Skandapurana 1.4.63
English (machine translation) 1.4.63
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Sūta said:
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Having stayed seven nights at this sacred ford with his brothers,
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The immensely radiant Yudhiṣṭhira prepared to depart.
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At clear dawn, having bathed and worshipped the goddesses and liṅgas in order,
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And circumambulating the sacred field, he chanted the hymn to the Goddess,
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Which had been proclaimed by Kṛṣṇa to be recited always at times of departure.
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Yudhiṣṭhira said:
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"O Goddess, O adorable one, O great Śakti, beloved sister of Kṛṣṇa,
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Bowing to you, I seek refuge through actions of mind, speech, and body.
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O giver of fearlessness to Saṃkarṣaṇa, of brilliance equal to Kṛṣṇa's complexion,
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O Ekānaṃśā, O great Goddess, O auspicious one, protect me like a son!
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This entire world is pervaded by you whose form is unmanifest.
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Thinking thus, I have taken refuge in you; protect me, O auspicious lady!
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In all undertakings of tasks, along with my followers, my own self
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Has been dedicated to you, O gentle lady. Knowing this, have compassion!"
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Sūta said:
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To the king speaking thus, holding his hands joined above his head at that time,
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The son of the Wind-god laughed and spoke this with indignation:
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"O king, those who say of you, 'This Yudhiṣṭhira is omniscient'—
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Futile indeed is their word, since you do not know even an atom.
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For who that is chief among the wise, best among those knowing all treatises,
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Would go to women for refuge, being simple-minded as you are?
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Since you yourself know that it is declared in all treatises:
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'Insentient is this prakṛti, dull, by which the world is deluded.'
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The wise call the puruṣa conscious, and prakṛti unconscious,
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O ruler of men; and prakṛti is dear to the spirit.
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Therefore, being yourself a man, O Yudhiṣṭhira of vain intellect,
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You praise prakṛti after bowing to her—excessive laughter arises in me!
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One should never place shoes on one's head after taking them off;
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Just as such a man is foolish, so is one intent on devotion to the Goddess.
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If your speech stood unrestrained like a bard's, O Pārtha,
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Then for what reason do you not praise Mahādeva, the destroyer of Tripura?
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Or, if you deem Maheśāna to be imperceptible, O wise one,
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Then for what reason do you not praise the Dāśārha, the supreme person?
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By whose grace the daughter of Drupada was obtained by us,
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And likewise the kingdom in Indraprastha, and the Rājasūya was performed by you,
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The bow was obtained by Vijaya, Jarāsandha was slain by me,
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And likewise we wish to recover our royal fortune from the Kauravas—
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Leaving aside that Kṛṣṇa by whose grace you are victorious, alas, you praise [a female]!
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Or rather, [has delusion] arisen naturally in the best of the family of the Kauravas?
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If, knowing yourself [inferior] due to smallness of intellect, you do not praise the Yādava,
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then why do you not praise the most excellent Arjuna of great valor? // 19
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By whom the target was pierced long ago, by whom Karṇa and others were conquered,
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by whom that Khāṇḍava [forest] was burned, by whom kings were vanquished at the sacrifice, // 1.2.65.20
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and by whose prowess even Maheśāna, it is heard, was overcome?
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Go for refuge to him who resides in heaven, and praise him! // 21
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Or else, thinking, ‘Why was the kingdom not granted to me by that Śakra?’
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in vain do you not praise my brother? // 22
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Then why, O Yudhiṣṭhira, do you not praise me, the hero,
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by whom you were formerly protected from the midst of the fire in the lac house? // 23
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The king of Madra was struck with a tree and stretched out like a dry river;
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likewise, the king of kings Jarāsandha was struck down [by me]. // 24
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By whom the eastern quarter was conquered; by whom formerly Baka was slain,
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and the mighty Hiḍamba, and just now Kirmīra in the forest! // 25
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From time to time I alone protect you, ever your follower;
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I do not see her protecting you—the one whom you bow to and praise, O Bhārata! // 26
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Or perhaps, knowing me to be driven by hunger and foremost among gluttons,
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cruel and reckless, you—the foremost of the patient—do not praise [me]? // 27
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Therefore, becoming well-restrained and uttering the praṇava,
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why do you not walk along the path? For idle talk brings fault. // 28
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Ghosts, piśācas, and rākṣasas possess a man who indulges in idle chatter;
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possessed by them, the speaker babbles nonsense again and again. // 29
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Whatever an idle talker eats, whatever good deed he performs anywhere,
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all of it is only for the gratification of ghosts and the like: so is the conclusion of the scriptures. // 1.2.65.30
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This world is not his, nor indeed can there be a higher world for him;
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therefore, a wise person must diligently abandon useless speech. // 31
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If, even after being thus reminded, you continue in this manner,
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you, as one possessed by spirits, must be treated by us with various medicines! // 32
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Sūta said:
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Having heard this speech uttered by Bhīmasena,
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spread out like a woven cloth, Yudhiṣṭhira smiled and said: // 33
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“Surely your understanding is small, and the Vedas were studied by you in vain,
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since you do not respect Ambikā, the mother of all beings. // 34
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Thinking ‘She belongs to the female sex,’ why do you despise her, sir?
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Being a woman, is virtuous Kuntī not to be saluted by you, O Vṛkodara? // 35
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If the Mahāmāyā, worshipped by Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva, did not exist,
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how could your body have been born, O son of Pṛthā? Speak in accordance with the truth! // 36
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Was not Īśvara, the Supreme Self, capable of abandoning her?
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Yet since he resorted to the Goddess again, I consider her exceedingly mighty. // 37
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Even Vāsudeva constantly praises that Power, higher than the highest.
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If I am to be treated [as mad], are you also going to treat him? // 38
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You must not speak like this again out of foolishness toward Maheśvarī!
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Fall to the ground and take refuge in her if you desire happiness!” // 39
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Bhīma said:
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“By all means rogues try to instruct a man who has fallen into their hands.
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The only remedy there is not to engage in talk with them! // 1.2.65.40
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Every head has a different mind—this is clearly true, O king.
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Everyone does as he pleases; likewise let us do as we please. // 41
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Endowed with strength equal to ten thousand elephants, the son of Vāyu, Vṛkodara,
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would under no circumstances seek refuge in a woman, even by mere word!” // 42
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Having spoken these words, Bhīma followed behind that king;
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the king also went on with his followers, repeatedly saying, “This is not good.” // 43
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Then in a moment, distressed and stumbling here and there,
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Bhīma, utterly bewildered, spoke these words to the king: // 44
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“O Dharmarāja of great intellect, best of kings, look at me!
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I cannot see at all with my two eyes! What is this affliction of mine?” // 45
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The king said:
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“Bhīma, O Bhīma, surely the Goddess Maheśvarī is enraged at you!
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Because of that your eyes are lost, O lover of great rashness! // 46
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Therefore, go right now for refuge to the Supreme Goddess!”
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Pleased, she might give you your two eyes again.”
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Bhīma said:
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“I too know, dear brother, that none is equal to the goddess.
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Indeed, it was only to test her power that I repeatedly reviled her.
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Therefore, having seen such power, falling upon the surface of the earth,
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having bowed with mind, speech, and intellect, I take refuge and praise the Mother.”
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Sūta said:
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Having spoken thus to his eldest brother and prostrating with all eight limbs,
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Bhīma, having gone for refuge to the goddess, praised the Mother.
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Bhīma said:
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“O Goddess, mother of all beings, filler of hundreds of universes,
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save, save your foolish child! Homage be to you!
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You are Brāhmī, the power of Brahmā; you are Vaiṣṇavī, and you are Śāmbhavī.
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You are the threefold form whose nature is power; protect, protect! Homage be to you!
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You are the deity of Indra's quarter, of Agni's, of Yama's, and of Nirṛti's.
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You are the deity of Varuṇa's quarter, of Vāyu's, and of Kubera's. Homage be to you!
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O goddess of the northeast, Vārāhī, Nārasiṃhī, giver of victory,
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Kaumārī, auspicious one of the lineage, mistress of mercy, homage be to you!
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You are in the Sun; likewise, you are in the Moon, in Mars, in Mercury, and in Jupiter.
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You are in Venus; you abide in Rāhu, and you are in the Ketus. Homage be to you!
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You dwell in the realm of the Pole Star, and your abode is in the circle of the seers.
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In the wheels of constellations, the wheels of the sky, and the wheel of the earth: homage be to you!
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O goddess, you dwell in the seven continents and in the seven oceans,
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and in all seven realms of Pātāla; homage be to you!
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O goddess, you are the helper in the incarnations of Viṣṇu.
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Therefore you are supplicated by Viṣṇu; protect me, O Mother! Homage be to you!
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O four-armed one, four-faced one, giver of fruits, fond of the crossroads,
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praised by the moving and unmoving, O goddess, I bow down to your feet.
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O most terrible one, Kālarātri, wearing rows of bells, blazing fiercely,
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ever worshipped on the seventh lunar day, giver of eyes, become my refuge!
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O dweller on Meru, yellow-eyed one, sole protectress of eyes,
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destroyer of Daityas with the sound ‘huṃ-huṃ’, worthy of refuge, become my refuge!
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O you of great roar, of great valour, destroyer of great delusion,
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remover of great bondage, O goddess, grant me three eyes!
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If you are truly the auspiciousness of all auspicious things, O Mother,
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then grant me auspiciousness by bestowing eyes; homage be to you!
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If you are truly more compassionate than all compassionate ones,
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then show compassion to me and give me two eyes; homage be to you!
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If you become angry, O goddess, thinking, ‘This one is a sinner,’ that is in vain;
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for it is you yourself who delude me in this way—is that not yours? Homage be to you!
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One who himself raises dust and gets covered by it becomes angry;
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in the same way you are angry with me, O Mother: reveal yourself to this helpless one!”
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Puffed with praise by the Pāṇḍava, the goddess, dark-complexioned,
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charming, with a face like Rāma, became visible before his eyes.
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She was splendidly adorned with a diadem radiant as ten million flashes of lightning,
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and embellished with earrings shining like the disc of the sun.
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She was adorned with a necklace like the streaming flow of the divine river,
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and graced with ear-ornaments filled with blossoms of the wishing-tree.
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She dispelled the great fear and delusion of devotees with the moonlike splendour of her teeth,
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and shone with four arms bearing a sword, a shield, a trident, and a vessel.
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She was wrapped in a garment bright as lightning, like a streak of clouds;
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she shone with a garland of flowers encircled by a swarm of bees.
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Her two feet, which grant refuge to the virtuous, were adorned with anklets;
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she was worshipped with cries of “Victory!” and showers of flowers by Indra and the other gods.
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Surrounded by attendants, goddesses, and hundreds of spotless lotuses,
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beholding her in the sky, that Mother moving through space,
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the lord of kings fell to the ground, crying repeatedly, “Homage, homage!”
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Bhīma too, having seen the Mother, just as a child runs forward,
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so ran towards her, saying, “Victory, O Mother!”
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And by the mere sight of the goddess, he then acquired three auspicious eyes.
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Bowing down, he repeatedly chanted: 'Homage to you, homage to you!
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Be gracious, O lotus-eyed goddess; be gracious to me again, O Mother!
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Be gracious once more to a sinner; O you whose nature is forgiveness, be gracious to me!'
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Thus praised, the goddess herself arose, placed the king Bhīma
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upon her lap, and out of compassion spoke these words:
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The goddess said:
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'Because of the praise you have uttered, I am pleased with you.
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Therefore, three eyes are given [to you]: two outer ones and a supreme inner one.
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I do not show anger here and there without cause, O Vṛkodara;
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yet because you are an authoritative man, I showed anger toward you.
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Nor is this pleasing to Kṛṣṇa, my brother, that I should practice anger,
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since you [Pāṇḍavas] are the external life-breaths of Vāsudeva.
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And you constantly disparage me; I know that, O Vṛkodara,
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[wondering] "What sort of woman is she?" merely to ascertain my power.
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Therefore, you must never do such a thing again in any way.
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For casting a slighting eye upon venerable beings brings about excessive misery.
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So now, let all this be forgiven between us mutually.
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And listen, O hero, O descendant of Bharata, to what I say to you:
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Whenever a decline of dharma occurs, Hari manifests Himself;
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at that time, descending as the companion of that Viṣṇu,
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I too appear. Now Hari has been born on earth as the son of Vasudeva,
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and I am the daughter named Ekānaṃśā of the cowherd Nanda.
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Therefore, just as the blessed Kṛṣṇa, my brother, is revered [by me],
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so too you Pāṇḍavas are always brothers to me.
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Those best of men who praise me as "the sister of Bhīma",
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full of joy, I will destroy their afflictions.
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And you, O hero, will give victory to your brother in the great battle;
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I will abide in your arms for the slaughter of the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.
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Having ruled the kingdom for thirty-six years thereafter,
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you will traverse the earth by the observance of the Great Departure (mahāprasthāna).
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Then, in this very region, a great demon named Loho,
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will advance to kill you when you have laid down your weapons.
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Then, for your sake, I will make him—who cannot be slain by all living beings—
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blind and cast him down; then you will proceed on.
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Having crossed all the snow, submerged in the ocean of sand,
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the king alone will go to heaven; he will depart with his physical body.
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Where Loho was blinded, a city by the name of Lohāṇā
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will come into being, and right there I will always abide by a portion of myself.
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Then, when the Kali age arrives, there will be a devotee of mine
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named Kelo; by his name I shall be known as Keleśvarī.
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Linked texts (1)
- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit