Skandapurana 1.3.7

English (machine translation) 1.3.7

Language: English

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Lomaśa said: / Once, the king of the gods himself was seated in the midst of his assembly, / surrounded by the guardians of the quarters, gods, and seers,

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surrounded by hosts of apsarases and honored by gandharvas, / his victory being sung by siddhas and vidyādharas.

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Then, surrounded by his disciples, the preceptor of the king of gods, the wise, / fortunate, and noble-minded Bṛhaspati arrived.

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Seeing him, the gods present rose at once and bowed down. / Indra too saw Vācaspati arrived there at that time.

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The foolish-minded [Indra] spoke not a single word preceded by honor; / there was neither an invitation to sit nor a seat for him, nor even a formal dismissal.

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Knowing that Śakra was infatuated and foolish with the intoxication of kingship, / Bṛhaspati, filled with anger, vanished from sight.

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When that preceptor of the gods had departed, the gods became despondent, / as did the yakṣas, nāgas, gandharvas, seers, and twice-born.

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At the conclusion of the gandharva music, Hari, having regained his awareness, / quickly asked the gods: 'Where indeed has that [sage] of great austerities gone?'

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Then Nārada said to Śakra, the ruler of the gods: / 'Disrespect was shown by you to your preceptor; of this there is no doubt.

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Through disrespect of the preceptor, your sovereignty is lost, O slayer of Bala; / therefore, you must appease him with every devotion.'

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Hearing this speech of the noble Nārada, / Śakra rose quickly from his seat and, surrounded by all of them, / went with haste and vigilance to the house of his preceptor.

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Having first bowed and asked Tārā, 'Where indeed has the [sage] of great austerities gone?', / Tārā, looking at Śakra, said this: 'I do not know.'

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Then, filled with anxiety, Śakra returned to his own home. / In the meantime, in heaven, unfavorable portents

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occurred to the total sorrow of the great-souled Śakra. / Bali, residing in Pātāla, came to know of Śakra's condition.

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Surrounded by Daityas, he set out from Pātāla to Amarāvatī. / Then a great battle took place between the gods and the Dānavas.

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The gods were defeated by the Daityas; the entire sovereignty of Śakra / fell in that moment to that foolish and evil-minded one.

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Carrying off [everything] with utmost effort, they quickly departed to Pātāla. / By the grace of Śukra, they all became victorious in this manner.

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Śakra, completely bereft of splendor, was then utterly abandoned by the gods; / the lotus-eyed goddess [Lakṣmī] vanished from sight.

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Airāvata the great elephant, and likewise the horse Uccaiḥśravas, / and many other such diverse treasures / were carried away in haste by the Daityas, who were greedy and wicked in conduct.

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And those very things, possessing merit, fell into the ocean. / Then, overcome with wonder, Bali said to his preceptor:

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'Having conquered the gods, many treasures were brought by us, / but they have fallen into the ocean; that is wondrous.'

Hearing that speech of Bali, Uśanas replied to him: / 'The kingship of the gods can only be attained through a hundred horse-sacrifices; / there is no doubt about one who is consecrated [for it], therefore only such a one can enjoy it.

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Without a horse-sacrifice, heaven cannot be enjoyed at all.'

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Understanding the words of his preceptor, Bali then fell silent, / and he acted toward the gods as was appropriate.

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Indra too, having fallen into a pitiable state, went to Parameṣṭhin / and reported everything, including the fear concerning his kingdom.

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Hearing Śakra's speech, Parameṣṭhin said:

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'Assembling all the gods along with you, with haste / let us go to worship Viṣṇu, the Lord of the lords of all.'

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Saying “So be it,” all the world-protectors, headed by Śakra, / placing Brahmā at their head, went to the shore of the milk-ocean; / having arrived and sat down, they all began to praise Hari.

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Brahmā said: / “O God of gods, Lord of the universe, worshipped by gods and demons! / O of holy renown, imperishable, infinite one! O Supreme Self, homage unto you!

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You are sacrifice, you are the form of sacrifice, you are the limb of sacrifice, O Lord of Ramā! / Therefore today, through your grace, O Viṣṇu, be the granter of boons to the gods.

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Because of disrespect toward his guru, Śatakratu, along with the celestial seers, / has now been deprived of his kingdom; therefore, deliver him!”

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The Blessed Lord said: / “By disregarding […] all is lost—what wonder is there in this? / Those who are sinners, utterly unrighteous, devoted solely to sensual objects, / and by whom their parents are reviled, are without doubt destitute of fortune.

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What was done by him, O Brahmā, its fruit has come immediately; / and by this deed of Śakra, adversity has befallen everyone.

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When adverse times come upon a man, / then they make friendship even with creatures for the accomplishment of every purpose.

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For that very reason, O Indra, follow my word: / for the sake of the objective, you must make an alliance with the Daityas.”

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Thus commanded by the Lord, Śakra, highly intelligent, / leaving Amarāvatī, went to Sutala together with the gods.

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Hearing that Indra had arrived, Indrasena became filled with wrath, / and with his army he wished to slay Purandara.

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Then the Daityas and Bali, best of the mighty, / were restrained from killing him by Nārada with various arguments.

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By the word of that seer alone, Bali abandoned his anger; / then, along with his army, he [approached] Śatakratu who had come.

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Seen by Indrasena surrounded by the world-protectors, / the king of Daityas, with haste and as if laughing, said:

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“Why have you come here to Sutala, O Śakra? Tell me!” / Hearing this word of his, he smilingly said to him:

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“We are descendants of Kaśyapa, and all of you are likewise; / as we are, so are you; indeed, conflict is useless.

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My kingdom was taken in an instant by you through the power of fate; / likewise, those very numerous jewels, / which were obtained by great effort, were immediately lost to you.

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Therefore, deliberation must be made by a wise man; / from deliberation arises knowledge, and from knowledge will come liberation.

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Yet, what is the use of my speaking in front of you? / Seeking refuge, I have come into your presence together with the gods.”

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Hearing this speech of Śakra, the wise [king of Daityas], the best of speakers, / laughed and spoke to Śakra, best of the discerning:

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“You have come, O Lord of gods; for what purpose, that I do not know.”

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Hearing his word, Śakra’s eyes filled with tears in agitation; / he said nothing there, [so] Nārada spoke [these] words to him:

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“O Bali, do you not know the deliberation of what is to be done and not done? / For the duty of the great is the protection of one who has sought refuge.

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A suppliant who has sought refuge, a brahmin, a sick man, and an old man— / those men who do not protect them are indeed slayers of brahmins.

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By the word ‘one who has sought refuge’, he has come into your presence; / he is worthy to be protected by you; of this there is no doubt.” / Being thus addressed by Nārada, the lord of the Daityas himself then,

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having deliberated with supreme intellect upon what should and should not be done, / honored Śakra with great respect, / together with the world-protectors and the hosts of gods.

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And for the sake of creating trust, Purandara performed / many vows and pledges that served to reassure Bali.

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Having thus made an agreement, Śakra, intent on his own goal, / dwelt together with Bali, being greatly versed in the science of polity.

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As Śatakratu was thus dwelling in Sutala, / many years passed; then, remembering the word of Viṣṇu / and deliberating again and again, he formed a plan.

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Once, seated in the assembly, the king of gods himself, / versed in policy, smilingly spoke words addressed to Bali:

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“O hero, [all those things] should be regained by you, and by us through you, O Bali— / the many diverse jewels such as elephants and others,

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which were lost in an instant and indeed fell into the ocean; / an effort must indeed be made by us together with you.

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For the recovery of those jewels from the ocean here, O Daitya, / the churning must be carried out by you for the accomplishment of the purpose.”

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Bali, the slayer of gods, being prompted by that Śakra, / promptly said to Śakra: “By what means can this churning take place?”

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Then a voice residing in the sky, resounding deeply like a thundercloud, / spoke: “O gods and Daityas, churn the milk-ocean!

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An increase of strength will come to you, there is no doubt.

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Make Mandara the churning rod and Vāsuki the rope; / then, having united, let gods and Daityas churn!”

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Hearing that voice residing in the sky, the gods / along with the Daityas, all becoming eager, made an effort.

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Having emerged from Pātāla, all those gods and demons then / came to the incomparable Mandara, the excellent mountain.

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Daityas numbering in crores, and likewise gods, without doubt, / being prepared, quickly approached Mandara shining like gold,

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rich in gems, rounded in form, massive and of great splendor, / covered with numerous jewels, frequented by various trees,

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with sandalwoods, pārijātas, nāgas, punnāgas, and campakas, / crowded with hosts of diverse animals, and frequented by lions and tigers.

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Having seen that great mountain, those foremost among the gods, / with folded hands, all those foremost among the gods then spoke:

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The gods said: / “O mountain, all of us gods have come here to make a request; / listen to that, O great mountain, you who are a benefactor to others!”

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Addressed thus by the gods and daityas, Mount Mandara, / stepping forth in bodily form, spoke this supreme word:

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In that form, embodied, Mount Mandarācala [said]: / “For what purpose have you all come before me? Let it be told.”

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Then Bali spoke this word suitable to the occasion, / and Indra also, filled with haste, uttered truthful speech:

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“Be with us for the sake of an undertaking, O Mount Mandarācala! / For the churning of nectar, become the churning rod, O you of noble vows!”

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Accepting their words, saying “So be it,” for the success of the gods’ purpose, / he addressed the gods and asuras, especially toward Indra:

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“Both my wings were severed by you with your hundred-jointed thunderbolt. / How can I go for the accomplishment of your undertaking?”

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Then all the gods and asuras, singing praises to the great mountain, / uprooted the matchless and wonderful Mandara.

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Wishing to carry it to the ocean of milk, they were unable; / forthwith the mountain surely crashed down upon the gods and daityas.

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Some were broken, some were dead, some fell into a faint, / some engaged in lamentation, and some fell into deep distress.

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Thus thwarted in their effort, the asuras, gods, and dānavas, / regaining supreme consciousness, praised the Lord of the Universe:

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“Protect, protect, O Mahāviṣṇu, affectionate to those who take refuge! / By you is all this pervaded, both moving and unmoving.”

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Then Hari manifested himself for the accomplishment of the gods' purpose. / Seeing them suddenly, Viṣṇu mounted upon Garuḍa,

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playfully lifted that best of mountains and set it in an instant / upon Garutmat; then the god granted fearlessness to all.

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Then, having raised up those gods, he carried that ancient mountain / to the northern shore of the milk ocean, placed it in the waters, and went away.

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Then all the hosts of gods, having arrived together with the asuras, / took hold of Vāsuki and made an agreement:

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Making Mandara the churning rod and Vāsuki the rope, / all the gods and asuras churned the ocean of milk.

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As the ocean of milk was being churned, the mountain sank to Rasātala; / but becoming a tortoise at that very instant, the Lord of Ramā / lifted it immediately, which was like a wonder.

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The mountain was then whirled, urged on by the gods and dānavas, / spinning without a support, like understanding without a guru.

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The Supreme Self, Viṣṇu, then became the support of Mandara; / grasping it with his four arms, he churned the ocean, bringing delight.

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Then all the gods and asuras churned the ocean of milk, / united in force, exceedingly mighty in power.

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Between the back, neck, thighs, and knees of that great-souled tortoise, / that best of mountains, firm and made of the essence of diamond, [rubbed]; / and from the friction of both, the submarine fire arose.

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And the halāhala poison was generated. Seeing that indeed, / Nārada, the divine seer of boundless brilliance, then spoke to the gods:

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“The churning of the ocean should not be done by all of you right now. / Pray to Śiva, O gods! Dakṣa’s sacrifice— / has what was done by Vīrabhadra faded from your memory?

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Therefore let Śiva be remembered quickly, O gods! He is higher even than the highest, / higher than the highest, the nature of supreme bliss, to be meditated on by yogins, free from phenomenal reality, formless.”

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Those gods, churning in haste, bent on accomplishing their own aims, / all intent on desire, did not listen, since they were dull-witted.

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Even with many instructions they could not be instructed; / possessed of aggregates of passion and hatred, they all turned their faces away from Śiva.

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Engrossed solely in their enterprise, they churned the ocean of milk; / from that excessive churning of the milk ocean, the halāhala arose.

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Mighty enough to burn the three worlds, it approached to destroy the gods. / Rising upward, it pervaded all the directions and the entire vault of the sky; / the kālakūṭa poison rushed forward to devour all living beings.

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Seeing that mighty king of serpents together with the mountain in their hands by its force, / abandoning it right there, they fled at that moment, fleeing together with the asuras.

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Likewise all the seers, Bhṛgu and others, by the hundreds, had calmed down; / just as happened at Dakṣa’s sacrifice, so it happened then.

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All went to Satyaloka, urged urgently by Bhṛgu / with various Vedic utterances: “From the kālakūṭa hundreds [of perils come], / O gods, there is no doubt here; truth, the truth I speak to you!”

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Hearing the speech spoken by Bhṛgu, afflicted by the kālakūṭa poison, / reaching Satyaloka, they went to Brahmā for refuge.

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Seeing that blazing kālakūṭa, shining with radiance, / and seeing those gods and asuras ignorant of proper rites and knowledge, / Brahmā began to curse them, but was restrained by Nārada.

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Brahmā said: / “What improper deed has been done, O gods? Whence has this agitation arisen? / Today it belongs to Īśvara; my speech is not otherwise!”

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Then, surrounded by the gods, by the Vedas and the Upaniṣads, / and surrounded by various Āgamas, he departed out of fear of the kālakūṭa.

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Then the gods, filled with worry, said this to one another: / “Enveloped in ignorance and desire, to what Śaṃkara shall we turn?”

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Placing Brahmā at their head, the gods, filled with haste / and afflicted by fear of the kālakūṭa, all went to Vaikuṇṭha.

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Then Brahmā and the hosts of seers, together with all the hosts of gods and asuras, / went for refuge to the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu, the ancient Person, the powerful Ruler, / Adhokṣaja, Mādhava, who abides in Vaikuṇṭha.

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Meanwhile, the immense, swollen kālakūṭa came on; / having first burned the world of Brahmā, it burned Vaikuṇṭha as well.

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Burned by the fire of the kālakūṭa, Viṣṇu, who dwells in the hearts of all, / along with his attendants, instantly assumed a dark complexion like a tamāla tree.

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And Vaikuṇṭha, deep blue and filled with all worlds, / all those worlds then became enveloped in the poison of the water.

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Encompassed by the eight coverings together with Brahmā, the cosmic egg / was swiftly reduced to ashes by that wondrous poison of the water.

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There was no earth, no water, no fire, no wind, and no space then; / there was no ego-sense, no cosmic intellect, and likewise no primal ignorance. / From the wrath of Śiva, the universe then became a mass of ashes.

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Thus ends the ninth chapter in the Kedārakhaṇḍa within the first Māheśvarakhaṇḍa in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, a compendium of eighty-one thousand [verses].

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit