Skandapurana 17.16

English (machine translation) 17.16

Language: English

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The king said: / Now, when that brahmin Vāmana entered the deep forest, / what wonder did he perform there alone? Tell me that.

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Sārasvata said: / Then that brahmin Vāmana, having gone to Mount Raivataka, / and having bathed according to rule in the waters of the river Svarṇarekhā,

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having worshipped the god with devotion using fragrant flowers, incense, and the like, / stood before him alone in the desolate forest, O king,

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a forest filled with all kinds of creatures, swarming with reptiles, / resounding with many calls, echoing with the cries of peacocks,

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charming with the cries of cuckoos, noisy with wild cocks, / illuminated by fireflies, shaken by monkeys,

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calmed in places by bamboo-fires, with blossoming trees in places, / its branches touching the sky, free from the heat of the sun,

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with wild boars and śambara deer wandering in terror from the strikes of hunters, / skillful in providing places of safety for hosts of delighted Kṣatriyas.

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Endowed with many wonders, he remembered Hari with his mind. / Knowing him to be frightened, as it were, Narasiṃha arrived.

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For the protection of that brahmin, standing before him, he spoke: / 'You must not fear, O brahmin; tell me, what shall I do for you?'

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The brahmin said: / 'If you are pleased and a boon is to be given to me by you, O Narasiṃha, / protection must always be granted here to all dwellers at the sacred ford.

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You must always remain before the deity as long as the fourteen Indras [endure].' / Saying 'Let it be so' to him, Hari then acted accordingly.

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Therefore, Narasiṃha is worshipped before Dāmodara; / the forest was made tranquil by him, and he protects the sacred ford.

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No dwelling of bhūtas, pretas, and the like occurs in that forest; / by the power of Narasiṃha, fear arising from lions and other beasts was destroyed.

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In the month of Kārttika, on the day of Viṣṇu, on the twelfth lunar day, after breaking his fast, / having bowed to Dāmodara, he then went to behold Bhava.

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Having bathed on the fourteenth lunar day and worshipped Bhava with devotion, / the sin arising from worldly existence was reduced to ashes from the worship of Bhava.

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His heap of sins diminished from beholding the deity; / [he saw] that tranquil one standing before Bhava and likewise Vastrāpatha.

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Having worshipped that Kālamegha, he then went to Vastrāpatha; / having worshipped the deity with mantras declared in the Vedas, according to rule,

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with incense, lamps, food offerings, and the like, Vāmana performed everything. / Having performed a hundred circumambulations, he stood before Bhava.

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As he looks upon everything, he beholds the mountain, / Ujjayanta, the best of mountains, the brother of Maināka,

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renowned in the land of Surāṣṭra, situated first at the beginning of the yuga, / a mountain joined with hills, adorned with rocks and trees.

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Having seen it, that Vāmana reflected upon the subtle dharmas, / requiring little effort, bringing abundant results, bestowing sons and prosperity:

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'When [these duties] are performed, one's own dharma arises inevitably: / having seen a river flowing to the ocean and having bathed, one is freed from sins;

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having touched a cow, having bowed to a brahmin, having worshipped the guru and deities, / an ascetic, a restrained renouncer, a Veda-knowing scholar, a celibate student;

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having fed father, mother, sister, her husband, daughter, husband, / nephew, grandson, friends, relatives, and kin, householders are freed from all sins.

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A king, an elephant, a horse, a mongoose, a chaste woman, a bull, mountains, / a mirror, trees with milky sap, and those who continually provide food—

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these purify as soon as they are seen, [as do] those who always speak the truth; / having heard a discourse on the dharma of the Vedas, they bestow enjoyment and liberation upon men.

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Remembering Hari and Hara and the Gaṅgā, performing cleansing by its bank, / going to the vigil of Viṣṇu and giving a gift according to one's capacity,

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offering betel, flowers, a lamp, food offerings, and tulasī leaves, / and performing singing, dancing, and instrumental music in the temple of the god—

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these are remembered as the subtle dharmas which, when performed, bring great prosperity. / Therefore, I shall behold the lord of mountains, the auspicious abode of all the gods.'

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Heaven is in the palm of their hand—those men who ascend the peak. (30)

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Knowing this, Vāmana climbed to the mountain summit, / where water had gushed forth from the impact of Airāvata's foot. (31)

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Then, to see Bhavānī, mother of Skanda, seated on the peak, / that Vāmana went up to the sky-reaching summit. (32)

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The higher men ascend upon the excellent mountain, / the more all embodied beings are freed from their sins. (33)

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Resolving thus in his mind, the brahmin went to the mountain summit. / Devoted to Bhava, he beheld Bhavānī, the mother of Skanda. (34)

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"Mother!" says Skanda, and after him all the other gods, / all mortals on earth, and all serpents in Pātāla. (35)

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Therefore indeed she is celebrated as 'Ambā' and worshipped on the mountain summit. / Having worshipped her with various choice fruits of diverse kinds, the twice-born (36)

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stood upon the sky-touching peak filled with wonder. / Alone on that peak, he stood with his arms raised up, (37)

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beholding the whole earth together with mountains and oceans, / [and gazing upon] the primordial, eternal god Bhāskara, composed of the three guṇas, (38)

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consisting of all radiance, the god of all, bowed to by the gods, / wandering without support, the instigator of the measurement of time. (39)

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While the brahmin looked at him, just then he beheld Śaṃkara, / the sky-clad god Bhava, concealed on every side by stones, (40)

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the god endowed with the appearance of the Buddha, omniscient, adorned with virtues, / lean-limbed, matted-haired, gentle, standing himself in the sky. (41)

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Śrī Śiva said: / Listen, Vāmana! I am pleased; I will grant you various boons. / You shall have prosperity pervading the three worlds, there is no doubt. (42)

The Vedas shall be revealed to you, as well as song, dance, and the like. / You will have steadfast power that accomplishes what is impossible. / Moreover, go to Vastrāpatha and behold the sacred fords. (43)

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Vāmana said: / Whatever sacred fords there are in Vastrāpatha, O Mahādeva, / declare them to me in detail, O God, if you have compassion for me. (44)

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Rudra said: / In the north-western corner of Vastrāpatha is a divine lake. / In its western quarter is a thicket dense with leaves, (45)

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consisting of bilva trees; within it is an earthen liṅga / where that hunter of old attained perfection and went to my abode. (46)

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By merely viewing it, the sin of killing a brahmin is destroyed, / [the liṅga] where Indra, the slayer of Vṛtra, was freed from the sin of killing a brahmin. (47)

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In the northern quarter from it is the liṅga established by Kubera, / famous in the three worlds; and there is the trident-bearing Goddess, (48)

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by merely beholding whom his son Nalakūbara / came to have a noose fastened around his hand, and made the god trident-bearing. (49)

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In the south-western corner of Bhava, the attendant named Heramba / was first established by Yama while making the liṅga. (50)

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Wondrous is its māhātmya; Chitragupta was utterly amazed / upon seeing it, having come of old to see that earthen god. (51)

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A liṅga was also fashioned by him in that sacred field, O best of brahmins, / named Chitragupteśvara, famous in the three worlds. (52)

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To the west, the noble-minded Prajāpati erected on high / the liṅga called Kedāra, situated on Mount Raivataka; / Prajāpati himself stood there on the mountain ridge. (53)

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Rudra said: / I shall narrate the māhātmya of Indreśvara; listen to it, / well-known in the north-eastern corner of Bhava, known to me. (54)

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Vāmana said: / Why did Indra come, and how did Hari make Hara? / Narrate this story in full detail to me, O Lord. (55)

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Rudra said: / Formerly, the hunter attained perfection through keeping vigil on Śivarātri. / Then an aerial chariot with attendants arrived from the world of Śiva; (56)

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it travelled everywhere, very charming, resonant with songs of divine women. / Mounting it, he came to see that city of Hari, (57)

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in which a battle had occurred between the attendants [of Śiva] and the servants of Yama. / Knowing that he was arriving, the king of gods thought: (58)

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"He must be worshipped like Hara by all, including Chitragupta and Yama." / Indra mounted his elephant, while Yama went on a buffalo. (59)

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Placing his pen behind his ear by the order of Yama, Chitragupta / then summoned all the attendants who had been brought from the surface of the earth. (60)

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Distressed by their own offense, they went facing south. / "Hospitable worship must be performed when the hunter comes to our home. (61)

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Indeed, if he goes away unworshipped, Hara will curse me. / Therefore, I shall perform worship so that Śaṃkara is pleased." (62)

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He beheld him who had come to see the god, stationed not far off, / mounted on an aerial chariot, having the form of Hara, brilliant as ten million suns, (63)

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being praised with deeds of Śivarātri and of Śiva, / when vigil was kept on the fourteenth of the dark fortnight in the month of Māgha: (64)

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"All this comes about in this way on the face of the earth, O Lord of the gods!" / Thus a certain celestial woman, declaring [this] to Purandara, / holding back the lordly elephant by raising her hand, she of beautiful eyes [said]: (65)

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"What use are many gifts bestowed? What use are vows? What use are services to the gods? / What use are yogas, and what use are austerities and celibacies, O Lord of the gods? (66)

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What use is the offering of rice-balls at Gayā, or death at Prayāga? / What use is going to Someśvara on the Sarasvatī at the time of a lunar eclipse? (67)

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What would come of going to Kurukṣetra when the sun is seized by Rāhu? / What would come of giving gold equal to one's weight, or of recitation of the Vedas? (68)

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What of that release of a bull, by which all sins are destroyed? / What does the gift of a cow achieve in this way, and likewise the gift of water? (69)

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What sort of fruit is there at the solstice, the equinox, or the transit of the sun, / compared to that which is attained when vigil is kept on the fourteenth in the month of Māgha?" (70)

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Seated upon his buffalo, Yama addressed [him] with these words: / "Look at the māhātmya of Rudra, Chitragupta; reflect upon it!" (71)

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"This is that hunter by whom Hara was worshipped long ago. / Listen about the sacred ford celebrated in the Surāṣṭra country as Vastrāpatha.

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Mount Ujjayanta is there, and likewise Mount Raivataka. / Between them is a great thicket, as I have heard.

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There is an earthen liṅga, and he was worshipped at night by this [hunter], / who came for a certain purpose to keep a vigil at night.

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How can that be spoken by us? The gods themselves know it." / Excellent women, desiring to see the chosen one, selected one another; / having come swiftly from Indra's abode to the Nandana garden,

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"A certain person is coming, possessing the splendor of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śaṃkara, / in bodily form, to see the city of the lord of the gods. Is this my husband, or is he your lord?"

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Awakened in the palace of the king of gods by praises with the sounds of mṛdaṅgas, lute, and kettle-drums, / the women saw: "This god is Hara, not a mortal in the form of Hara. Is he yours? Or what, is he ours?"

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Some sing, some laugh, some dance, some recite aloud; / some speak with various words accompanied by shouts of 'Victory!' in the presence of the guru.

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One praises Śiva, another praises Śivā; then another asks: "Is this fruit of yours from a bilva leaf, / or from fasting? Or is this fruit of yours from the loss of sleep?"

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Various words of theirs are heard in the Nandana grove. / And having engaged in conversations about Brahmā's world and others, thereafter

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the lord of the gods, filled with curiosity, spoke again to the hunter: / "In which country, on which mountain is the thicket where the liṅga is? Show it [to me]."

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The hunter said: / "In the famous country of Surāṣṭra, in which country the Sarasvatī, / bearing the submarine fire on her head, entered the salty ocean;

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where that Gomatī flows, where Gandhamādana stands; / where Ujjayanta, the best of mountains, is, and where Mount Raivataka is;

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there is the sacred field Vastrāpatha; Bhava is situated there. / There stands the earthen liṅga in the midst of the thicket, O best of gods."

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Indra said: / "Together [with you] I must go there; I myself will worship Bhava. / And show me the liṅga in the midst of the thicket, O hunter.

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The sin of touching another's wife and so on, incurred in destroying the Daityas / and in the slaying of Vṛtra—all that I will wash away."

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Having said this, all together reached the top of the mountain. / Leaving behind their vehicles, they set out on foot.

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The king of elephants came to the peak of Mount Ujjayanta. / Then, for a specific purpose, he placed his forefoot upon its summit.

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Pressed down by him, that best of mountains discharged pure water. / The water born from the elephant's foot will be permanent forever.

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Thus it was spoken by the lord of the gods, desiring the welfare of the worlds. / All of them arrived there, where the thicket was situated.

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Having worshipped with various flowers on the fourteenth day in the month of Māgha, / and having kept a vigil on it, Hari became pure.

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Having worshipped Bhava at Vastrāpatha, and Hari on Mount Raivataka, / and having installed Indreśvara, he returned to his own abode.

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The hunter too reached the abode of Hari in an aerial chariot. / Having spoken thus, the god Bhava vanished right there.

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Then Vāmana also performed a plunge in the sacred ford there. / Just as Śiva was seen in the solar disc, space-clad,

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seated in the lotus posture, tranquil, so remembering him there, / having installed the great form, he worshipped him for a day.

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For the sake of attaining the desired goal of his heart, he then obtained perfection. / That Vāmana gave it the name 'Neminātha-Śiva'.

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In the western part of Bhava, nearby on the surface of the earth, / Vāmana then made his dwelling at the sacred ford Vastrāpatha.

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Therefore the sacred ford is declared by the gods together with Indra to be greater by a barley-corn, / because Indra came before Bhava and worshipped the god.

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By the command of Bhava, this sacred ford is greater by a barley-corn than Prabhāsa. / By Śiva's command, it will be six times [greater than] other sacred fords.

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All this has been related; what else do you ask?"

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The king said: / "This power of Śivarātri has been described as incomparable. / Formerly it was heard [that it was] observed unknowingly by that hunter.

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Now tell me, O lord, how is it to be observed by other men? / What is to be accepted, and what should be avoided on Śivarātri? Tell me."

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The Sārasvata said: / "Having attained human birth, and having known the god Maheśvara, / Śivarātri, which bestows enjoyment and liberation, must always be observed.

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Such religious merit arises from one [observance] performed, O king. / For those mortals who observe it always, their merit is endless.

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This vow must be observed for twelve years, year after year. / If, because the life of men is fleeting, one is unable to do so,

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then this vow is completed in twelve months. / The commencement is made on the fourteenth day in the month of Māgha, O king.

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Then it should be performed each month, and concludes at the end of Pauṣa. / If an obstacle should arise midway somehow through the working of destiny,

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there will be no breach of the vow; it must be resumed immediately afterwards. / Keeping track of the count, twelve in all should definitely be performed.

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What is done in this world does not perish, whether it is auspicious or inauspicious. / Having performed the morning rites on the dark fourteenth,

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the rule of fasting must be undertaken, and ritual ablution in a river is prescribed. / In the absence of that, one should perform a ritual ablution according to one's capacity in a pond or the like.

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Rubbing with oil should not be done, nor should any travel be undertaken anywhere. / Service to a sacred ford should be performed, and arriving there is auspicious.

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Śivarātri must always be observed by men at a self-manifest liṅga; / in the absence of that, at a highly meritorious liṅga older than a hundred years."

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A liṅga that is on a mountain, in a forest, by the sea, in a river, or in an abode of Śiva, / is indeed a self-manifest liṅga, situated there by itself.

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A liṅga made of sand and the like, when worshipped, is traditionally held to yield fruits. / Having worshipped it diligently by day with flowers, incense, and other offerings, a man,

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Should avoid liquor, gambling, women, and the clipping of nails. / Dedicated to celibacy and tranquil, [such people] must observe the fast.

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Going before the deity at night, seven mountains should be made, / smeared with cooked food, fruits, betel, flowers, incense, and the like.

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A lamp with ghee should be prepared for the purpose of destroying sin, / for the māhātmya of the lamp is to be known as bestowing liberation.

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A lamp should always be maintained by men in the home and in a temple; / by day, by night, and at twilight, a lamp is to be made according to one's ability.

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By mere slight illumination, the gods on the earth are pleased. / First, a lamp must be made for the ancestors in the śrāddha rite.

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A vigil should be kept at night so that sleep does not occur. / This power of Śivarātri should be listened to in the presence of Śiva.

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The deeds of Śiva should be listened to in great detail at night; / song, dance, and instrumental music should likewise be performed in the presence of Śiva.

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In this way that night is spent, for keeping vigil is primary; / gifts should indeed be given according to one's capacity at night during that vigil.

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Having bathed again at dawn, the worship of Śiva is to be performed; / and ascetics should be honoured with food, clothing, and the like.

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Food should be given to practitioners of tapas by householders; / twelve, eight, four, or even just one should be fed.

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Even a single celibate student who knows Brahman and worships Śiva, / when fed with devotion in the house, is equal to thousands.

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One should oneself eat food on a leaf without alkaline or salt, restraining speech, / having first given food to sons, friends, and wives.

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According to this rite Śivarātri is to be observed by those observing the vow of Śiva. / When these twelve are completed, then vessels of sesame seeds

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—twelve indeed—should be given to the guru, brahmins, and kinsmen. / At the conclusion of the vow, a cow should be given: black, with its calf, and sturdy,

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Endowed with garments and ornaments, adorned with bell-ornaments, / [along with] a ring, clothes, an umbrella, sandals, and a water-pot.

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A sacrificial fee should be given to the guru, and to the brahmins according to one's ability. / Having done this, food should then be given to the ascetics; / having given various sweet dishes and asked their forgiveness, one should dismiss them.

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For one who truly acts thus, no sin exists; / having obtained excellent offspring and enjoyed unsurpassed pleasures,

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Mounted on a celestial aerial chariot, surrounded by celestial women, / he is led to the temple of Śiva with the resounding sounds of motion and musical instruments.

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This meritorious vow of Śivarātri has thus been told by me, / through the performance of which the destruction of all sins occurs for men.

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Thus ends the sixteenth chapter, named 'Description of the Māhātmya of Śivarātri', in the second [sub-section], the Vastrāpathakṣetramāhātmya, of the seventh section, the Prabhāsakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit