soul, having abandoned all possessions.

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He is happy, he knows the ultimate truth, he is learned, and he is wise, / by whom desire and passion have been abandoned; he is liberated, he is happy.'

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Having reflected thus, leaving Girijā behind, the glorious Śaṃkara, supremely compassionate at that time, / separated from his beloved, went to the wondrous forest, the forest of the perfected filled with supreme ascetics.

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Seeing Śaṃkara depart, all the inhabitants of Kailāsa / and all the gaṇas led by Vīrabhadra followed after him.

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Taking the parasol, Bhṛṅgī walked behind him, / while two fly-whisks, resembling the Gaṅgā and Yamunā, were fanned.

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Endowed with them, the wise Nandī then followed behind; / the bull, resplendent with flowers, went in front.

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While Mahādeva shone with all these splendid [attendants], / the goddess Pārvatī, having gone into the inner chambers, became dejected.

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Surrounded there by her many companions and other women, / Girijā meditated in her mind upon the supreme lord.

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Having gone far from there, Śambhu then dismissed the gaṇas: / Gaṇeśa, Kumāra, Vīrabhadra, and the others,

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Bhṛṅgin, Nandin, Caṇḍa, and Somanandin, / having dismissed these and all the others who dwelt in the city of Kailāsa,

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Mahādeva, the great ascetic Śiva, completely alone, / went far away to the edge of the forest, to the Banyan of the Perfected.

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A celestial seat was fashioned for him by the earth, adorned with saffron, gems, stones, stones of the perfected, and lapis lazuli, and beautified with nectar; / upon it sat Maheśa, the lord of yoga.

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Seated in the lotus posture, Maheśa, the supreme knower of yoga, / with closed eyes meditated on the Self solely by the Self.

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Mahādeva, the moon-crested god, shone in deep meditation; / a yogic band was made by him out of the great-souled Śeṣa, / and Vāsuki, king of serpents, was bound tightly around his waist.

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Praised by the Self through the nature of the Self, known through the Upaniṣads, untouched by worldly actions, / one yet manifold, of boundless shore, beyond thought, whose form is pure consciousness, / the sole protector of the universe remained at that time, beholding the highest of the high.

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Thus ends the thirty-fourth chapter, entitled "The Description of Śiva's Departure to the Penance Grove after Leaving Kailāsa, Having Lost All His Belongings to Pārvatī in the Dice Game," in the Śiva-Śāstra of the Kedārakhaṇḍa, in the first Māheśvarakhaṇḍa of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa comprising eighty-one thousand verses.

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit