Skandapurana 2.2.10
English (machine translation) 2.2.10
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2.2.10.1
Indradyumna said:
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"You had never traveled there since your birth, O best of the twice-born;
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how could you know the divine account at Puruṣottama?"
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Vidyāpati said:
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"Remaining there in the evening, I approached the Lord.
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At that time, a cool breeze carrying a divine fragrance blew,
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and a rising, confused sound was heard in the path of the sky,
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a sound made of distinct syllables, crying repeatedly: “Step forth! Advance!”
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The mountain was covered by a shower of falling flowers from the sky-dwellers;
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an assembly took place in the presence of Vaikuṇṭha, O king.
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The sound of vīṇās, flutes, mṛdaṅgas, and carcari drums,
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blended with divine singing such as had never existed before, arose there.
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A thousand articles of worship for the delight of the Supreme Lord,
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never before seen by mortal men, were offered there by the gods.
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Having duly worshipped the God, discerned only by their hands,
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and having pleased Madhusūdana with hymns of praise beginning with “Victory!”,
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those thirty gods departed to the abode of the gods as they had come.
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When they had gone, my friend, the Śabara Viśvāvasu,
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gave me these divine offerings of food and this garland,
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priceless, unfading, bestowing royal fortune and joy,
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destroying misfortune, sin, and demons; it was fittingly brought by me.
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Listen to the location of that supreme sacred field of Viṣṇu,
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and his enchanting form of unprecedented sculptural mastery;
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indeed, that cannot be described by any earth-born mortal.
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I tell you of what was seen through your good fortune and prowess.
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Dense on all sides, the sacred field has the Blue Mountain at its navel;
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it is renowned as five krośas in length and breadth,
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covered with golden sand along the shore of the king of sacred fords.
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On the mountain’s summit stands an exceedingly tall, vast banyan tree lasting until the end of the kalpa,
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a krośa wide, devoid of flowers and fruits, yet radiant with tender shoots.
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Even as the sun moves across, its shade does not depart.
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Behind it lies a pool named Rohiṇa;
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from its spring of water it is adorned with steps of sapphire stone,
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surrounded on all four sides by outer crystal platforms,
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charming, filled with waters that remove masses of sin.
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In the middle of its eastern platform, cooled by the shade of the banyan,
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resides the God made of sapphire, bearing the discus and mace,
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measuring eighty-one aṅgulas, standing upon a golden lotus.
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His forehead surpasses the beauty of a crescent moon of the eighth lunar day;
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his eyes seem intent on disdaining the splendour of a pair of smiling blue lotuses.
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The rising nectar-moon of his face releases one from the three afflictions;
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he is made lovely by the sesamum flower shone upon by his two nostrils.
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Though his body is of stone, his lower lip is bathed in a gentle smile;
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charming are his chin and jaw, with cheeks blossoming in laughter;
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the two corners of his mouth are truly fashioned like no others before.
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Bearing auspicious lower lip, cheeks, chin, and corners of the mouth recessed in laughter,
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the God serves as a model for artisans like Viśvakarman and others.
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With his pair of ears adorned with ear-ornaments shaped like makara mouths,
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he derides the full moon between Jupiter and Venus;
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by the region of his neck producing the beauty of a necklace for onlookers,
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he causes suspicion that the pearl originated from a right-coiled conch.
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He has a pair of stout, broad shoulders, and four arms reaching down to his knees;
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the all-pervading Lord's chest is adorned with a pure, clear necklace.
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He bears the divine Kaustubha reflecting the fourteen worlds;
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he is charming with the fine line of body-hair entering the deep pool of his navel,
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and the necklace descending through the three folds [of his belly], appearing motionless.
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With a girdle-band of fine gems and a string of tinkling pearls,
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the God's hips shine as vessels of the world’s loveliness.
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Adorned with yellow garments and a long-hanging pearl garland around his waist,
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his two pillar-like shanks serve as an auspicious gateway to liberation.
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With rounded, symmetrical knees, a garland reaching to the forefeet,
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and two anklets rich in gems, the feet of the Lord shine resplendent.
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Adorned with necklaces, bracelets, armlets, crowns, and other ornaments,
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Keśava, who embodies knowledge, self-hood, sovereignty, and the Sound-Brahman,
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bears these very principles transformed into his discus, lotus, mace, and conch.
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The god illuminating all quarters stands atop the blue mountain (Nīlādri),
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beholding whom and bowing with devotion, one is freed from the bondage of the body. // 32
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Lakṣmī stands at his left side, embraced by the lotus-handed one,
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intent on playing the lute, her eyes fixed upon the Lord's face, // 33
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the dwelling-place of all beauty, adorned with all ornaments.
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Indeed, I saw those two parents of the world standing on the mountain, // 34
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silent, yet bestowing grace with smiling eyes upon those who look upon them.
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I understood them to be alive, O king, for the sake of granting grace to the wretched. // 35
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Śeṣa stood behind, his multitude of hoods serving as an umbrella;
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in front was seen Sudarśana, endowed with form, // 36
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and behind him was Garuḍa standing with folded hands.
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Having thus seen that wonderful form of the Lord of Śrī in person, // 37
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the mind, as if pulled by cords, runs straight to that very place.
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If good deeds earned through many thousands of births // 38
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have ripened all at once for someone, he indeed sees Him.
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Even by baths at sacred fords, austerities, gifts, sacrifices to the gods, and vows, // 39
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a mortal is not able to behold such a Puruṣottama. // 2.2.10.40
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Those who meditate on Viṣṇu situated at Puruṣottama, of blue form and radiant like a spotless sky,
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their bonds destroyed, enter the city of Viṣṇu, reaching which one grieves no more here. // 41
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Whatever manifold fruits of action are taught for men through the eighteen branches of knowledge,
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all of that taken together amounts to but a hundredth part of the vision of this Viṣṇu. // 42
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What more need be said in this regard, O king? As far as a man’s mind conceives of desires,
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he will obtain far more than that by bowing to the Lord of Nīlādri, through the greatness of that sacred land. // 43
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He alone is the true giver, he the sacrificer in rites, the speaker of truth, and he indeed of righteous conduct,
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highest in all virtues through all existences, by whom the Lord of Nīlādri has indeed been seen. // 44
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Those servants who are there of Mādhava, the Lord of the world,
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from them this māhātmya was learned by me, O king. // 45
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Handed down by tradition concerning that [place] since the beginning of creation, ancient
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and renowned is this narrative; hearing it, I indeed went there. // 46
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Having gone there by your command and having seen the glorious Puruṣottama,
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I have reported [it] to you, O king of kings; do as you wish.” // 47
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Indradyumna said:
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“Having heard of the sin-destroying form of the Lord from an authoritative word,
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and by the reception of the divine floral offering, I have achieved my purpose, O holy one! // 48
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My sins accumulated through many births have been destroyed,
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and I have become qualified for the darśana of the Lord of Śrī here. // 49
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With all my heart I shall go with my most prosperous kingdom;
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I will make my dwelling there, and establish city and fortresses. // 2.2.10.50
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I will sacrifice with the horse-sacrifice ritual for the delight of the foe of Mura;
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with a hundred offerings I will worship the Lord of Śrī day after day. // 51
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I will please the Teacher of the World through vows, fasts, and observances,
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so that he will sprinkle me, who am tormented, with the nectar of his words. // 52
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The Lord, directly Nārāyaṇa, the all-pervading, is compassionate to the wretched.”
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While he was thus praising the Lord with faith and devotion, // 53
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Nārada arrived there, curious to view the worlds.
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Seeing that seer coming, the foremost of Vaiṣṇavas, the son of Brahmā, // 54
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the king then anticipated the fulfillment of his purpose.
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Rising hastily, O brahmins, with water for the feet, arghya, and sipping-water, // 55
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bowing down to him seated on an excellent seat, he spoke this with folded hands:
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Indradyumna said:
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“Today my sacrifices, gifts, study, and austerities have borne fruit, // 56
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since the second form of Brahmā has come to my house.
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Although, O sage, I have attained my purpose through the favor of your arrival, // 57
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still, to please you, what command of yours may I carry out?
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For what purpose has my dwelling been purified [by your visit]?” // 58
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Jaimini said:
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Hearing that speech of the king, soft with devotion and humility,
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the son of Brahmā, smiling, spoke to the king:
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Nārada said:
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“O Indradyumna, best of kings, by the pure multitude of your virtues,
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The gods, the perfected beings, and the sages together with Brahmā are delighted [by you].
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Each one of your virtues, worthy on its own to establish you,
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is desired [by them and] sufficient for residing in Brahmā's abode.
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I descended to see Nara, who resides at Badarāśrama;
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at the time of meditating upon him, such an endeavor of yours came to be known [to me].
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Well resolved, O king! Since such an understanding arose in you,
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for devotion arises from repeated practice throughout a thousand births, O king,
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toward Mādhava, the Lord of the worlds, whose abode is in the cave of Nīlācala.
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Worshiping this very Lord of the universe, the exceedingly wise Grandfather [Brahmā]
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fashioned this creation and attained the status of Grandfather.
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You are born in his lineage; such devotion is indeed appropriate for you.
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Devotion to Viṣṇu yields the fruit of the four aims of life; it is no fruit of slight austerity.
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Beginningless ignorance, which greatly strengthens the five afflictions,
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is destroyed by this singular devotion to Viṣṇu that arises.
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In the forest of worldly existence, which is crowded at every step with distress and peril,
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devotion to Viṣṇu alone bestows happiness upon wandering men.
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In this ocean of worldly existence, shelterless, surging with the winds of dualities, and very difficult to cross,
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devotion to Viṣṇu is remembered as the boat for those who have sunk.
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Taking refuge only in Mother Devotion to Viṣṇu, the divine lady,
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the righteous, with contented minds, never grieve at all.
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For high-souled men who rejoice in drinking the nectar of devotion to Viṣṇu,
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who are vessels for liberation, the status of Brahmā is an insignificant gain.
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The threefold mass of sins belonging to living beings, which is exceedingly great, O king,
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acts like a moth in the great forest fire of devotion to Viṣṇu.
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Sacred fords headed by Prayāga and the Gaṅgā, and austerities,
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the horse sacrifice, the best of sacrifices, and exceedingly great gifts,
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vows, fasts, and observances, even when thousands of them have been accumulated—
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the sum of these gathered together and multiplied millions of times
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is not proclaimed to equal even a thousandth part of devotion to Viṣṇu.
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Jaimini said:
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Having heard the māhātmya of devotion to Viṣṇu declared by the divine seer,
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the king, desiring to know the essential nature of devotion to Viṣṇu,
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spoke this word again to Nārada, accompanied by due reverence:
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Indradyumna said:
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The greatness of devotion to Viṣṇu has been well explained, O great sage;
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the desire to know its essential nature has been in my heart for a long time.
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Describe now the defining characteristic of devotion, O best of Vaiṣṇavas!
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No other speaker is known to me on the face of the earth than you.
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Nārada said:
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Well asked, O king, concerning the supreme characteristic of devotion!
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I shall explain it truly to you, who are an excellent vessel of devotion.
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This is not to be spoken to an unworthy person, to a man who is blind [with ignorance] and whose inner self is impure.
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Listen attentively, O sinless king, as it is declared by me:
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Devotion to Viṣṇu is eternal, [to be understood] both generally and specifically.
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It is said to be devotion because of taking refuge [in him], [concluding] that this is the sole cause
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for obtaining absolute bliss and ending the continuous series of sorrows.
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It is considered threefold according to the division of the guṇas, and a fourth beyond the guṇas.
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For those overwhelmed by desire and anger, who, seeing [something], do not see anything else,
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devotion practiced for gain and for harmful sorcery, O king, is tāmasic.
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For the sake of superior renown, or out of rivalry with another,
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or aiming at the other world by association, that devotion is recorded as rājasic.
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Observing that the other world is more enduring, seeing transient worldly phenomena [as perishable],
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and not at all abandoning the duties prescribed for one's stage of life and caste,
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the devotion that is performed for knowledge of the Self is sāttvic.
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[Conceiving that] 'This universe is the Lord of the universe, and there is no other cause;
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I am not different from him, nor does he exist apart from me'—
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such meditation devoid of external limiting adjuncts, through the excellence of divine love,
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is the hard-to-attain devotion called 'non-dual', leading to liberation.
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Through sāttvic devotion they attain the abode of Brahmā; through rājasic devotion, the realm of Indra;
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and having enjoyed pleasures through tāmasic devotion, they go to the world of the ancestors.
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Returning again to the mortal world, [they reverse] that devotion by contrary progression:
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One of tamas should cultivate rājasika [devotion], and one of rajas likewise sāttvika [devotion];
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Cultivating non-dual contemplation, the sāttvika [devotee] attains liberation.
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Having resorted even to a single [type], one proceeds by degrees along the path of liberation.
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For one devoid of devotion to Viṣṇu, whatever Vedic and traditional rites [there are],
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Atonements and the like, sacred fords, pilgrimages, mortifications and similar austerities,
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High birth in a family, crafts, and all worldly ornament—
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Their only fruit is bodily affliction, like the adultery of an unchaste woman.
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Even one devoid of family conduct, if firm in devotion and having conquered the senses,
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Is praiseworthy among all people, but not so a scholar of the eighteen sciences
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Who is bereft of devotion, O best of kings, even if of good birth and righteous.
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Devotion to Viṣṇu certainly does not arise in a man of small fortune;
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Having acquired which with effort, a fulfilled person does not suffer.
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That by which one knows the Lord of the Universe is celebrated as knowledge;
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That action by which the Blessed Lord is pleased is the destroyer of inauspiciousness.
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Linked texts (1)
- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit