Skandapurana 2.2.1
English (machine translation) 2.2.1
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2.2.1.1
Now begins the Puruṣottama- (Jagannātha-) kṣetramāhātmya in the second, Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa, of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa. (2-2)
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Obeisance to the glorious Gaṇeśa.
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Now begins the Puruṣottama- (Jagannātha-) kṣetramāhātmya.
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Having bowed to Nārāyaṇa, and Nara, the best of men,
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and the goddess Sarasvatī, and Vyāsa, one should then recite the victory. 1
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The sages said:
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O venerable one, knower of all scriptures, knower of the greatness of all sacred fords,
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that which was previously spoken of by you when beginning the recitation of sacred fords—
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the exceedingly great, supremely purifying sacred field called Puruṣottama,
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wherein the Lord of Śrī abides in a wooden form in human play,
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granting liberation merely upon darśana, bestowing the fruit of all sacred fords in visible presence—
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tell us that in detail: by whom was that sacred field fashioned?
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The venerable Lord Nārāyaṇa, the master, in his own visible person is the manifestation of light;
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how does the supreme Puruṣa abide in it, made of wood?
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Speak, O best among the eloquent, O guru of all the worlds, O sage!
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We wish to hear, O brahmin; indeed, our curiosity is supreme.
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Jaimini said:
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Listen, all you sages; that is indeed a supreme secret.
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To non-Vaiṣṇavas, devotion does not arise upon hearing it,
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by the mere recitation of which all darkness is dissolved.
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Although this Jagannātha is omnipresent and the creator of all,
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it was previously narrated by Skanda, having heard it from the lotus-mouth of Śambhu.
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There are indeed other sacred fields that destroy all sin,
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yet this supreme sacred field has become the body of that Great-souled One.
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Embodied in person, he abides there; it is celebrated indeed by his own name.
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Those who even desire to stay there have all their sins destroyed;
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what then of those who, dwelling there, behold the Wielder of the Mace?
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Oh, that supreme sacred field, extending ten yojanas,
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has risen from the waters of the king of sacred fords, covered in sand,
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resplendent with the great Nīlācala situated in its center,
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perceived from afar like a single breast of the earth.
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Previously, [the Lord] in the form of the Boar, having lifted up the earth,
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making it level on all sides and stabilizing it firmly with mountains,
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having created all the moving and unmoving, the sacred fords, the rivers and the oceans,
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and having established the sacred fields in their proper places as before,
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Brahmā, oppressed by the burden of creation, pondered:
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“How indeed might I not undertake this heavy task again?
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How are creatures overcome by the three afflictions to be liberated?”
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To Prajāpati, pondering thus, came this thought:
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“I shall praise Viṣṇu, the supreme Lord, the sole cause of liberation.”
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Brahmā said:
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Salutations to you, O support of the universe, O bearer of the conch, discus, and mace,
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from whose navel-lotus alone I was born as the creator of the universe!
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You alone know your true essential nature, O you who comprise the universe!
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By whose māyā the entire world, beginning with the intellect, was produced;
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from whose exhalation the verbal absolute arose in threefold form;
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taking recourse to that very [source], I created the worlds.
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Nothing whatsoever—gross, subtle, long, short, and the like—is other than you.
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Through various modifications, O Lord, you alone are this moving and unmoving [universe],
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just as gold [becomes] bracelets and the like, according to the division of the three guṇas.
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You alone here are the creator and that which is to be created, the nourisher and the nourished, O Lord of the universe!
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You are the foundation, that which is held, and the holder, O supreme Lord!
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Every mind, impelled by you, performs good and evil,
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and then attains a corresponding destiny ordained by you alone.
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You are the path of this universe, its maintainer, and its witness, O supreme Lord,
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O guru of the moving and unmoving, O soul of all living beings, O merciful one!
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Be gracious today, O Jagannātha, unto me who ever take refuge in you!
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Jaimini said:
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Thus being praised by Brahmā, the one whose banner bears Garuḍa,
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resembling a dark-blue raincloud, marked with the conch, discus, and other emblems,
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mounted upon the lord of birds, with his lotus-face beaming,
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appeared, O best of the twice-born, his lips quivering as he was about to speak.
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The Blessed Lord said:
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That for the sake of which you praise me, O Brahmā, does not appear possible.
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Beginningless ignorance is very firmly fixed, difficult to sever through the bonds of karma.
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While it prevails, how can death and birth be removed?
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Nevertheless, sinless one, if your resolve is made regarding this matter,
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I will tell you the means by which it will surely come about in due course.
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I am you, and you are I, O Brahmā; and the entire universe is made of me.
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Where my mind rests, there it is; reflect that it is not otherwise.
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On the northern shore of the ocean, but to the south of the Mahānadī,
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that region on earth indeed yields the fruits of all sacred fords.
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The wise men who dwell there, O Brahmā,
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partake of the fruits of merits accumulated across previous births.
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Neither people of little merit nor those lacking devotion to me are born there, O lotus-born one.
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From the Ekāmraka forest up to the shore of the southern ocean,
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step by step, it is most excellent and progressively supreme in purity.
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The Nīla mountain, O Brahmā, which shines on the shore of the sea,
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is a hidden place on earth, very difficult even for you to attain.
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It is hard for gods and asuras to know, concealed by my māyā.
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Relinquishing all attachment, I abide there bearing a bodily form.
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Transcending the perishable and the imperishable, I dwell in Puruṣottama.
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My sacred field Puruṣottama is overcome neither by creation nor by dissolution.
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Just as you see me, O Brahmā, in a form marked with the discus and other attributes,
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so having gone there you shall see me, O grandfather.
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Within the interior region of the Nīla mountain, at the foot of the wish-fulfilling banyan tree,
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in the western direction, is the pool celebrated by the name Rauhiṇa.
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Those who see me dwelling on its bank with their physical eyes,
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their sins destroyed by its water, shall attain union with me.
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Go there, O highly fortunate one; as you meditate upon me after seeing me,
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another majesty of that sacred field will become revealed,
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and it will also be a supreme wonder for you.
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Concealed from the Vedas, smṛtis, itihāsas, and purāṇas by my māyā, it was within the range of no one.
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By my grace, now as you praise me, it will be manifested, visible to all.
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Whatever merit has been stated for pure souls in vows, sacred fords, sacrifices, and gifts,
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all that one obtains by residing here for a single day, and indeed the fruit of a horse-sacrifice by residing for the span of a breath.
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Having thus instructed Brahmā, O brahmins, the Lord Puruṣottama
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vanished right there while he was looking on.
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Thus ends the first chapter in the Puruṣottamakṣetramāhātmya, in the dialogue between the seer Jaimini and others, in the second section, the Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa, of the Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.
Linked texts (1)
- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit