Skandapurana 1.4.66

English (machine translation) 1.4.66

Language: English

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Now begins the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa in the first section, the Māheśvarakhaṇḍa, of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa. 2.

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The glorious sages said: / Speak of those five sacred fords on the shores of the southern ocean, / O large-eyed one, and describe them fully. 1.1

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Those in which Nārada and others proclaim the fruit of all sacred fords— / we desire to hear their history and māhātmya. 1.2

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Ugraśravas said: / Hear the exceedingly wonderful and auspicious tale of the great power of Kumāranātha, / which Dvaipāyana formerly told me, his body covered with tears of joy and horripilation. 1.3

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Let the song sung by Kumāra be heard here, O best of sages, / which is worshipped by all the gods, sages, and ancestors: 1.4

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"A person of right conduct who resorts to the Stambhatīrtha, / his abode shall surely be in the world of Brahmā, just like mine. 1.5

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Higher than the world of Brahmā is the world of Viṣṇu, and higher still than that is Śiva's; / and because he is his dear son, the world of Guha is the highest of all." 1.6

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The wonderful story here that was formerly told to Phālguna / by Nārada, O best of sages, that I shall narrate to you in detail. 1.7

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Formerly, for a certain reason, the crowned one [Arjuna] came from Maṇikūṭa / to the southern ocean to bathe in the five sacred fords, 1.8

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which sacred fords ascetics always avoid out of fear. / The first is the sacred ford of Kumāreśa, dear to the sage; 1.9

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and the second is that of Stambheśa, dear to the sage Saubhadra; / another is the excellent Barkareśvara, dear to Paulomī; 1.10

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and the fourth is Mahākāla, dear to King Karandhama; / and the fifth is the sacred ford of Bharadvāja, named Siddheśa. 1.11

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The bull of the Kurus saw these five sacred fords, / avoided by ascetics, yet exceedingly meritorious. 1.12

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Seeing them, he questioned the great sages at his side, followers of Nārada: / "These sacred fords are delightful and possess wonderful power; 1.13

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tell me, why are they always avoided by exponents of the Veda?" / The ascetics said: / "Five crocodiles dwell in them and carry off those rich in austerity. 1.14

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Therefore, O scion of Kuru, these sacred fords are avoided." / Hearing this, the mighty-armed one set his mind upon going. 1.15

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Then the ascetics said to him: "You ought not to go, O Phālguna! / Many kings and sages have been devoured by the crocodiles. 1.16

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Indeed, for twelve years you have bathed in hundreds of millions of sacred fords; / what need have you of these sacred fords? Do not follow the moth's vow!" 1.17

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Arjuna said:
What has been spoken by [you], the essence of compassion—let the essence of that be told here.
A human being who desires righteousness should not be restrained by great-souled ones.

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For whatever dull-witted person restrains a man who desires righteousness,
the world dependent on him would turn to ashes through his sighs.

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Since life is as momentary and fragile as a flash of lightning,
if it is spent for the sake of righteousness, let it go; what fault is there indeed?

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Those whose life, wealth, wives, sons, fields, and houses
are spent for the sake of righteousness, they alone are truly human on this earth.

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The ascetics said:
As you speak thus, O Pārtha, may a long life increase for you!
May your delight always be in righteousness; go, fulfill your desire!

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Having been addressed thus, having bowed to them and been praised with blessings,
the best of the Bharatas went to see those sacred fords.

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Then, having reached Saubhadra, the excellent sacred ford of the great seer,
the hero, the scorcher of foes, plunged in with haste and performed his ritual ablution.

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Then a huge crocodile moving underwater seized that tiger among men,
the son of Kuntī, Dhanañjaya, in the water.

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Taking that squirming water-creature [with him],
the mighty-armed son of Kuntī, the best of the strong, rose up by his strength.

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And that crocodile, lifted out by the renowned Arjuna,
became an auspicious woman adorned with all ornaments,

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with a shining crest, O brahmins, having a divine form and pleasing to the mind.
Seeing that great wonder, the son of Kuntī, Dhanañjaya,

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exceedingly pleased, addressed this speech to that woman:
'Who are you, auspicious one, or whence did you move in the water?

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And for what reason did you commit this great sin?'
The woman said:
'I am an apsaras, O son of Kuntī, dwelling in the forest of the gods.

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Beloved ever of the lord of wealth, named Varcā, O you of great might!
I have four other companions, all moving at will, auspicious.

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Together with them I set forth from the abode of the king of gods.
Then we all saw a homeless brahmin,

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handsome, studying [the Vedas], alone, wandering in solitude.
By his austerity indeed, O hero, that forest was enveloped in fiery splendor;

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like the sun he illuminated that whole region.
Having seen his austerity of such a kind, and his form wonderful to behold,

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we descended to that region with the desire to cause an obstacle to his austerity—
myself, and Saurabheyī, Sāmeyī, Budbudā, [and] Latā.

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Simultaneously we approached that brahmin, O Bhārata,
singing, flirting, and enticing that twice-born.

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Yet that heroic one did not set his mind upon us in any way;
endowed with great splendor, he did not tremble, remaining steadfast in pure austerity.

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Becoming angry, that brahmin cursed us, O bull of the kṣatriyas:
"Having become crocodiles in the water, you shall remain for a hundred years."

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Then, all of us greatly afflicted, O best of the Bharatas,
came for refuge to the brahmin whose wealth was austerity, the faultless one:

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"Arrogant on account of our beauty, youth, and love,
we have done what was improper; you ought to forgive us, O twice-born!

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This itself is our death; that is sufficient, O you whose wealth is austerity,
that we have approached to seduce you whose self is praised!

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And women are created not to be killed, so consider the ponderers of righteousness;
therefore, in accordance with righteousness, O knower of righteousness, this is the doctrine of the wise.

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And the virtuous afford protection to those who have sought refuge;
we have sought refuge in you, a protector; therefore you ought to forgive us."

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Addressed thus, the righteous brahmin who performs auspicious deeds,
valiant, with radiance equal to the sun and moon, showed grace.

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The brahmin said:
'My mind is bewildered by your conduct!
Ah, what audacity! Ah, what delusion, to engage in sin!

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If a person were to see death standing upon their head,
even food would not be pleasing, let alone the doing of improper deeds!

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Ah, human birth is rare among all births,
yet it is treated like a blade of grass by some who are infatuated with women and uncontrollable!

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We ask them: for what purpose is your birth?
Or what is the gain? Having reflected on this with the mind, let it be said!

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We do not blame those [women] from whom birth proceeds;
we only blame those men who are unbridled toward them.

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Because the couple was created by the lotus-born [Brahmā] for the increase of the universe,
that is to be maintained in that way; there is no fault in this whatever.

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She who is given by kinsmen in the presence of fire and the twice-born—
the maintenance of household life with her is blessed, indeed granting everything.

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Just as the natural union of a man [and woman], even when cultivated with effort
for one another, leads to virtue, while uncultivated it leads to vice,

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so one's own excellent household life, being cultivated with effort,
leads to great virtue, while uncultivated it leads to vice.

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In a city with five gates, the gatekeeper accompanied by eleven warriors,
together with a woman, having many offspring—how could he be devoid of consciousness?

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And the union with a woman by rites such as the five sacrifices,
created for the benefit of the universe—alas, it is undertaken otherwise by fools!

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Ah! Listen! If a good desire to hear does not arise in you,
nonetheless, raising our arms, we cry out aloud: who listens?

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And shedding that semen, the essence of the six elements, equally,
if one casts it into an improper womb, Yama has declared this concerning him:

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"First he is an injurer of plants, then further an injurer of himself,
an injurer of the ancestors, an injurer of the universe; he goes to darkness for eternal years."

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Upon a human being, ancestors, gods, sages, and humans,
as well as dependents, subsist; for that purpose one should be self-restrained.

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By speech, by mind, by tongue, hands, and ears,
one who is restrained is said to be a true sacred ford; beyond this is a crow's ford.

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In a crow-like man in whom dark-natured persons take delight,
thinking "This is a swan!"—what purpose do the gods have with him? Let that be considered!'

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"Indeed, remembering in the heart such an arrangement of the universe, / even if [sovereignty over] the three worlds were gained, how could the mind take delight in sin? 1.62

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And that is seen by other mortals through scripture, O women; / it has been seen by me directly in Yama's realm—how could I be deluded? 1.63

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And what anger can there be toward you? For those who are made for a certain purpose / carry out that purpose; let it indeed be true. 1.64

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A hundred, a thousand, and all—these words signify the imperishable; / but indeed 'a hundred' as a measure does not signify the imperishable [here]. 1.65

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And when you, having become crocodiles, seizing men in the water, / are pulled up from the water onto dry land by an excellent man, 1.66

then all of you will attain your own forms again. / An untruth has never been spoken by me, even in jest. / Your purification will be just like the excellent purification of one well-joined to good fortune." 1.67

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The woman said: / "Then, having bowed to that brahmin and circumambulated him, 1.68

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we departed from that place, deeply afflicted, and wondered: / 'Where on earth might all of us, in a short time, 1.69

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meet that man who could restore our own forms to us?' / As we were pondering this here, after merely a moment, O descendant of Bharata, 1.70

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we saw the highly fortunate celestial seer, Nārada. / Having seen that celestial seer of boundless splendor, we were all seen [by him]. 1.71

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And having greeted him, O son of Pṛthā, we stood with distressed faces. / He asked us the root of our sorrow, and we told him. 1.72

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And having heard that as it truly was, he spoke these words: / 'On the shore of the southern ocean there are indeed five sacred fords, 1.73

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meritorious and delightful; go to them without delay. / While you dwell there, that tiger among men, the Pāṇḍava Dhanañjaya, 1.74

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a pure-souled one, will free you from this sorrow; of this there is no doubt.' / O hero, having heard his words, all of us came here. 1.75

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You ought to make this word true, O Pāṇḍava; / for the birth of virtuous men like you brings aid to the wretched." 1.76

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Having heard her speech, he bathed in the sacred fords in succession, / and that Pāṇḍava lifted up those who had become crocodiles, restored to their former states. 1.77

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Then, having bowed to the hero and pronounced blessings of victory, / as they were eager to depart, the son of Pṛthā, Dhanañjaya, said: 1.78

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"This doubt turns firmly within my heart: / Why did the sage Nārada permit you to dwell abroad [here]? 1.79

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Everyone, even the most lowly, accomplishes the welfare of that which he reveres; / why did Nārada direct you to dwell in the sacred fords he reveres? 1.80

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Likewise, while the nine Durgās are present, exceedingly powerful, / and also Siddheśa and Siddhagaṇapa, how did you come to remain here? 1.81

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For each one of these is able even to ward off the gods; / why did they not ward off all of you who were obstructing the sacred fords? 1.82

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As I reflect on this, my mind wavers greatly. / Great curiosity has arisen in me; you ought to speak the truth." 1.83

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The apsarases said: / "You ask what is fitting, O son of Kuntī; look once again toward the northern direction." 1.84

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Thus ends the first chapter, named "The Deliverance of the Five Apsarases by the Son of Pṛthā," in the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa of the first [section], the Māheśvarakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit