Skandapurana 2.1.30
English (machine translation) 2.1.30
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2.1.30.1
Now the description of Suvarṇamukharī:
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Sūta said:
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And to Pārtha, who had thus arrived after beholding all the sacred fords,
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that great river multiplied his delight;
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in the bowers on whose banks women rejoice at ease
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and perfected beings are attended by winds cooled by showers of spray;
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which, as if raising its hands to embrace the Gaṅgā flowing in the sky,
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rises with towering billows that touch the clouds;
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the grounds of the hermitages on whose banks shine with smoke born of oblations clinging to tree branches
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and with garments of bark.
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Installed all around by foremost sages and the best of gods,
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on both of whose banks shine the divine liṅgas of the Trident-bearer;
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resting in their dwelling upon whose sandbanks,
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swans, the finest of birds, do not remember their own abode, the Mānasa lake;
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who, having allayed the terror of drought by waters issued from the mouths of irrigation channels,
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nourishes the crops that are capable of preserving the world;
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adorned with ripples like creeping vines, with cakravāka birds as her lofty breasts,
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having the expanse of sandbanks as her hips, and whirlpools gleaming as her navel;
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with blossoming lotuses as her face, darting pairs of fish as her eyes,
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glistening foam as her garment, charming with her gait of swans;
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having the cries of waterbirds as her conversation, delighting the eyes,
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she who shines as the ocean's beloved, having the form of an extraordinary lovely woman.
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On the eastern bank of that river flowing between its bounds, Dhanañjaya
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saw a towering mountain named Kālahasti,
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which scraped the celestial vault with the sweep of its lofty peaks,
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and was adorned with foundation-stones firmly rooted deep below the seven Pātālas.
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Now Arjuna's arrival to worship Kālahastīśvara and others on the bank of the Svarṇamukharī.
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Having bathed in that great river, on that mountain Arjuna saw the god
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worshiped by the gods, known by the name Kālahastīśa.
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And having worshipped Mahādeva, the companion of the daughter of the mountain king,
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with a mind filled with devotion, he attained the fulfillment of his purpose.
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Then, on that great mountain, the sole abode of wonders,
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he wandered about, eager to see marvels never seen before.
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He beheld siddhas dwelling on the mountain slopes,
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accompanied by women, singing the exploits of the god of gods;
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enjoyed by celestial women, excited with the intoxication of flower-wine,
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he respectfully looked upon Gandharvas seated in bowers;
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in secluded places, dedicated to meditation on Śiva,
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he saw divine yogins possessed of reverence and joy;
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all around, the Pāṇḍava observed tranquil hermitage sites,
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their entrance grounds glistening with offerings of wild grains;
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fasting, feeding on wind, eating fallen leaves, subsisting on heat,
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he beheld peaceful sages whose senses were restrained.
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Lakes of lotuses brought joy to his eyes,
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scenting the intermediate directions with the fragrance of blooming saugandhika lilies.
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Their minds engrossed in hunting, wandering with strung bows,
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Now Arjuna's arrival at the hermitage of Bharadvāja on the bank of the Suvarṇamukharī.
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he saw Kirātas accompanied by their wives, searching for deer.
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Then, wandering in the charming southern quarter of the mountain,
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the Kaurava beheld the holy hermitage of Bharadvāja,
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with plantains, coconuts, mangoes, jujubes, campakas, and sandaltrees,
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takkolas, aśokas, hintālas, palmyras, ketakīs, and pomegranates,
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rose apples, kadambas, katakas, khadiras, arjunas, and pāṭalas,
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nāgas, punnāgas, saralas, devodārus, and karañjas,
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with cloves, luṅgas, lavalīs, priyaṅgus, and tilakas too,
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bibhītakas, bilvas, aśvatthas, madhūkas, plakṣas, and kesaras,
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areca palms, citrons, oranges, nimba, āmalaka, and kauśika trees,
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and adorned with other trees rich in fruits and flowers,
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entwined with vāsantī, kunda, jasmine, and other creepers,
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with female bees attracted all around by its extraordinary fragrance,
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giving shelter to cakravākas, cranes, krauñcas, swans, and kāraṇḍavas,
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graced with multitudes of saugandhika lilies, blue lotuses, water lilies, and white lotuses,
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endowed with beauty by lakes of sweet and abundant water trickling like nectar,
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the sole home of wonders,
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thronged with lions, elephants, tigers, hyenas, ruru deer, and antelopes,
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and other wild animals acting benevolently toward one another,
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surpassing the Caitraratha garden and putting the Nandana grove to shame,
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exalted beyond speech and mind, the cause of supreme bliss,
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where sweet-voiced parrots reveal to their fledglings
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the peerless collection of meanings of the divine Śaiva scriptures.
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Where the sky, darkened by the smoke of sacrificial fires,
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spreads the illusion of out-of-season clouds to peacocks;
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Where elephants, approaching at will, cool the limbs
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of lions exhausted from play, with sprays from their trunks—
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beholding that hermitage, his mind struck with wonder,
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the son of Pāṇḍu praised the power of the ascetics.
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Halting all his attendants right there,
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Now, the manner of Bharadvāja's service by Arjuna:
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he entered that hermitage together with his friends, the eminent brahmins.
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Ahead, the son of Kuntī beheld Bharadvāja,
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resplendent with the brilliance of flashing fire, surrounded by many foremost sages,
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his whole body smeared with ash, his upper garment a deer skin,
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radiant like Mount Kailāsa wrapped in a fresh cloud,
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shining with hanging matted locks that possessed a golden luster,
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like an autumn cloud strewn with motionless lightning-streaks,
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as if he were an embodied form assumed by the meanings of Śruti, Smṛti, and the Purāṇas
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assembled into one, the auspicious abode of divine knowledge,
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constantly served by steadfastness, forbearance, compassion, contentment, and peace,
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as if by beloved women devoted to him, possessing unbroken spiritual splendor.
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Approaching slowly, Pārtha made a prostration
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with all eight limbs touching the ground before the sage’s lotus feet.
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Now, the manner of hospitality shown by Bharadvāja to Arjuna:
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Raising up the son of Pṛthā who had arrived, the eminent sage,
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his heart blossoming with great joy, cheered him with blessings.
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And duly honoring that dear guest with the guest-offering and other rites,
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he inquired after his health as he sat upon the designated seat.
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Having received honor from this sage, the middle Pāṇḍava
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brought delight to the mind of the chief of sages with kind words.
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Then Bharadvāja remembered the heavenly cow that milks desires;
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she prepared an abundant feast of various foods and delicacies.
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Having eaten, Pārtha attended upon that treasury of austerity along with his followers,
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and spent the rest of the day pleasantly in conversational exchange.
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Then, having performed the evening ritual and made offerings to the sacred fire,
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he went together with the brahmins and ministers to the sage's huts.
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Seated there, congratulated with blessings by the lord of sages,
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delighted, he rejoiced in the cool breezes of that river.
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“By whom was she brought to the earth? From what mountain was she born, having such great power?”—
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thus, to hear of the power of the river, having inquired, his intention arose to hear from the foremost sage.
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Thus ends the thirtieth chapter, entitled “Description of Bharadvāja's Hermitage,” in the praise of the majesty of Suvarṇamukharī, in the Veṅkaṭācala-māhātmya, in the second section, the Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa, of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.
Linked texts (1)
- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit