Skandapurana 14.24

English (machine translation) 14.24

Language: English

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Pulastya said: / Then one should go, O best of kings, where the goddess Kātyāyanī, / the destroyer of the dānava Śumbha, dwells within a cave. 1

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Long ago on the surface of the earth there was a great daitya named Śumbha; / having defeated the gods on the field of battle, he encompassed the entire universe. 2

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By a boon from Śaṃkara, that daitya was invulnerable to gods, dānavas, / and rakṣasas, and to all living beings on earth, except a woman. 3

Then all the hosts of gods, having gone to Mount Arbuda, / performed austerity for the slaying of Śumbha, O lord of the earth; / they worshipped the goddess, the sovereign of the gods, in manifest form. 4

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Then, pleased with them, she came within the range of their sight; / she said, “I grant boons; speak, what shall I do?” 5

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The gods said: / “O goddess, everything of ours has been seized by the very wicked Śumbha; / slay him, O auspicious one! He is always invulnerable to others in battle. 6

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Formerly we were protected by you from Bāṣkali, O goddess. 7

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We have no other refuge, O mother, except you of lovely smile.” / Pulastya said: / Thus addressed by the gods, the goddess went to Śumbha's abode; / enraged, she repeatedly scolded him and challenged him to battle. 8

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When battle was demanded by her, knowing her to be a woman, O king, / the daitya despised her and sent forth his dānavas: 9

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“Let this wicked woman of harsh cries be seized alive! / Severe punishment must be inflicted upon her by my command, no doubt.” 10

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Then, by his command, the dānavas swiftly / went, surrounded the ten directions, and threatened her. 11

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Then, merely by her glance, those daityas were reduced to ashes by her; / then Śumbha, greatly infuriated, came forth in person. 12

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Lifting his sword, the terrifying [demon] cried out, “Halt! Halt!” / He too, O great king, was merely glanced at by the goddess in the same way, 13

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and instantly turned to ashes like a moth in fire. / When he was slain, the remaining daityas, O best of kings, / pierced Rasātala and went to Pātāla, seized with terror. 14

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Then all the hosts of gods praised that sovereign of the gods, / and they said, “State the boon that is in your heart.” 15

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The goddess said: / “Right there on the mountain, on Arbuda, I shall dwell, O best of gods; / that mountain named Arbuda has always been dear to me.” 16

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The gods said: / “Beholding you residing there, mortals will go to heaven; / without sacrifices and gifts, heaven will become overcrowded; / there is no other reason for our objection here, O sovereign of the gods.” 17

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The goddess said: / “There in a solitary, delightful cave, O sovereigns of the gods, / I shall dwell; only rare living beings, having gone towards that mountain, / will come into the path of my sight.” 18

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The gods said: / “If this is your desire, O goddess, do so, O lady of pure smile! / We shall always behold you there on the bright eighth lunar day of Śuci.” 19

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Pulastya said: / Thus addressed by the goddess, the gods, filled with joy, went to heaven; / and that goddess, having gone to that mountain Arbuda, O king, 20

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and reached the interior of a cave for the eternal welfare of the world, / resided happily in solitude, hard to reach for gods and mortals. 21

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Whoever beholds her with concentrated mind on the bright eighth lunar day, O best of kings, / always attains his desired wish, even if it is exceedingly difficult to attain. 22

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Thus ends the twenty-fourth chapter, titled 'Description of the Glory of Kātyāyanī,' in the third section, Arbudakhaṇḍa, of the seventh section, Prabhāsakhaṇḍa, in the Skanda Mahāpurāṇa comprising eighty-one thousand verses. 24

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit