Skandapurana 14.22

English (machine translation) 14.22

Language: English

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Pulastya said: / Then one should go, O best of kings, to Śrīmātā, praised by the gods, / who grants all desires to mortals in this world and in the hereafter.

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And she who is the all-pervading Śakti, by whom this universe is pervaded, / she herself chose to dwell visibly upon that mountain.

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Long ago, in the age of the gods, there was a dānava king named Kaliṅga. / He was free from old age and death, and terrifying to the gods.

All this world of the three realms, with moving and unmoving beings, was pervaded by him. / By his strength and might, heaven was conquered by him, and the sovereign of the gods, / together with all the gods, reached Brahmaloka.

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All gods and men were terrified by that Daitya. / That Daitya named Kaliṅga himself became Indra.

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The Vasus, Maruts, Sādhyas, Viśvedevas, and divine seers— / all were appointed as Daityas by him according to their proper stations, O lord of men.

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Those dānavas themselves consumed all the sacrificial shares. / And then, for the sake of austerity, all the gods went to Mount Arbuda.

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Even today Devatākhāta has attained renown in the three worlds. / There, all were devoted to vows, eating leaves, roots, and fruits.

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Hidden, out of extreme fear, they remained meditating. / Some were practitioners of the five fires, devoted to their vows there.

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Others took food once a day, fasted completely, or subsisted on air; / others fasted for a month, devoted to the cāndrāyaṇa vow.

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Others were steadfast in the kṛcchra and sāṃtapana [penances], or performers of the great parāka vow; / some drank water, some subsisted on air, some drank foam, and others drank steam.

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Others were devoted to recitation and oblations, and others intent on meditation, / with offerings of food, oblations, perfumes, and incenses, O lord of men,

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worshipping the supreme Śakti, the Goddess, for the sake of their purpose. / Thus, for those established in vows, whose souls were purified through austerity, / there came release, O king, from the bondage of karma for all of them.

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Then, at the end of a full thousand years, O best of kings, / the goddess became visible, bearing the form of a young maiden.

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First arose a terrifying form of smoke, O great king, / then a flame, and then a maiden clothed and anointed in white. / Seeing her, the gods then praised her with palms joined in reverence: 15

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“Homage be to you, O all-pervading Goddess! Homage to you who are worshipped by all! / Homage to you who go wherever you wish, who are beyond thought, O refuge of the thirty [gods]! 16

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Homage to you, supreme Goddess! Homage, homage to the source of Brahmā! / Homage, homage to the half-mora in the syllable [Oṃ], and to its very half! 17

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Homage to you whose eyes are lotus petals! Homage, homage to the Mother of the universe! / Homage to you who grant boons, O Goddess, composed of rajas, sattva, and tamas! 18

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O Goddess established in your own essential nature, you are the mark of worldly existence. / You are intellect, you are resolve, patience; you are svāhā, you are svadhā, forgiveness. 19

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You are prosperity, you are the path, the creator, Śacī, Lakṣmī, and Pārvatī. / You are Sāvitrī, and Gāyatrī, the invincible destroyer of sin. 20

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Whatever else here in the three worlds is designated as ‘existent,’ / that is your form, O Goddess, and [you are] abiding in the mountains. 21

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Just as wood is pervaded by fire and cloth by thread, / so is the world pervaded by you; concealed, you abide everywhere.” 22

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Pulastya said: / Praised in this manner, the Mother of the universe said to those foremost of the gods: / “Quickly ask of me the boon you desire, O best of the gods! 23

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Why do you remain here in hiding, dwelling inside a pit? / My devotees have no fear, even in the three worlds of moving and unmoving beings.” 24

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The gods said: / “O Goddess, we have been repeatedly repulsed in battle by the Kaliṅga [demon]; / by him all this threefold world, moving and unmoving, has been pervaded. 25

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Our sacrificial share has been seized and allotted to the Daityas. / By him heaven has been overrun, and all the gods driven away. 26

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Act in such a way, O highly fortunate one, that Śakra may slay the Daityas and regain his abode; / this is the boon we desire.” 27

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The Goddess said: / “Just as you were created by me, even so was this great Asura; / I have no partiality between the two of you, O best of the gods. 28

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Therefore, I shall ward them off from heaven again, starting with Śakra.” / Having spoken thus, O king, she of fair hips dispatched 29

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a messenger to the Kaliṅga Daitya: “Leave heaven at once!” / He went and addressed concilatory words to the Daitya Bāṣkali: 30

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The messenger said: / “That all-pervading Goddess who is the embodiment of Śakti, of pure smile, / Śrīmātā, the Mother of the worlds, the supreme one worshipped by the gods, / being pleased with them, has addressed this word to you: 31

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‘Go swiftly to your own abode! Let Śakra go to heaven! / At my word, O foremost of Dānavas, godhead shall not belong to you.’” 32

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Pulastya said: / Hearing the messenger's words, the Dānava, proud with insolence, 33

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thinking, “I am the lord of the worlds,” spoke this with arrogance: 34

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Bāṣkali said: / “Who is this Śrīmātā? Who are the gods? I will not abandon heaven for this! / I know neither her nor them; go and tell [her so] by my command! 34

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I will by no means give up heaven to you. / A messenger must not be killed by kings, even in the fiercest enmity; / for this reason, O messenger, I do not deprive you of your life. 35

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If, O messenger, you show me Śrīmātā, / then I will grant your desires; I speak only the truth! 36

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I shall go along with you to where she is dwelling, / and I will subdue her; my word is the truth!” 37

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Pulastya said: / Having spoken thus, maddened with insolence, that Dānava / set out quickly with the messenger for Arbuda, filled with great rage. 38

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Seeing Bāṣkali arriving, the gods led by Śakra, / though restrained then by the Goddess, were intent on flight. 39

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Overcome by great fear, they fled in all directions. / Then that Bāṣkali arrived, surrounded by a mighty army, 40

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at the mountain named Arbuda where Śrīmātā was staying. / And he dispatched a messenger, whom the ruler of men addressed: 41

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Bāṣkali said: / “Go, excellent messenger, speak to Śrīmātā of charming smile: / ‘Become my wife, O fair-hipped one! I shall always remain obedient to you. 42

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Indeed, my entire kingdom shall be under your control. / Otherwise, I shall overpower you along with all the foremost gods! 43

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What use is Indra of little prowess? What use are the others, O lovely-faced one? / The thousand-eyed [Indra] is not my equal, nor are the gods and Asuras equal to me!’” 44

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Pulastya said: / Hearing this, the messenger then went and reported / everything to her exactly according to the words spoken by him, O lord of the earth. 45

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Then, having heard it and smiled, the passionate lady reflected: / “This lord of Daityas was made free from old age and death by Śambhu; 46

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how is his subjugation to be accomplished by me for the sake of the gods?” / While the Goddess was thus pondering about the Dānava, / he swiftly arrived there, flooded with lust. 47

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Then, casting her gaze, the Goddess / looked upon the lord of Dānavas; thereupon her resolve was formed. 48

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Then that Goddess laughed softly, O best of kings. / From her mouth then issued a most terrifying army: 49

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elephants, excellent horses, foot-soldiers of various kinds, / warriors mounted upon a thousand chariots, and thousands of others. 50

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By them the entire army of the lord of Dānavas was struck down with weapons, / while that Daitya, that Asura, looked on motionless. 51

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When that army and its force were slain, the dwellers of heaven led by Indra / addressed these words to her: “O Goddess, you should kill the Dānava! / While he lives, our sovereignty in heaven cannot be, O Goddess.” 52

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Pulastya said: / Hearing those words of theirs, knowing him to be free from death, / she placed a great peak of the mountain upon him herself… 53

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She, the Mother of the Universe, Śrīmātā, who assumes any form at will, seated herself [there]. / Even today, O king, for the welfare of the worlds, upon that excellent mountain, / right there she dwells visibly, granting all desires to mankind.

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At that very time, all the gods along with Indra, / highly delighted, praised that Great Power, the destroyer of fear.

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Then the goddess was pleased with them there, O king: / ‘Let all the gods depart to their respective abodes, free from sorrow; / having reached their own abode, let them all protect [the worlds], free from sorrow.

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Choose a boon, O lord of the gods; speak what is in your heart. / I shall grant all that to you; I am pleased with your devotion.’

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Indra said: / ‘If you are pleased with me, O eternal goddess, affectionate to your devotees, / please remain right here so long as I am the sovereign in heaven.

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I rule the kingdom, O ruler of gods, O eternal one, affectionate to your devotees! / Since the demon is ageless and immortal, O sovereign of the gods,

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having been created formerly by Hara, by which he remains motionless, / may the three worlds be free from affliction through your grace.

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Here, all of us having assembled together, will worship you; / and having beheld you on the fourteenth day of the bright fortnight of Caitra, may people attain the supreme state.’

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Pulastya said: / Having spoken thus, the thousand-eyed [Indra], accompanied by all the gods, / attained heaven rejoicing, by the power of that goddess.

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She too, the goddess, remained there wishing for the welfare of the gods.

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Whoever beholds her on the fourteenth day of the bright half of Caitra, O king, / goes to the supreme realm, free from old age and death.

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What need of observances, or self-restraints, or given gifts, O lord of men? / All of them are not worth a sixteenth part of the darśana of her.

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Right there her two divine sandals were deposited by her, O ruler of men; / whoever beholds those two does not see worldly existence again, / and attains all desires in this world and in the next.

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Yayāti said: / At what time, O best of the twice-born, were the two sandals left here by the goddess, / and for what reason? Tell me everything in full detail.

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Pulastya said: / All mortal men, having gazed upon that goddess, O best of kings, / who practice righteousness, attain the two kinds of supreme perfection.

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At that very time, the rites consisting of sacrifices, gifts, and the like, / arising from pilgrimages to sacred fords and observances, perished on the surface of the earth, O king.

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All those hells of Yama became empty, / and deprived of their sacrificial portions, the gods met with distress.

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Then all the gods, O best of kings, assembled there, / and having gone to Arbuda, spoke there to the Supreme Sovereign, Śrīmātā:

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The gods said: / ‘All rites such as the Agniṣṭoma have perished, O sovereign of the gods, / in the mortal world; therefore we are exceedingly tormented by this state of affairs.

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Having beheld you, O goddess, even sinful men attain perfection along with their ancestors. / Therefore, so act that we may attain nourishment through your grace,

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and the demon Bāṣkali may not emerge.’

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Pulastya said: / Having heard their word, and having reflected for a long time then, / leaving her own two sandals there, having made them out of stone, / she spoke, O lord of kings, to the gods, all of whom had fallen into affliction.

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The holy Goddess said: / ‘By your request, indeed, this best of mountains is abandoned by me; / the two sandals have been placed, O gods, to guard against that Bāṣkali.

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Oppressed by the weight of my sandals, O best of gods, that demon / will not be able to stir from his place, just as he was paralyzed by me.

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This entire treatise has been composed by me concerning the sandals, / dealing with the Supreme Self, for the welfare of living beings on the surface of the earth.

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And whoever with devotion worships my two sandals in accordance with the path of this scripture, / to him will belong the perfection arising from the darśana of me.

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On the fourteenth day of the bright fortnight of Caitra, I shall always, here on Arbuda, / dwell for a day and night, well-hidden in a mountain cave.

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This mountain is dear to me, and my mind was not set on leaving it; / nevertheless, it has been completely abandoned by me out of a desire for your welfare.’

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Pulastya said: / Having spoken thus, that goddess, being praised on all sides / by gods and kiṃnaras, went to heaven, having left behind those two auspicious sandals.

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Even today yogins, intent on meditation, attain perfection, / steadfast in them, their vital breaths absorbed in them, just as from the sight of the goddess.

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All this has been recounted to you which you ask of me, / the holy origin of Śrīmātā and of the two sandals, O protector of the earth.

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The man who recites this with devotion, or who praises it, / is freed from all sins, O great king, and becomes intent on knowledge.

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Thus ends the twenty-second chapter, entitled ‘The Description of the Māhātmya of Śrīmātā’, in the Arbuda section, the third [part] of the seventh [book], the Prabhāsa section, in the holy Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit