Skandapurana 14.20

English (machine translation) 14.20

Language: English

14.20.1

Pulastya said: / Then one should go, O best of kings, to Candreśa at Prabhāsa; / there, in ancient times, splendor was regained by the high-souled Moon.

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The daughters of Dakṣa, numbering twenty-seven, O king, / were all married in ancient times by the Moon, with Aśvinī at their head.

Among them, he always took pleasure with Rohiṇī. / Abandoned by the Moon, all the daughters of Dakṣa were exceedingly distressed; / having gone and bowed to their father, their eyes clouded with tears, they said:

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'We, innocent ones, have been abandoned by our husband, O lord of creatures; / therefore we have come to you for refuge, filled with great sorrow.

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Be our refuge, O best among gods; do what is good for us all, / after instructing this Moon who is devoted solely to Rohiṇī.'

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Pulastya said: / Hearing their words, he went where the night-maker was / and said: 'Look with equality upon all my daughters.'

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Then, filled with shame, the Moon replied to him: / 'I shall follow your word, Dakṣa; go, obeisance to you.'

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When Dakṣa had gone, the Moon again took pleasure only with Rohiṇī, / having abandoned all the daughters born of the lord of creatures.

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Then all of them, going once more, spoke to Dakṣa, deeply distressed: / 'Your word was indeed not kept by that vile-minded Moon.

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Afflicted by the misery of misfortune in love, we shall die without a doubt; / with such a life, death would surely be better.'

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Pulastya said: / Then Dakṣa, filled with wrath, went and spoke to the Moon: / 'Because my word was not kept by you, O sinful Moon,

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therefore you shall fall into wasting from pulmonary consumption; there is no doubt.' / Having thus pronounced the curse, Dakṣa then returned to his own home.

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Pervaded by pulmonary consumption, the Moon waned day by day; / wasting away and devoid of splendor, the Moon reflected:

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'What should be done by me in this dreadful curse? / Shall I now worship Śiva, the granter of all desires?'

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Having made such a resolve, he then went to Mount Arbuda; / with anger conquered, intent on silent recitation and oblations, he performed austerity.

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Mahādeva, pleased with him when ten thousand years had passed, / said, 'I am ready to grant a boon,' and then granted him a darśana.

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Īśvara said: / 'Choose a boon, hail to you, whatever is in your mind; / I shall grant it to you, O Moon, even though it may be very difficult to attain.'

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The Moon said: / 'Grant the destruction of my disease, O best of gods, O destroyer of Tripura! / For this body of mine is pervaded by pulmonary consumption, O lord of the world.'

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Īśvara said: / 'Due to Dakṣa's curse, O Moon, pulmonary consumption has settled in your body; / indeed, the curse of that great-souled one cannot be made otherwise.

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Therefore, at my word, O night-maker, look with equality / upon all his daughters, and your disease shall depart.

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In the dark fortnight there will be your waning, O Moon, and in the bright fortnight your waxing. / Choose another boon, hail to you, whatever else you desire that is hard to attain.'

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Candra said: / Whichever man performs ritual ablution with devotion here during a lunar eclipse / and on a Monday, O Śaṃkara, may he go to the highest state.

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By offering rice balls, O Lord of gods, may his ancestors go to heaven. / By your grace, O Lord of gods, let this sacred ford grant liberation.

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Īśvara said: / Men shall indeed become freed from sin right here, O night-maker. / Because radiance was attained by you at this sacred ford of clear waters,

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therefore it will be celebrated as Prabhāsatīrtha. / Where, when a lunar eclipse occurs, especially on a Monday,

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men will perform ritual ablution, they shall go to the highest state. / The men who perform an ancestral rite here, and likewise offer rice balls,

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their merit, O Candra, will be equal to the ancestral rite at Gayā. / Likewise, gifts must be offered by people during your eclipse, O Soma.

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Pulastya said: / Having spoken thus, the Odd-Eyed One vanished right there. / And Candra enjoyed all his wives born of Dakṣa.

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Thus, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, in the collection of eighty-one thousand [verses], in the seventh Prabhāsakhaṇḍa, in the third Arbudakhaṇḍa, the twentieth chapter, named "Description of the Greatness of Candraprabhāsatīrtha."

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit