Skandapurana 1.4.57
English (machine translation) 1.4.57
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Śaunaka said:
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Extremely wonderful is this purifying, great, peerless māhātmya
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of the hidden sacred field, increasing joy, which has been proclaimed, O Sūta!
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Furthermore, in the earlier narration of the māhātmya of the Siddhaliṅga,
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it was said that it would succeed through the grace of Siddhamātṛ [and]
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of the virtuous Vijaya, and through the assistance of Caṇḍila.
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Who indeed is that person named Caṇḍila, and who is Vijaya?
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And how did he attain perfection through the grace of Siddhamātṛ?
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Relate this in truth, for we indeed have curiosity to hear it.
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Who would not have eager interest in hearing the deeds of the virtuous?
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Ugraśravas said:
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Well asked is this, O brahmins, though distant in time and topic;
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I shall relate to you the story heard from the mouth of Dvaipāyana [Vyāsa].
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Anciently, having obtained the daughter of King Drupada,
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the Pāṇḍavas later, by Dhṛtarāṣṭra's decision, settled Indraprastha.
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Protected by Vāsudeva, once there the Pāṇḍavas,
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seated in the assembly hall, engaged in various conversations.
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While the recounting of celestial seers, ancestors, spirits,
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and kings was being performed, Bhīma's son Ghaṭotkaca arrived there.
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Seeing him, the five brothers and the valiant Vāsudeva,
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rising quickly from their seats, embraced him with joy.
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And bowing low, humbled, Bhīma's son paid homage to them.
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And then, with blessings, he was seated upon his lap by the king;
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having affectionately smelled his head, he was addressed in the midst of the assembly:
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Yudhiṣṭhira said:
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"Whence have you come, my son? And where have you spent this
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time? Are you happily ruling the kingdom of your maternal uncle?
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Do you not cause any harm toward gods, brahmins,
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cows, and virtuous people, O son of Hiḍimbā? This is pleasing to Hari and to us.
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Are all the forest of Hiḍimba and the rākṣasa soldiers belonging to it
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thriving, protected by you, O virtuous one, ensuring the welfare of the people?
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Does your mother rejoice, she who constantly brings us delight?
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Even as a maiden long ago, casting off pride, she took refuge in Bhīma as her husband."
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Thus questioned by Dharmarāja, the son of Hiḍimbā smiled and said:
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"When that vile maternal uncle was slain, I was appointed [to rule].
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Having established that kingdom under law and slaying the wicked, I wander about.
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My mother the queen is well, devoted to divine austerity.
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She always told me: 'Son, be devoted to your fathers.'
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Having heard my mother's words, I have come from the foot of Mount Meru
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solely to bow before you, my mind bowed low with devotion.
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And I desire myself to be engaged in some great purpose
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by you, since this bears great fruit.
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Whatever obedience to commands a son constantly performs for his fathers,
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thereby he conquers the higher worlds and becomes renowned here on earth."
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Sūta said:
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Embracing again and again the one who had spoken thus,
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Dharmarāja, with tears of joy, stammering with emotion, spoke to his son:
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"You alone are one who offers devotion to us and also serves as our helper.
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For this purpose, O son of Hiḍimbā, virtuous men desire sons;
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such sons deliver [their fathers] both here and in the hereafter.
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Inevitably, as the mother is, so the son becomes.
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Your mother is deeply devoted to us, and you are just like her.
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Ah, what an arduous deed the noble lady, my beloved daughter-in-law, performs,
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who, setting aside the fortune of a husband, has resorted solely to austerity!
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Surely my daughter-in-law has no concern whatsoever for desire or pleasures,
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who, having seen her son's well-being, has devoted herself to the sake of the next world.
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Even if of low birth, a woman who is devoted and gives birth to devoted offspring,
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her alone I consider noble of birth; this is my supreme conviction."
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Speaking thus many various words, the king,
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Dharmarāja, addressed Keśava and spoke these words:
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"O lotus-eyed one, you know how he was born from Bhīma,
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and how the moment he was born he was established in youth, possessed of great strength.
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Because for the eight classes of divine beings, birth and youth
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occur instantly, therefore his youth occurred instantly.
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Therefore, O Kṛṣṇa, I constantly have anxiety regarding a suitable wife for him:
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'Alas, where shall I find a suitable wife for the son of Hiḍimbā?'
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Therefore, O all-knowing Kṛṣṇa, you know even the three worlds;
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you ought to declare a wife suitable for the son of Hiḍimbā, O Yādava."
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Sūta said:
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Thus addressed by Dharmarāja, Janārdana, having meditated for a moment,
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spoke to Dharmarāja these words with measured pauses:
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"There is, O King, as I shall declare, an auspicious wife suitable for him;
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presently she resides in the delightful and excellent city of Prāgjyotiṣa.
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She is the daughter of Mura, O Pārtha, the daitya of wondrous deeds,
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who was the companion as dear as life itself to the daitya Naraka.
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That formidable [daitya], encircled by a fortress of nooses, was slain by me,
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as was the wicked Naraka; you know this entirely.
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Then, when the daitya Mura was slain by me, his daughter came forth
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to fight against me because of her immense valor—the terrifying Kāmakaṭaṅkaṭā.
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Then, in a great battle, against her who held a sword and shield,
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I fought with great arrows discharged from my fine Śārṅga bow.
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And that daughter of Mura cut down my arrows with her sword,
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and approaching, she struck Garuḍa on the head with her sword.
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And Garuḍa, overwhelmed by bewilderment, became unconscious.
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Then, in order to slay her, I raised my discus.
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Seeing that the discus had been raised by me on that battlefield,
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the goddess named Kāmākhyā stood before me and spoke these words:
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“You ought not to slay her; spare her, O Supreme Person!
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For unconquerability has been granted to her by me, as well as a sword and a shield,
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and also matchless intellect and supreme power in battle.
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Therefore, even in three nights, the daughter of Mura was not conquered by you.”
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When she had spoken thus, I then addressed the goddess with these words:
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“Here I desist; and do you, auspicious one, restrain her.”
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Then Kāmākhyā, embracing her devotee, spoke these words:
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“Good lady, turn back from the battle! In no way can this one be slain.
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Mādhava is invincible in combat, impossible for anyone to overcome in battle.
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There was none, there is none, nor will there ever be anyone who might conquer him in warfare.
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Even Tryambaka is not capable [against] him, my daughter; how then could another be?
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Therefore, having bowed to him, your future father-in-law, O auspicious one,
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turn back from this battle; this is clearly what is proper for you.
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For you shall become the daughter-in-law of his brother, Bhīma.
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Therefore, good lady, pay honor to your father-in-law, Janārdana.
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And you must not grieve for your father, O wise woman.
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For death is certain for one who is born, and birth is certain for one who has died.
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Many know this; tell me, can it be averted by anyone?
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Seers, gods, great asuras, men learned in the three Vedas, and kings—
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upon whom would Death alone not fall in due time? One who knows the higher and the lower is never deluded in this matter.
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Indeed, your father's death at the hands of Janārdana is truly praiseworthy;
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freed from all sins, he has gone to the Vaiṣṇava realm.”
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Addressed thus by Kāmākhyā, that Kāmakaṭaṅkaṭā
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abandoned her wrath, composed her limbs, and bowed down to me.
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And with blessings, O bull among the Bharatas, I said to her:
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“Remain in this very city, highly honored by Bhagadatta.
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Bhagadatta has been made king by me and by the goddess Earth.
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He will render you various honors, just as to a sister.
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Dwelling here, you will obtain that heroic son of Hiḍimbā as your husband.”
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Having thus comforted that Maurvī, the goddess [incarnate], I dismissed her.
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She remained in that city, and I went to the abode of Śakra.
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Then, having reached Dvāravatī, I have come together with you.
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Thus, this auspicious lady is a suitable wife for the son of Hiḍimbā;
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and in battle she is terrible, named Kāmākhyā, shining like lightning.
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Her beauty has not been described by me, since it is fitting for a father-in-law [to refrain];
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for it is not proper for a virtuous man to describe all [the attributes of] women.
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Furthermore, a condition was made by her; listen to what it is:
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‘That man who, having rendered me answerless in a test of questions, conquers me,
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and who is an equal match in strength for me, he shall become my husband.’
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Hearing of such a condition, many Daityas and Rākṣasas
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went to conquer her, but they, overcome by her, were slain.
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Whoever went to her previously never returned again,
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like a swarm of moths entering the blazing light of a fire.
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If, in this way, the mighty Ghaṭotkaca
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ventures to conquer such a Maurvī, she will certainly become his wife.”
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Yudhiṣṭhira said:
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“Enough of all the good qualities of one whose single fault is so great!
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For what is to be done with milk if it is mixed with poison?
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How could I cast the son of Bhīmasena, who is dearer than life,
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and skilled in your pure teachings, [into danger] out of mere recklessness?
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There are other women too in every country, O Janārdana;
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of those many, you ought to speak of some excellent woman.”
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Bhīma said:
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“Words of great import and excellence have been well spoken by Keśava.
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On the other hand, what has been spoken by the king out of affection does not appeal to me.
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A kṣatriya's prowess should be displayed only in a difficult undertaking,
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just as a lordly elephant's [might is displayed] among herds of elephants, and not against deer.”
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Eminent heroes should by all means bring renown to themselves;
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and how could that renown arise without doing what is difficult to accomplish?
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Indeed, O son of Pṛthā, the protection of the son of Hiḍimbā is not under one's own control;
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he by whom this [son] was given by the Creator, he shall protect him.
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A wise man should strive in every way to attain an elevated station;
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if it does not succeed due to fate, that is not the fault of the wise man.
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Just as Devavrata alone carried off the daughters of Kāśi in the past,
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so let the son of Hiḍimbā alone obtain Maurvī without delay!
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Arjuna said:
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This statement made by Bhīma is solely intent on manly effort;
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though weak, it seems powerful to me because of fate as its cause.
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For Kāmākhyā does not speak falsely, who declared of old:
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‘The son of Bhīmasena will take your hand, O blessed lady.’
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For this reason, let Ghaṭotkaca go there quickly.
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This is what pleases me, O Kṛṣṇa; tell [us], what pleases you?
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Kṛṣṇa said:
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The word of yours and of the high-souled Bhīma pleases me;
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for no one is equal to the son of Bhīmasena in intellect and in valour.
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And my inner self knows that the daughter of Mura is already obtained.
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Therefore let the son of Hiḍimbā go quickly. And what do you think, O son?
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Ghaṭotkaca said:
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It is certainly not fitting to speak of one's own virtues before the venerable;
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good qualities shine forth only when deployed, like the rays of the sun.
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I shall act in every way so that my blameless fathers,
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the Pāṇḍavas, will not be ashamed in assemblies on account of me, their son.
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Having spoken thus, the mighty-armed one stood up and bowed down to them;
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and fortified with blessings of victory by his fathers, he desired to depart.
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Applauding him as he was about to depart, Janārdana said this to him:
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‘At the time of the contest of words, remember me, the bringer of victory,
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so that I may increase your intellect, extremely difficult to confound, and your strength.’
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Having spoken thus, Kṛṣṇa embraced him and sent him off with blessings.
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Then the son of Hiḍimbā of great might, followed by Sūryākṣa, Kālākṣa, and Mahodara,
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reached the path of the sky and went to that city named Prāgjyotiṣa at the close of day.
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Thus ends the fifty-ninth chapter, entitled 'Description of the Departure of Ghaṭotkaca to the City of Prāgjyotiṣa' in the narrative of Barbarīka, in the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa of the first [section], the Māheśvarakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skandapurāṇa, a collection of eighty-one thousand verses.
Linked texts (1)
- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit