Skandapurana 16.33
English (machine translation) 16.33
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The Goddess said:
Whatever deed was done of old by the great seer, born of wrath and indignation at his father's slaying, / that son of Dadhīci who subdued the gods—all that I have indeed heard through absorption.
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Whatever chief task repeatedly occurred that was fitting for the gods, / all that I wish to know in proper order out of curiosity.
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Īśvara said:
When he was told of old by all the gods: "Devour the waters on the earth, / since the waters were born first of the immortals, the firstborn of all gods and asuras";
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addressed thus by the great-souled one, he then [said]: "Show me where they abide. / Having drunk them, O gods, I shall afterwards accomplish the deed: the consumption of the gods.
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If you are able to lead me thither, where the collected waters reside; / otherwise I, who do not speak falsehood and obey the sage's words, [will do so] even as life departs."
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When that was spoken, the lotus-eyed one then said to Aurva, the submarine fire: / "I will bring you to where the waters are. By what conveyance, O submarine fire [will you go]?"
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The submarine fire said:
"I cannot bear to go thither on conveyances such as horses; / my resolved desire is only the touch of a maiden's hand."
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Viṣṇu said:
"That conveyance is easily obtained by you. I shall bring that maiden / who will certainly be able to carry you to the abode of the waters."
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Īśvara said:
Afflicted by the curse of Surabhi, experiencing the fruit of a condition acquired previously, / Sarasvatī was made his conveyance by Viṣṇu.
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Then the Lord spoke to Gaṅgā, who was standing at his side: / "O fortunate one, take this fire swiftly to the great ocean. / No other woman is capable of bringing it except you, O purifier of the worlds."
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Gaṅgā said:
"I do not have the power, O Lord, to carry Aurva, O Lord of the universe. / Fierce of form and mighty, this fire burns intensely indeed."
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Then the noble-minded one spoke to Yamunā, and immediately after her to Sindhu, / and to various other rivers one by one.
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When questioned by the best of the gods, they were unable to lead him. / Then the god of gods, Janārdana, said to Sarasvatī: / "Go yourself, O auspicious one, to the western salt ocean.
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When this is done, all the gods will become free from fear. / Otherwise, they will be burned by the submarine fire with its own splendor.
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Therefore protect the gods from this tumultuous terror; / like a mother, O woman of beautiful hips, grant fearlessness to the gods."
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Being thus addressed by that mighty Viṣṇu, / she said: "I am not independent; my father has lived for a long time.
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I am ever his obedient maiden, having observed vows. / A daughter is known by the wise to be non-independent in all three periods of time.
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Without my father's command I do not take even a single step anywhere. / Therefore, O Hari, let some other means be considered."
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Having thus learned her true nature, Vāsudeva approached the Grandfather / and said to him: "Perform this task for the gods.
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In no other way can the very mighty submarine fire be conveyed, / leaving aside this maiden, your daughter, who has no seen blemish."
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Hearing that which was spoken by Viṣṇu, the Great-grandfather / then placed his hand on the head of the maiden, his daughter, and said with affection:
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"Go, O goddess! Protect all the gods who have succumbed to fear. / Having carried this submarine fire, cast it into the salty waters." / Hearing her father's words, she whose mark is the Veda said:
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Sarasvatī said:
"Here I have set forth, dear father, in accordance with your command, without doubt. / Yet this fierce submarine fire will consume my body.
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The terrifying Kali age has now arrived upon the surface of the earth. / People whose conduct is sinful will touch me, O Lord;
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what could be more sorrowful than union with sinners?"
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Brahmā said:
"If you do not desire the surface of the earth crowded with sinful people, / dwell in the realm of Pātāla and carry the fire to the great ocean.
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When, exhausted by excessive exertion, you are burned intensely by the fire, / then, having broken through the earth, become visible, O little daughter.
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Having turned your mouth [toward it], O wide-eyed one, flow eastwards, O slender-waisted lady. / Then the sacred fords will go to you who are weary, O woman of charming smiles;
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and having arrived, all those thirty-three crores [of sacred fords] / will assist you by my command, O lovely-faced one.
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Go, daughter! No sorrow at all should be felt by you. / Tread an unhindered path; may there be no adversaries!" / Īśvara said:
Being thus addressed then by Brahmā, Sarasvatī / cast aside fear, and with a glad mind prepared to depart.
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At the time of her departure, the world was filled with the auspicious sounds / of conch shells and kettle-drums, and the loud reverberations of auspicious cries.
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The goddess, dressed in white garments and smeared with white sandalwood paste, / resembled an autumn cloud and was adorned with pearl necklaces.
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With a face like the full moon and eyes as wide as lotus petals, / like the renown of mighty Indra, she filled the ten directions.
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Illumining everything with her own splendor, she brightened the world. / Following her, Gaṅgā was addressed by her, O woman of excellent complexion:
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"Where indeed shall I see you dwelling again, my friend?" / Being addressed thus by her, Gaṅgā replied in an affectionate voice:
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"Whenever you look toward the eastern direction, you will then reach me. / Surrounded there by all the gods, O lady of virtuous vows,
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I shall grant you a darśana; cast off sorrow, O woman of pure smiles!" / Having taken leave of that Gaṅgā [saying], "May you be seen again!
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Go to your own abode, auspicious one; I should be remembered by you, sinless one!" / Likewise Yamunā and the delightful Gāyatrī,
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along with Sāvitrī—all her female companions were then sent away. / Then, bidding farewell to that goddess, Sarasvatī, having become a river,
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Having reached the mountain Himavat, she emerged from the Plakṣa tree, / and descended upon the surface of the earth, teeming with fish and turtles.
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Filled with crocodiles and diṇḍima fish, accompanied by shoals of timis and alligators, / the great goddess laughed in every direction with floods of foam.
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Flowing with sacred waters, praised by the twice-born, / carrying the submarine fire, she rushed out with the speed of a horse.
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Splitting the surface of the earth through her speed, she then entered into the underworld; / whenever she became weary and was burnt by the submarine fire, / then the river became visible in the mortal world.
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Then she flowed eastward, scorched indeed by the submarine [fire]; / thereupon the sacred fords celebrated by the ancients,
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celestial, atmospheric, and terrestrial, entered her presence, O lovely lady. / Then, consoled by them, the river Sarasvatī / reached the underworld and went towards the ocean.
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Reaching Khadirāmoda, seeing the ocean there, / she proceeded to go, carrying that fire, O divine beauty.
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Considering her burden carried out by the command of the gods, / delighted and joyous in mind, she set forth facing southwards.
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At that very time, four seers who had mastered the Vedas, / O great goddess, were residing in the sacred field Prabhāsa:
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Hariṇa, Vajra, Nyaṅku, and Kapila; / dwelling there, their minds devoted to Vedic recitation, they practiced austerity.
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Sarasvatī was summoned by them individually for the sake of ritual ablution, / while the ocean suddenly stood right before her.
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Then she reflected: 'How can my meritorious deed come to be?' / And fearing their curse, that virtuous one became divided into five streams.
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She gratified each seer, one by one, O fair-complexioned lady; / then five names of hers arose upon the surface of the earth:
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Hariṇī, Vajriṇī, Nyaṅku, Kapilā, and Sarasvatī; / by drinking and bathing [in her], Sarasvatī is of five streams for mortals.
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The slaying of a brahmin, drinking liquor, theft, and union with the guru's wife, / and that fifth [sin] of mortals arising from association with these—
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abiding in five ways, the virtuous river, together with her companions, / destroys these five kinds of dreadful sin in men.
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Flowing backwards, Sarasvatī / destroys through men's drinking and bathing all of the most dreadful sin of killing a brahmin.
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For twice-born men whose minds are ruined through negligent fault of drinking liquor, / the river Kapilā flows to remove that [sin].
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Through fasting, silent recitation, oblation, ritual ablution, and drinking, with that disposition of mind, / she destroys the sin of the twice-born within seven days.
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Having reached the river Nyaṅku, even those who have committed great sin / are purified by themselves if they perform the rites as prescribed.
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By ritual ablution, worship, and drinking, Vajriṇī destroys entirely / the terribly frightening sin of men who violate the guru's bed.
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Because of taking away the sin arising from association, it is called Hariṇī, / a river endowed with sacred waters, by bathing in it for seven days.
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Thus the river Sarasvatī of five streams, O divine beauty, / truly destroys all these sins.
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Then again that beautiful goddess saw standing in her path / a mountain at the edge of the ocean, stationed as if to block the way.
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[She thought:] 'This excellent mountain, like a measuring rod of the universe, / stands before me, creating an obstacle as I travel on the mission of the gods.'
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Beholding that exceedingly high, great mountain, Sarasvatī, / with her swift course now obstructed by the mountain, was astonished.
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While she was thus reflecting in her mind upon that great wonder, / awakened by the auspicious sound, [the mountain] Kṛtasmara,
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moving between both peaks of the mountain, appeared as a man to her sight; / that mountain spoke to the goddess: 'There is no way here, O lady of good vows!
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Go somewhere else, wherever you desire, O auspicious lady.' / When he had spoken thus, that goddess addressed the man standing atop the mountain:
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'I have arrived by the command of the gods; I must not be obstructed by you, O mountain!' / When she had spoken thus, the mountain said to that most delightful goddess:
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'I am the mountain Kṛtasmara, O good lady; do you not know me? / Because you are a maiden, O faultless one, there is no fault in your touching [me].
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Therefore I choose you, O goddess; become my wife, O lady of good vows!'
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Sarasvatī said: / 'Because my father lives, I am not free to choose my own husband; / I cannot become your wife; grant me passage now.'
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Addressed thus, the mountain said: 'Against your will, by my great might, / I shall marry you, O good lady! Who is your protector now?'
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Knowing through divine sight that he was overpowered by desire, / she said: 'I have no protector; I have come to you alone for refuge.
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If I must indeed be married by you, O mighty one, / do not marry me unbathed, O lord, and grant me permission to bathe.'
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Then the mountain, proud of his own wealth, spoke to her: / 'Behold in me, O fortunate lady, all my majesty which brings happiness!
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Where pairs of kiṃnaras sing delightfully, / and the pleasant sound of lutes and other instruments is heard;
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where palmyras, tamālas, pippalas, and jackfruit trees / are always seen, most lovely, laden with fruit and flowers;
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with kuṭajas, kovidāras, kadambas, and kurabas, / resplendent with swarms of intoxicated bees, the mountain shines on all sides.
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In some places, with buds of kuṭaja, it shines like Hara's bodily cosmetic; / in others, with karṇikāras, it has the luster of Viṣṇu's garment;
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covered with tamāla leaves, in some places it has the splendor of Yama; / in others, its limbs smeared with mineral dyes, the mountain resembles the form of the chief of the gaṇas;
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in some places, with a body of yellow orpiment, it shines like the four-faced [Brahmā]; / in others, with saptacchada trees, this mountain shines like the body of Viṣṇu;
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in some places, filled with priyaṅgu blossoms, it resembles Kātyāyanī; / in others, with kesara flowers, it shines with the appearance of fire.'
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In some places it shines with bilva fruits, round, bristling, and smooth / like women’s breasts, hard to obtain for those of little merit.
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In various places it shines with lions, tigers, deer, elephants, / boars, and monkeys devoted to one another,
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rising high as if piercing the sky with their peaks.
When this was said, Śāradā replied to that best of mountains:
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“If you would marry me as I weep thus alone, / hold the submarine fire in your hand while I perform my ritual ablution.”
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When this was said, the lord of mountains took the fire.
Kṛtasmara, from its touch, turned to ash in an instant.
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From then on, his stones became soft;
they are quarried together with artisans for houses and temples.
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Having burned Kṛtasmara, the goddess took up the submarine fire once more
and stood near the sea, her bodily hair bristling with joy.
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Standing there, that great goddess said to the submarine fire:
“Look, O submarine fire, at the ocean standing roaring before us!”
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Seeing it roaring and creeping forward with waves,
he also said to her: “What is this, fair one? Is the salt ocean afraid of me?”
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Laughing, the maiden said: “Who would not fear you, O fire?
For it has been ordained as your food by the gods, O mighty one!”
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Hearing that speech of hers, the fire became exceedingly glad:
“I shall grant you a boon, fair one; ask of me whatever you desire.”
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Thus addressed at that time by the submarine fire, the goddess
remembered the lotus-eyed Viṣṇu, the causal self.
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As soon as he was remembered by Sarasvatī, the transcendent lord of the three worlds,
the god Janārdana, was seen by her residing within her own heart.
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Beholding the imperishable one dwelling within her by her mind’s vision, she said:
“The submarine fire is offering a boon. What should I ask of him?”
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Then the goddess Sarasvatī was told by him who was in her heart:
“The boon to be requested with care, fair one, is that his mouth become like a needle.”
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Then he was addressed by the goddess: “If you grant me a boon,
then, having become needle-mouthed, drink the waters, O mighty one!”
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When he was thus addressed, it was made equal to a needle's bore by him;
like the filling of a water-clock, that mouth drank the water.
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Thus that submarine fire, ready to devour the gods,
went forth, deceived by Viṣṇu who carefully used his intellect.
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The man who hears this holy creation recited
attains the realm of Viṣṇu and rejoices with him.
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Thus ends the thirty-third chapter, named 'Description of the Sarasvatī Account and the Speech of the Submarine Fire,' in the Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya, the first [sub-section] of the Prabhāsakhaṇḍa, the seventh [section] of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, a collection of eighty-one thousand verses.
Linked texts (1)
- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit