Skandapurana 1.4.61
English (machine translation) 1.4.61
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Sūta said:
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As he offered into the fire of aśvattha and lac mustard seeds drenched in saffron
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with the foremost mantras known as Balā and Atibalā, // 1
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when the first watch [of the night] had passed, a certain woman arrived,
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wearing a single cloth smeared with blood, with hair rising high above her head, // 2
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with fierce eyes and white teeth, causing terror even to fear itself.
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Having reached that place of sacrificial offering, she wept with a great roar. // 3
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Seeing her, Vijaya was instantly agitated, as if frightened;
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but Barbarīka, fearless, went up to face her. // 4
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Then, embracing her neck, that foremost of the wise,
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the hero, wept twice as loud, roaring greatly like a cloud. // 5
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Astonished at seeing him, as she released her knife—
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Meanwhile, her throat being squeezed, she was unable to release it.
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And as her throat was repeatedly squeezed by the mighty one,
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she emitted diverse cries, like a mountain struck by a thunderbolt.
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Uttering screams for a moment, she then whispered, "Save me, release me!"
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Then, released by the compassionate one, she fell at his feet and said:
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"I have taken refuge with you; I am your servant, your maidservant.
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Know me as Mahājihvā, a rākṣasī who can change form at will,
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dwelling in the cremation ground of Kāśī, a destroyer of the pride of gods and dānavas.
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If you grant me, O hero, the rare gift of my life,
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then I shall perform tapas, granting safety to all beings.
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In this matter, I swear by my own deity and by myself.
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If I should violate this, may I instantly be reduced to ashes!"
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Binding her firmly with oaths as she spoke thus, the hero
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released her; and she, delighted at having escaped from peril, went into the forest.
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The sword-bearing hero remained right there.
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Then, in the middle of the night, a great roar was heard,
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and a darkness arose resembling the darkness of the blind hell.
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Then a mountain was seen, hundred-peaked and exceedingly vast.
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It cast down diverse boulders and diverse lofty trees;
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with the roar of numerous torrents, it rained abundant blood.
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Beholding that mountain in such a state, the fearless son of Bhīma's son
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became a mountain twice as large, suddenly leapt upon that mountain,
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and then, raising it, struck it down with his own mountain.
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Then that mountain shattered into pieces on the circle of the earth.
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Then, having a body measuring a yojana, with a hundred heads and a hundred bellies,
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emitting great flames from his mouths, Repalendra charged forward.
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Seeing him rushing forward, the mighty Barbarīka,
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assuming a similar form, also rushed roaring [toward him].
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Then, in the middle of the night, the two fought swiftly, wondrously, and splendidly,
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with clouds of arrows, like two rain-clouds in the monsoon season.
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Their bows broken, [they fought] with swords; their swords broken, with fists;
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like two mountains with wings, they fought steadily for a long time.
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Then, lifting him under his arm and whirling him around for a moment,
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he dashed him down upon the ground and hurled him outstretched;
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he flung him into the south-eastern direction, onto the shore of the Mahīsāgara.
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Far off from there, even today, there is a village named Repalendra.
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Thus that Repala, endowed with prowess equal to Vṛtra,
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the master of the cremation ground of Avantī who caused obstacles, was slain.
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Having slain him, the heroic Barbarīka stood there once again.
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Then, in the third watch of the night, from the western quarter came
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a creature resembling a mountain, uttering loud screams, making the earth tremble, as it were, with its feet—
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a she-mule named Duhadruhā, like lightning fallen from a cloud.
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Seeing her approaching thus, radiant like the sun and fire,
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the son of Bhīma's line quickly approached and mounted her, as if laughing.
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Striking her on the snout with his fists as she ran with great speed,
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he brought her to a halt right there, and she stood severely distressed.
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Then, becoming enraged, Duhadruhā let out a great cry, leapt up,
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and swiftly hurled Barbarīka to the ground as he wished.
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Then, having roared loudly, she dealt a kick with her feet.
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Grabbing her two feet, the hero tossed her onto the ground with ease.
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Rising again and seizing her as she ran,
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he knocked out her teeth with his fist and squeezed her throat;
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wringing her out like a wet garment, he quickly deprived her of life.
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Thus, in the place north of Sīkā, born in the cremation ground of the single-footed,
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that ruler of the śākinīs was slain by Barbarīka.
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Having killed her, he effortlessly hurled her into the western quarter.
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Even today, a village named Duhadruhā exists there.
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Then Barbarīka remained right there for protection.
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Then, in the fourth watch of the night, a wondrous kṣapaṇaka arrived,
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shaven-headed, naked, bearing peacock feathers, observing a great vow.
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And he spoke these words: "Alas, alas, how dreadful, sir!
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Non-violence is the highest duty; why then is this fire kindled?
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For when offerings are made into the fire, a great slaughter of tiny creatures occurs."
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Hearing these words of his, Barbarīka smiled and said:
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"When the fire, the mouth of all the gods, is being offered into,
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you speak a lie, you sinner! You deserve punishment, evil-minded one!"
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Having said this, he suddenly sprang up, stood firmly upon his flank,
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and striking his teeth with blows of his fist, knocked them out.
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Leaving him fallen to the ground with his face covered in blood, he let him go.
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Regaining consciousness in an instant, assuming the form of a dreadful Daitya,
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he fled in fear from the descendant of Bhīma and entered the opening of a cave.
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There was a city named Bahuprabhā, sixty yojanas in extent;
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he entered it suddenly, and Barbarīka followed after him.
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Then, seeing Barbarīka, a roar arose among the demons:
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"Run! Let him be slain! Let him be cut down! Let him be torn apart!"
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Hearing that, ninety million ferocious heroic Daityas,
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bearing various weapons, rushed against the heroic Barbarīka.
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Seeing those Daityas by the tens of millions, the son of Bhīma's son grew enraged;
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suddenly shutting his eyes, he charged into their midst.
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Then, some with kicks of his feet, others with blows of his arms,
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and [others] with strikes to the chest, he dispatched to the realm of Yama in an instant.
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Just as an enraged elephant levels a reed thicket to the ground,
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so he slew the ninety millions together with that demon.
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Then the snakes, headed by Vāsuki, assembled,
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praised [him] with various words, and said to Suhṛdaya:
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"The highest service to the snakes has been done by you, son of Bhīma['s lineage],
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in that this Daitya named Palāśin has been sent, along with his followers, to Yama.
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For by this wicked one and his followers, O hero,
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we were tormented by various means and cast even lower than Pātāla.
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Therefore, choose an supreme, desired boon from the snakes;
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all of us, greatly delighted, are grantors of boons to you."
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Suhṛdaya said:
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"If a boon is to be given to me, then I choose this:
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may Vijaya, freed from all obstacles, attain success."
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Then the serpents, highly delighted, said to him, "So be it!"
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And he, having given that city to them, departed, revered by the serpents.
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And as he was going along through the cave, he saw a liṅga
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of great radiance, made entirely of jewels, situated beneath a wish-fulfilling tree,
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being worshipped by excellent, luminous snake maidens.
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Then, filled with astonishment, he asked the snake maidens:
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"By whom was this liṅga, radiant as the sun and fire, installed?
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And of what kind are these paths leading in the four directions from the liṅga?"
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Hearing these words of the hero, one [of them], having large hips and breasts,
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bashfully, casting smiling side-glances, said this:
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"By the king of all serpents, the great-souled Śeṣa,
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having performed austerity, this great liṅga was installed here.
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It grants all perfections through seeing, touching, meditating, and worshipping [it].
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To the east of the liṅga, this path goes to Śrīparvata on earth;
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it was made by Elāpatra for the serpents to reach that place.
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And to the south, this path goes to Śūrpāraka on earth;
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it was made by the snake Karkoṭaka to reach that place.
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And to the west, this path goes to the splendid Prabhāsa;
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it was made by Airāvata for the passage of the serpents.
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And to the north is this path by which you are preparing to go;
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fashioned as a cave of Śakti, it goes to the Siddhaliṅga in the Guptakṣetra.
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It was made by the great-souled Takṣaka to go there.
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Thus has this been described, O hero. Now hear my request:
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Who are you, who just now went from here pursuing the Daitya?
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And tell us, how have you returned here just now all alone?
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And all of us are your maidservants; we choose you as our husband."
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Sport with us in these diverse lands.”
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Barbarīka said:
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“I was born in the Kuru lineage, the grandson of the son of Pāṇḍu,
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renowned as Barbarīka, and came [here] to kill that Daitya.
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That wicked Daitya has been slain; I will return to the earth’s surface.
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And I have no business whatsoever with you, ladies,
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for I have constantly undertaken the vow of a celibate student.”
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Having spoken thus, worshipped that liṅga, and bowed down prostrate like a stick,
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the hero stepped upward, watched anxiously by them.
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Then, having emerged outside, with a radiant face at that time,
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he saw Vijaya with great joy in the eastern direction.
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And at that time, Vijaya had completed the entire rite.
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Shining like the sun in splendor, he mounted upward in an instant.
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Then a great shower of flowers fell from the sky, [rained down] by the gods.
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Chief Gandharvas sang, and hosts of apsarases danced.
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Vijaya then spoke [these] words to Barbarīka:
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“By your grace, O lord of heroes, I have attained incomparable perfection.
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Live long! Rejoice long! Dwell long! Be victorious long!
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For this very reason good people desire the company of the good,
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since association with the virtuous becomes a medicine for all faults.
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And you, take this ash lying in the sacrificial fire, shining like vermilion,
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free from defect, filling every opening.
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It is inexhaustible; when released by you first in battle,
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it will destroy the enemies’ bodies, turning them into the abode of death.
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Thus your victory over enemies will come easily.”
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Barbarīka said:
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“He who renders assistance without expectation is called good;
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he who renders assistance with expectations—what virtue is there in his goodness?
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Therefore give the ash to someone else; I have no need for anything whatsoever, even the least.
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Apart from your gracious and favorable gaze, I choose nothing else.”
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The gods said:
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“A great war will take place between the Kurus and the Pāṇḍavas.
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If the Kauravas obtain the ash that lies on the ground,
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great disaster will clearly befall the Pāṇḍavas.
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Therefore, take the ash!” He too complied with their words.
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The gods together with the goddesses honored Vijaya,
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gave him the lordship of perfected beings, and the name Siddhasena.
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Thus that brahmin Vijaya attained very rare perfection,
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and Barbarīka, having done this, lived devoted to the worship of the Goddess.
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Thus ends the sixty-third chapter, named ‘Description of the Accomplishment of the Task’, in the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa of the first section, the Māheśvarakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa of eighty-one thousand verses.
Linked texts (1)
- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit