Skandapurana 14.38

English (machine translation) 14.38

Language: English

14.38.1

Pulastya said: / Then one should go, O king, to the pool named Śivaliṅga, / where the hidden Jāhnavī resides, O best of kings.

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A man who performs ritual ablution in it properly obtains the fruit of all sacred fords; / he is freed from all sin from birth until the end of life. (2)

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Yayāti said: / For what reason does that Jāhnavī remain hidden there, O lord? / At what time did she arrive? Great indeed is my curiosity. (3)

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Pulastya said: / When the blessed Lord whose banner bears the bull was propitiated by the gods, [they said:] / "You must always dwell immovable on this Arbuda, O lord!" (4)

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When that liṅga was installed there by the god Śambhu himself— / the liṅga which had formerly been cast down by the great seers, the Vālakhilyas, (5)

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filled with intense wrath for some other reason— / then the god made a promise to all the dwellers of heaven: (6)

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"Indeed, I shall remain right here upon the mountain; there is no doubt about this." / Then, after a long time had passed while he dwelt there, (7)

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the thought of Gaṅgā arose in the mind of the Lord of the Mountain [Śiva]: / "How can there be a constant union with her, (8)

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so that Gaurī, the haughty supreme goddess, does not find out?" / As he was contemplating thus repeatedly, O best of kings, (9)

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and had devised a great plan to bring about union with Jāhnavī, / he ordered all the gaṇas, headed by Nandi and Bhṛṅgin: (10)

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"I have a certain intention to observe an observance seated in water. / Let an excellent pool be made on the slope of this mountain; (11)

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staying in the midst of the water there, I shall remain absorbed in the water." / Hearing that, the gaṇas quickly made a pool in various ways, (12)

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filled with clear water, an auspicious sacred ford bestowing great happiness. / Then, taking leave of Gaurī, longing for union with Jāhnavī, (13)

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the lord of the gods immediately entered [it] under the pretext of the observance. / Standing there, he meditated on Gaṅgā, the purifier of the three worlds. (14)

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Meditated upon, she united with Śiva there that very instant. / Thus that blessed Lord always enjoyed Jāhnavī there (15)

under the pretext of the observance, O king of kings, and Gaurī did not know. / Then, after some time, the blessed sage Nārada, / endowed with knowledge leading to isolation, arrived there wandering about. (16)

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Seeing Mahādeva standing in the water keeping the observance, / yet displaying gestures born of desire, he was filled with wonder: (17)

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"Why is this alteration of the face and eyes in him who is keeping an observance, / accompanied by such passion?" Then the sage entered meditation. (18)

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Then, through his meditative vision, he saw Maheśvara attached to Gaṅgā, / behaving deceitfully out of fear of Gaurī; then he was astonished. (19)

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Then he told [her] all of Hara's actions. (20)

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Then the goddess, full of haste, went to where Maheśvara was, / her eyes reddish with anger, trembling again and again. (21)

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Seeing that supreme goddess arrive full of wrath, / Jāhnavī, frightened, having perceived [the truth] by divine sight, said: (22)

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"Our meeting has been reported to the goddess by Nārada. / Here she comes, infuriated! Do whatever needs to be done next." (23)

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The blessed Mahādeva said: / "O Jāhnavī, what is proper must be done: go before the daughter of the mountain! / For she is extremely haughty, yet amenable to gentle conciliation. (24)

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Instantly she will become well-disposed; therefore, be devoted to gentle words. / Otherwise, she will curse you together with me, without a doubt." (25)

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Having been spoken to thus by Rudra, O best of kings, / that Gaṅgā, Jāhnavī, coming out of the pool, then went forward to meet her. (26)

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She went out toward her bashfully, with folded hands; / having bowed with her head, well-adorned, she said: (27)

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"Formerly, as I was falling from the firmament, I was caught / by your beloved [husband], O goddess; this is known even to you, for the sake of the king (28)

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named Bhagīratha. Then affection increased / between the two of us, yet out of fear of you no union occurred anywhere. (29)

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Now, by your command—I do not know, O sovereign of the gods!— / was I summoned by Rudra or out of [his own] desire, O auspicious one? (30)

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He is the master of the three worlds; having slipped away somehow, / I have therefore arrived right here. This that I have spoken is the truth." (31)

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Pulastya said: / Hearing those words of hers, the goddess then was delighted; / she spoke gentle words: "This that you have spoken is the truth. (32)

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Therefore, choose a boon as you wish from me, may it be well with you, / except for one thing: regarding marital duty with my beloved Maheśvara." (33)

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Gaṅgā said: / "Even though unfortunate, I have become a wife of the Trident-bearer; / therefore, grant me one day to play with him, (34)

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a day and night on the thirteenth of the bright half of Caitra, O sovereign of the gods! / And let this pool of Śiva, because it was entered by me, (35)

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attain renown on the earth by the name of Śivagaṅgā pool, / by your grace, O daughter of the mountain!" (36)

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Pulastya said: / Saying to the great river Gaṅgā, "Let it be so," / that goddess then dismissed her, embracing her again and again. (37)

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When Gaṅgā had departed, taking Rudra by the hand, who hung his face down with great shame, / she went toward her home, rambling about. (38)

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Such was the event that took place formerly at that pool, O ruler of men. / Therefore, with all effort, concentrated in mind, on the fourteenth (39)

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of the bright half in the month of Caitra, one should perform ritual ablution there, / on account of the presence of the god of gods and Gaṅgā, O best of kings. (40)

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Where all the inauspicious deeds committed are completely destroyed, / he who gives a bull to a brahmin there, O best of kings, / that person dwells in heaven for as many years as the hairs on that [bull], assuredly. (41)

14.38.41_1

Thus ends the thirty-eighth chapter, named 'Description of the Origin and Greatness of the Śivagaṅgā Pool,' in the Arbuda section, the third [section] of the Prabhāsa section, in the Mahāpurāṇa of Śrī Skanda, in the collection of eighty-one thousand [verses]. (38)

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit