Skandapurana 17.14

English (machine translation) 17.14

Language: English

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Sārasvata said: / Formerly, in the Vastrāpatha, that great sacred field, in the city of Vāmana, / the venerable seer Vasiṣṭha was consumed by grief for his sons.

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He came to perform austerities on the bank of the Svarṇarekhā River. / In the northeast direction from the city, in the waters of the Svarṇarekhā River,

having bathed and meditated on God Śiva, when he contemplated him in his mind, / then Rudra arrived, the three-eyed god whose banner bears a bull: / “Great seer, I am pleased with you; tell me what I may do [for you].”

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Vasiṣṭha said: / “If you are pleased, Mahādeva, and a boon is to be given to me now, / then you should remain here as long as the moon and stars endure.

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Whenever sinful men shall perform ritual ablutions here, / you must always effect the destruction of their sins, O God.

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Those sinful men who worship the three-eyed god— / bring those men, O Lord of gods, to Śiva’s abode in aerial chariots!”

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Sārasvata said: / Having said, “So be it,” God Hara vanished right there. / After slaying Hiraṇyakaśipu, the mighty Narasiṃha / gave the three worlds to Indra, while he himself departed to Kālarudra.

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In his lineage was born Bali, who possessed extraordinary strength. / That exceedingly strong Bali brought the earth under a single parasol; / the earth bore crops without cultivation, had abundant water, and was rich in grain.

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The flowers were fragrant, the fruits flavorful; / the trees bore fruit right down to their trunks, and honey filled every hollow.

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All brahmins were masters of the four Vedas; kṣatriyas were skilled in warfare; / vaiśyas were devoted to caring for cattle; and śūdras were intent on service.

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The inhabitants of the realm were virtuous in conduct, free from agricultural calamities and disease; / all the people were joyous, robust, ever happy, and ever energetic.

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With their limbs smeared with saffron and agallochum, well-attired, and handsomely adorned, / they were freed from poverty, grief, and premature death, living long lives.

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With regions of the earth illuminated by lamps at night just as in the day, / mortals moved about there like gods in a divine abode.

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On earth turned into heaven itself, the asura Bali ruled. / The royal palace was constantly resonant with instruments played at marriages.

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The daitya enjoyed the earth just as the king of gods does heaven; / at that time, Devendra was constantly gratified by Bali through sacrifices.

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There was no fighting between the gods and the dānavas; / there was only one king, and there was no battle upon the surface of the earth.

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There was no strife among rivals; there was no fight between lions and elephants, / nor between snakes and mongooses, nor between cats and mice.

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The entire world, moving and unmoving, attained a state of friendship. / Having wandered through the three worlds, Nārada, in the Nandana grove,

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went about and saw no battle in the three worlds, with all that moves and is still; / then a great ache arose in his stomach:

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“I have no business with ritual ablutions and the like; what purpose have I with oblations? / My actions are otherwise turned away from all recitation, fire-offerings, and the like.

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That is a [true] bath where elephants fight, clashing their tusks; / that is [true] twilight worship where the earth is adorned with headless torsos of the slain;

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where carnivores are sated with the blood flowing from the frontal lobes of elephants shattered by blows of spears— / that oblation is dear to me.

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Those kṣatriyas slain in battle are an inaccessible forest of elephant-heads; / that is a [true] fire-offering where elephants and foremost among men are offered as oblations.

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This is Nārada’s offering in the fire of battle-cries, famed throughout the three worlds! / When the surface of the earth is adorned with severed feet, heads, and hands,

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and hung with entrails, that is my constant worship of the gods! / What have I to do with gods in heaven, or with men on the earth,

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or with serpents in Pātāla, if they do not fight one another? / I will act in such a way, through Devendra and Upendra on the earth,

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that Bali shall go to Rasātala; let my word prove true! / When with his very life and his kingdom [Bali]

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pleases Dāmodara Hari with exertion, then he shall become Indra. / Having slain Vṛtra, Devendra will lose his sovereignty.

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When he goes to Vastrāpatha and worships Bhava with devotion, / then the lord of the gods shall once more be freed from the sin of killing a brahmin.”

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By reciting this mantra, his stomach ache was calmed; / Nārada went swiftly to the presence of the king of gods.

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Mounting his throne, Hari was seated in Nandana; / the mighty king of gods sat surrounded by the deities,

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watching Rambhā, that celestial beauty, dancing. / Filled with wonder, the god saw Nārada arriving.

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“Ah, the venerable Nārada appears hostile toward me! / Should there be dancing, or should I stop the dance? Should there be singing, or should singing cease?

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Should musical instruments be played with beats and rhythms?” While Hari was thus lost in thought, / the sage arrived, intent on sprinkling water.

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Leaving his throne, rising up, and standing before him, / Hari greeted Nārada with a welcome and addressed him:

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“Welcome to you today, great seer! From where have you come? / Is all well with your ritual ablutions, twilight worship, and fire-offerings?”

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Addressed thus, Nārada laughed and spoke to Hari: / “If I have that, what need have I of anything else?

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I do not see any place worthy of your viewing, O Lord of heaven! / As long as the rule of Bali lasts, I have no business with you.

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All the planets, beginning with the Sun, are regulated according to proper time; / drenched by sacrificial offerings, the clouds joyfully pour rain on the earth;

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there is no death from disease or other ills, and Yama is constrained by righteousness.”

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Under a single umbrella that king enjoyed the earth. / 'O Lord of the three worlds! O Great King! O One skilled in the art of war!' / 'O Lover of the breasts of the Fortune of the three worlds!'—thus he was constantly praised by multitudes of bards and minstrels:

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'O Brahmā! O Kṛṣṇa! O Hara on earth! O Indra! O Sūrya! O Lord of wealth! / O Lord of the enemies of the gods! O Lord of the gods!'—thus he was sung of by multitudes of bards and minstrels.

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Even without a battle, the hosts of Daityas laugh; rutting and frenzied, the elephants trumpet; / mounting chariots, the men roam about; the army commanders take pleasure in their homes among women.

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The sky shines with the smoke of sacrificial fires; the earth shines resplendent as gold; / but the world shines devoid of the Vedas, and the domain of Bali shines with hosts of Daityas.

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Bali does not recognize you as the lord of the gods, and all the gods feed upon the sacrifice of Bali. / Consider yourself in your own heart who your enemy is; this that I have spoken to you is fitting.

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Rambhā does not shine upon the stage; Menakā does not esteem you; / even Tilottamā considers King Bali to be the lord of the gods.

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Urvaśī goes to him, and Sukeśā speaks with him; / Mañjughoṣā turns her face away and does not look at you.

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Pulomā feels no thrill of delight without Bali; / Paulomī goes before Bali and languidly praises him.

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Nārada, Parvata, Hāhā, Hūhū, and Tumburu / praise the reign of Bali in the presence of Rudra: so have I heard.

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Satisfied with offerings of clarified butter in the abode of Brahmā, the seers / praise [him] in the presence of Brahmā: thus have I told you.

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What Bṛhaspati said, I ought not to repeat to you: / Indrāṇī, regarding Bali as the mighty one, looks at Bali in portraits."

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At these words, the lord of the gods trembled, seized by rage at that moment. / 'Elephant! Thunderbolt!' he said to his charioteer, 'Bring my sword, armor, and chariot!

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Let Sūrya [advance] in a chariot, the Maruts on an elephant, Rudra on a bull, Śauri on a buffalo! / Let the musical instruments sound for my battle today! Let Caṇḍī and the Gaṇeśas advance swiftly!'

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Seeing the lord of the gods utterly enraged, Bṛhaspati of noble intellect, / the learned one, entering among the seers, spoke words appropriate to the occasion:

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"Four policies, beginning with conciliation, were formerly proclaimed by Manu. / In matters that can be accomplished by conciliation, let not punishment be applied by him.

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Therefore, having summoned Upendra, let the foremost of the gods deliberate. / Subservient to him is the entire world, the three worlds with all that moves and is still.

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And when matters have failed, good and bad should be stated to him. / He alone should go first to the earth for the attainment of your purpose."

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"So be it!" Indra, thus petitioned by the gods, did accordingly. / Then Viṣṇu came to Mount Mandara from Satyaloka.

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Let those seers go there to bring Janārdana. / Having been told this, Nārada arrived at Mandara from heaven to bathe.

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Gautama, Atri, Bharadvāja, Viśvāmitra, then Kaśyapa, / Jamadagni, and Vasiṣṭha arrived at the temple of Hari.

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Nārada bathed in the water of the Gaṅgā on the mountain and performed his twilight devotions. / While he was staying there, the delighted great seers, the Vālakhilyas,

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having bowed with humility, Nārada said to them: / "The seers have arrived at Mandara to take Viṣṇu to the abode of the gods.

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It is fitting for you too, O seers, to have his darśana." / Hearing these words of his, those great seers were delighted.

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Those Vālakhilyas, dwarfs the size of a thumb-joint, / having gone to bathe in the water of the Gaṅgā, Hari [saw] before him in his temple.

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He laughed at all the dwarfs on account of the power of what was destined to happen. / All those sons of Brahmā, the Vālakhilyas, were observed in their vows;

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filled with shame and seized with anger, they spoke loudly to one another: / "For some work of the gods, this one shall become a dwarf!"

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Being enlightened by the seers and Viṣṇu, all of them were propitiated. / "Let it be stated when the liberation from this destiny shall be for Viṣṇu."

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[The seers said:] / "When the sacred field of Vastrāpatha becomes greater than Prabhāsa, / then his growth shall take place, pervading the circle of the Pole Star; / and thus the sacred field of Vastrāpatha shall be greater by a barley-corn.

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Having seen the god Someśvara, he will be freed from the fault. / The power to accomplish the impossible shall be firmly yours.

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He who sees Somanātha in Vastrāpatha, he truly sees." / Having embraced Indra and Upendra, they both sat upon an excellent seat.

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Viṣṇu said: / "What is your task, O King of the gods? I will certainly do that."

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Indra said: / "In the lineage of Hiraṇyakaśipu there is the very powerful Daitya Bali. / By him all this has been pervaded; the gods have been made to eat only sacrificial offerings.

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The entire earthly realm has passed into the divine realm, O Keśava. / Before he undergoes transformation remembering the former enmity, / let Bali, fallen from kingship, reside in Pātāla.

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Let some king born in the solar or lunar lineage arise on the surface of the earth."

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Sārasvata said: / Having heard these words and considered them in his mind, / saying to him, "I will do so," Janārdana addressed the sages:

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"Let the seers go there and have a great sacrifice performed. / I shall go there and subdue that Bali."

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Having been addressed thus, all the sages went to the sacrificial pavilion. / A great twelve-day sacrifice with fees given to all was begun.

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The sacred field of Vastrāpatha, famed in the region of Surāṣṭra, O king— / on its southern side was the accomplished great city of Bali.

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Outside the sacred field, the sacrifice was begun with one's entire property given as fee. / All the sages were invited by Śukra for the sacrificial rite. / Exceedingly delighted at the sacrifice, Bali gave various gifts.

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In all gold vessels, abundant food is given. / The guest and the learned brahmin are honored even with all one's possessions. / Through giving a sacrifice becomes complete; lacking gifts, it becomes in vain.

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At that very time, Viṣṇu assumed the form of a dwarf (Vāmana). / In the Madhyadeśa, [he became] a four-Veda-knowing brahmin, a pilgrim to sacred fords, / big-bellied, short-armed, lame-footed, with a large head,

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with large jaws, thick calves, a stout neck, extremely restless, / wearing white clothes, with his topknot tied, carrying an umbrella, shoes, and a water-pot.

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To see many sacred fords, he wandered the earth. / The twice-born arrived in the land of Surāṣṭra, in the sacred field of Vastrāpatha.

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On the bank of the Svarṇarekhā river, Vāmana reflected: / “Shall I first see Bhava and then go to Someśvara, the auspicious Śiva?

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Or having worshipped Someśvara, shall I go afterwards to Mandara?” / Having thus become absorbed in thought, and having considered in his mind what was to be done, / [he decided:] “Remaining here, I shall certainly worship Somanātha.

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In the great sacred field of Vastrāpatha, people continually worship Bhava Someśvara in vain; / surely, [proper worship] must be performed by me.

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Of all countries, this is the best country; of all mountains, this is the best mountain; / of all sacred fields, this is the best sacred field; of all rivers, this is the best river;

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of all forests, this is the divine forest; and of all gods, Bhava is the highest. / When the god Someśvara bursts through the earth and appears,

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then in Āmramaṇḍala this divine sacred field will surpass [all others by far].” / On the fourteenth day of the bright half of Caitra, intent upon practicing the discipline of fires,

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with upraised arms at the time of the sun, he beheld Bhava; / when the lord of day had passed midday and was lingering,

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his limbs scorched by the heat of the fire, he then beheld Śaṃkara, / Somanātha, the peaceful Śiva worshipped by all the gods, / [and offered worship] with water for guest-offering mixed with flowers and with water, O fair lady.

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Sārasvata said: / Then, having burst through the earth, the lord of gods, Someśvara himself, stood / in the form of a liṅga, Mahādeva, for as long as a day of Brahmā lasts.

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Someśvara said: / “You are accomplished by my grace; your purpose will be accomplished.” / Addressed thus, Vāmana replied to the god Maheśvara:

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Vāmana said: / “If you are pleased, O Mahādeva, if a boon is to be granted to me, / then you must dwell here in this divine liṅga before me.

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Whoever will worship this self-manifest liṅga in my city of Vāmana— / whether a killer of a brahmin, a killer of a cow, or a slayer of a child,

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a traitor to his guru, or a gold thief—is freed from all sins. / And whoever, being faultless, worships Hara Someśvara even once,

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having died, having mounted an aerial chariot, surrounded by celestial women, / being praised by the guardians of the directions, let him go to the abode of Śiva in heaven.

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Passing beyond the world of Brahmā, let him go to the world of Rudra.” / Saying, “So be it,” Somanātha vanished right there.

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Having revealed the self-manifest liṅga Somanātha, / Vāmana, having obtained knowledge and acquired prosperity, went to see Bhava, Hara.

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All the rivers, beginning with the Gaṅgā, abide in the waters of the Svarṇarekhā. / Those men and women who hear of this origin of Someśvara / attain the destruction of all sins; there is no doubt about this.

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Thus ends the fourteenth chapter, named “The Description of the Origin of Someśvara,” in the second [sub-section], the Vastrāpathakṣetramāhātmya, of the seventh section, the Prabhāsakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, a collection of eighty-one thousand [verses].

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit