Skandapurana 14.16

English (machine translation) 14.16

Language: English

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Pulastya said: / Then one should go, O best of kings, to the sacred ford that completely destroys sins, / named Maṇikarṇika, renowned in all the worlds,

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where the Vālakhilyas, the great seers, attained perfection, O king. / By them a delightful pool was made there in a mountain cavern.

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As those sages of purified minds sat there, / a great wonder occurred there; hear of it in truth, O ruler of men.

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A certain Kirāta woman named Maṇikarṇikā, / extremely dark, with distorted eyes, dread, and of terrifying form,

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arrived there tormented by thirst when the sun was at midday; / and when the sun was seized by Rāhu, she entered the water.

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At that very time, having assumed a heavenly form and body, / that slender-waisted woman came out even as the sages watched.

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Then her husband arrived, intent on searching for her. / Grieved with sorrow for his wife, he asked that fair-hipped woman:

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'My wife arrived here; if she has been seen, O slender-waisted one, / speak quickly, O fair-hipped woman; this child born of her

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is afflicted by thirst, seized by hunger, and weeps again and again. / If she was seen, let it be told, O fair-browed one; without her he will die.'

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The woman said: / 'I am that beloved of yours, dear husband! By the power of this sacred ford / I have attained this heavenly form, very difficult even for gods to attain.

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And you too perform ritual ablution quickly in this water; / you will obtain a supreme form, just as has been obtained by me, O sinless one.'

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Then he, together with his son, entered into that mountain stream; / [but] when the sun was released, O king, he became deformed once more.

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Through misery he met his death in that very pool of water. / Then she, out of grief for her husband, resolved upon death.

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Having prepared a funeral pyre, she kindled the fire together with him. / Then those sages, having seen that noble woman of such virtuous conduct,

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overcome with supreme compassion and filled with amazement, / having seen all of her boldness, [spoke to her], O best of kings.

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The seers said: / 'A heavenly form, very difficult even for gods to attain, has been attained by you. / Why do you follow after this very sinful man, O lovely lady?'

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The woman said: / 'I am a devoted wife, O best of the twice-born, always dedicated to my husband. / What will I do with beauty without my own husband?

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Deformed or handsome, poor or wealthy, / for women their husband alone is their maintainer; there is no other refuge in the three worlds.

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This young boy, O best of sages, has come to you for refuge. / United with my beloved, I shall enter the sacrificial fire.'

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Pulastya said: / Then all those sages, knowing her firm resolve, / overcome with supreme compassion, and looking at one another—

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Then those lords among sages brought her husband back to life, / endowed with a handsome form and marked by divine characteristics.

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At that very moment, an aerial chariot conforming to the heart's desire, / filled with celestial maidens, immediately arrived there.

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Then, having bowed before those sages of purified minds, / the husband and wife set out towards heaven.

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Then that woman Maṇikarṇikā was addressed by those sages: / 'Choose a boon, auspicious lady; we are all pleased with you.

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Pleased with your devotion to your husband, and especially with your truthfulness; / our darśana never becomes fruitless in any way.'

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Maṇikarṇikā said: / 'If you sages are pleased and gladly grant me a boon, / may the great liṅga that is here become known by my name.

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This alone is my desire; I have no other purpose. / By the grace of you all, I now go to heaven.'

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The seers said: / 'Let your renown be so in this sacred ford and liṅga, O fair-faced lady! / This sacred ford has indeed become known by your name, Maṇikarṇikā.'

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Pulastya said: / Together with her husband and accompanied by her son, she reached heaven. / The Vālakhilyas, steadfast in austerity, particularly remained there.

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When a solar eclipse occurs there, whoever performs rites such as ritual ablution and gifts— / his reward becomes equal to that of Kurukṣetra.

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Contemplating whatever desire a person performs ritual ablution there, / he attains that very [desire], O best of kings, being endowed with proper meditation.

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Therefore, with every effort one should perform ritual ablution there, / give gifts at the sacred ford according to one's means, and offer libations to the gods, seers, and ancestors.

Thus ends the sixteenth chapter, named 'Description of the Glory of Maṇikarṇikeśvara,' in the third Arbuda Section of the seventh Prabhāsa Section, in the Skanda Mahāpurāṇa containing eighty-one thousand verses.

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit