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Skandapurana 2.2.11

English (machine translation) 2.2.11

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2.2.11.1

Jaimini said:

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Having thus heard about supreme devotion to the Lord from Nārada, the son of Brahmā,

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Indradyumna too, filled with supreme joy, spoke to him:

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Indradyumna said:

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"Association with the virtuous has been taught to me by the wise as that which destroys the disease of worldly existence;

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O venerable one, that has now been realized for me right at this moment.

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You by whom Viṣṇu, the supreme Self beyond the highest, has been directly perceived—

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since you have come to my palace, what other virtuous man is there here [equal to you]?

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O venerable one, through your presence my darkness has gone to destruction,

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in that my mind is urged to worship Nīlamādhava.

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You know all the occurrences of the universe, wandering through all the worlds;

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therefore let us both mount a chariot and behold Nīlamādhava.

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The auspicious and decorated [abode] of the sacred field named Puruṣottama—

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that there are sacred fords there has been told to me by many;

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if I learn it from your words, they will become fruitful for me."

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Nārada said:

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"Ah, I shall show you the sacred field and the things situated in the sacred field,

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the sacred fords, the forms of Śakti and Śambhu, and the māhātmya of the sacred field itself.

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Directly you shall behold the Lord of gods, who gives himself to his devotee,

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manifested into four forms soon out of grace toward you;

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upon seeing whom a mortal becomes a vessel of devotion."

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Thus, at the conclusion of their conversation, both being pleased, they completed their daily duties, and

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having determined on the journey favorable [for departure] on the fifth lunar day, a Wednesday,

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in the bright fortnight of the month of Jyeṣṭha, under the Puṣya constellation, at an auspicious rising-sign,

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the king and Nārada passed the night sleeping in the same place.

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Then at bright dawn, Indradyumna, the best of kings,

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caused a proclamation to be made throughout the kingdom, together with his relatives,

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concerning the march to the Blue Mountain according to one's resources, with armies:

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"We shall dwell there for the duration of our lives—this is firmly resolved.

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Whatever livelihood has been allotted to each, let him live there by that means:

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the kings together with their harems, ministers, and retinues,

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with chariots, elephants, horses, treasuries, and foot-soldiers;

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let the brahmins equipped with their Agnihotra fires depart thither,

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merchants with their goods and wares, who live by trade;

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those skilled in state affairs, expert in royal policies,

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astronomers, masters of dance, and those proficient in the science of polity;

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those of sharp intellect in the four arts of dance, song, and instrumental music;

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and those versed in the excellent science of medicine for elephants, horses, and men;

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those skilled and of proven practice in all the eighteen sciences,

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and likewise in the subsidiary sciences, jugglers and curious entertainers;

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highwaymen, thieves, and other pickpockets;

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those who live by telling wondrous tales, flatterers, and court bards;

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those who live by arms, and likewise surgical extractors of arrows;

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gamblers, loose women, courtesans, and courtiers who follow prostitutes;

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cultivators, keepers of cows, sheep, goats, camels, and donkeys;

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bird-tamers, and keepers of monkeys, tigers, and leopards;

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snake-charmers, cowherds, Śabaras, and barbarian tribes;

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and all others born in the land of Mālava who follow my command—

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let them all go to reside on the Blue Mountain, having their house-plots marked out each for himself."

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Having thus given the command, the king, being resolved upon the journey,

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came together with Nārada and spoke this to the astrologer:

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"O astrologer, as the auspicious moment was determined by you earlier,

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bring together properly all the auspicious articles for it,

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while in this moment what is needed according to the view of the family priest is sought."

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Commanded by him, the astrologer, assisted by the family priest,

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brought together all the auspicious articles, O best of brahmins.

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Meanwhile, the royal sage, seated upon a celestial throne,

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underwent the auspicious bath for departure, previously directed by the brahmins,

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with the Śrīsūkta and the Vahnisūkta, and with the hymn to the water-deities,

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with the Pāvamānī and the Abdhisūkta, which distinctly promote good fortune,

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with waters from sacred fords, herbs, and all kinds of perfumes, each separately.

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Then the king, consecrated and having the water removed with a Chinese silk cloth,

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shone brightly with his radiant body like a smokeless fire.

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Clad in white garments, having sipped water according to rule and wearing a pavitraka,

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having worshiped the classes of ancestors facing the Nāndī according to injunctions,

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having carefully offered the Jayā and Rāṣṭrabhṛt oblations and the Gaṇahoma,

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he [approached] the fire filled with the sound of conches and fragrant scents, white-colored and devoid of smoke,

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and circumambulated the fire with flames turning clockwise,

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which was visibly granting victory to the king who sought victory.

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At the conclusion of the sacrifice to the nine planets, attended by the planetary water-pot, for the destruction of the malice of the planets and the increase of prosperity,

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with mantras proclaimed in astronomical treatises and directed by the astrologer's rules,

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he then proceeded to the donning of auspicious attire.

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Having put on his armor over a cloak of Chinese silk,

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[he wore] a bright turban radiant with an excellent jeweled crown,

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with ear-ornaments on both ears adorned with jeweled earrings,

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a priceless necklace and a string of pearls adorned with a central gem.

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Then that best of kings wore armlets, bracelets, and signet rings;

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around his waist, touching the three folds, he wore a threefold golden cord;

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endowed with golden bells and festoons of pearl garlands,

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he then wore a beautiful girdle well-crafted with various gems.

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He placed priceless anklets upon his two feet.

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In a mirror held before him, he looked upon himself thus adorned.

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In order to perform the auspicious ceremony, he sat upon a golden stool,

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facing east, meditating upon Lord Śrīdhara, the slayer of Madhu,

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Viṣṇu, the abode of auspiciousness, the cause of all good fortune,

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by whose remembrance even manifold sins are destroyed.

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Then a delightful seasonal garland, renowned for its fragrance,

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consecrated with mantras by his priest, the king first put on.

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Then earth, a lamp, fruit, dūrvā grass, curd, and yellow orpiment,

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all consecrated with mantras, protected with white mustard seeds,

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[he looked upon], and the king saw his reflection in cow's clarified butter.

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Then, having seen himself in the consecrated mirror, that lion of kings,

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whose auspicious future was elevated by the chanting of peace-mantras by the Ṛgvedic priests,

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protected on his way by the Yajurvedic priests with the hymn for the path,

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with his valour and firmness bolstered by the king through auspicious Puranic words,

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his prowess manifest through the recitation of praises by the bards,

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holding in the lotus of his heart the bird-bannered [Viṣṇu], the taker of the Pārijāta flower, accompanied by Satyā—

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meditating thus, the king put forward his right foot.

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Having circumambulated the sage Nārada who stood before him,

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he approached the central gateway, surrounded by mace-bearers.

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Shown the pathway, preceded by the agnihotra fire,

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there he saw brahmins standing to his right,

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reciting auspicious hymns, shining white and clad in pale garments,

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scattering puffed grain with flowers before the king and pronouncing blessings.

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Standing on the left side were courtesans with hands busy holding flywhisks,

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wearing bright ornaments and garments, with auspicious smiling lotus-faces.

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Bowing with devotion, O best of brahmins, he honored the brahmins;

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with garments, ornaments, garlands, and fragrant ointments,

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he gratified those brahmins who were absorbed in contemplation of the Lord.

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To the courtesans, bards, the poor, and the destitute,

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the minister distributed wealth appropriately according to the king's command.

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White pigeons, swans, a white horse, and a white elephant

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adorned with mango sprouts, white garlands, and fruits

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stood beneath an archway bound with plantain trunks; [these] the king [beheld].

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The king, seeing full pitchers and many auspicious things,

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his head shielded from the heat by a white parasol, / 56

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heard, accompanied by the blowing of hundreds / of conches all at once,

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many kinds of musical instruments joined together, / 57

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as well as auspicious songs and cries of victory. / Then the king entered the temple to behold Nṛsiṃha, / 58

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Then he entered the temple to behold Nṛsiṃha.

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remembering whom a mortal becomes a vessel of all blessings. / Seeing Nṛhari from afar, seated upon a celestial lion-throne, / 59

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Having seen Nṛhari from afar seated upon a divine lion-throne,

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bowing down with his eight limbs, pleasing [him] with the words of the Upaniṣads,

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and [seeing] Durgā standing at [his] right side, who frees [beings] from all distress, / 2.2.11.60

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the king paid homage at [her] feet as she looked on with compassion. / Then the royal priest took down an auspicious garland from the god's limb / 61

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then the family priest, taking down the auspicious garland from the body of the deity,

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and placed it around [the king's] neck, anointed him with fragrant unguent,

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performed the lustration ritual, and gladly bound a turban upon the king's head. / 62

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Circumambulating the two deities once more, that best of kings / placed them upon a palanquin and set forth, having honored them. / 63

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placed [it] upon a palanquin and set out at the head [of the procession].

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Coming out to the outer gate and seeing the chariot well equipped,

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yoked with ten horses swift as the wind, / 64

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the king circumambulated it and mounted it along with Nārada. / Ḍhakkā drums, mṛdaṅgas, kettle-drums, bherīs, paṇavas, gomukha horns, / 65

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Ḍhakkās, mṛdaṅgas, niḥsāṇas, bherīs, paṇavas, and gomukhas,

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madhurīs, carcarīs, and conches were sounded by the thousands. / Millions of chariots belonging to dependent kings / 66

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chariots by the crores there belonging to the dependent kings,

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shone, drawn up in ranks on all sides of Indradyumna's chariot,

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equipped with various weapons, adorned with banners, / 67

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with high flagstaffs, with gold, silver, nets of jingling bells, and mirrors,

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fitted with various mechanisms, producing deep, resonant sounds. / 68

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Of infantry, elephants, and wind-swift horses—

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by the clappings of the foot soldiers, the trumpeting of elephants, and the neighing of horses, / 69

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mingled with the great rumble of chariots, the sounds of musical instruments / were heard by the people like the roar of the ocean at the end of an aeon. / 2.2.11.70

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equal to the roaring of the ocean at the end of an aeon, were heard by the people.

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At that moment the citizens, prepared with their respective provisions,

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set out with small horses, donkeys, camels, and draught animals. / 71

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Litters and palanquins, and millions of horses,

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were seen formed in ranks amidst the bustling departure of the realm. / 72

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The hundreds of royal harem ladies, accompanied by chamberlains,

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mounted upon various conveyances and guarded by officials, / 73

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encompassed by large armies, came forth from the royal palace. / The sacrificers, having placed their sacrificial fires, kept in śamī wood, / 74

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And the sacrificers [carried] the agnihotra fires mounted upon wooden carts in crowds;

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in wagons in crowds, set forth together with their wives,

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as well as loads of books and baskets for deity worship. / 75

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Fuel sticks, barhis grass, kuśa grass, vessels, and provisions collected for the oblation

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they had transported by wagons, porters, and brahmins. / 76

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Tributary kings, ministers, servants, the royal priest, and officiating priests,

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the king's retainers, and those appointed to royal services / 77

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were seated with all the provisions for service, while others marched on. / Those appointed to the treasury took the entire store of wealth, / 78

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and those appointed over the treasury [carried] the entire collection of treasures;

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and the king's personal attendants departed quickly. / All the garland-makers and the merchants, / 79

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all the garland-makers and others, and likewise the merchants and traders,

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taking their respective wares, departed as royal servants. / Heads of guilds and others, along with the inhabitants of towns and villages, / 2.2.11.80

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all the eminent guilds and others, along with the inhabitants of cities and market towns,

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came forth together, conducting their respective trades and pleasures. / Sounded at the time of King Indradyumna's march, / 81

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[heard the instruments] sounded at the time of King Indradyumna’s departure.

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filling all directions of the compass—

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hearing the bherī drums, mṛdaṅgas, and paṭaha drums, all the people dwelling in the country, in great haste, / 82

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placed the king's command upon their heads and set out for Nīlaparvata. / Whoever had a direct path went by that very way; / 83

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And whichever path was direct for each, by that very one he went.

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by the king's command, they did not look for the royal highway in their haste. / Even by a difficult path leading to Nīlādri, they proceeded. / 84

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They departed even by the difficult route leading to the Nīla Mountain.

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King Indradyumna too, surrounded by all the city dwellers

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and by joyful fourfold armies, [set forth]. / 85

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In a chariot positioned amidst a line of chariots belonging to rows of kings,

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the royal sage shone forth, his retinue equal to Śakra's.

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With songs of auspicious rites, parched grain, and flowers [scattered] by city women,

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and with the splendours of auspicious rituals, his pure mind was joyful.

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He set out joyfully in a chariot yoked to horses swift as the wind,

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over the ground, pleasant and cool with the dense shade cast by a favourable breeze,

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free from dust, with its crossroads leveled.

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Shown the way by men familiar with the region's routes

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and knowing the interior of the forests, the king,

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his eyes filled with delight, looked repeatedly upon the regions and forests lining both sides of the path.

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In the middle of the forest, dividing the border of the Utkala country,

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he reached [the goddess] Carcikā stationed by the road, adorned with a garland of severed heads.

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Descending from his chariot, bowing at Nārada's command,

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the king prostrated himself before her with an eight-limbed obeisance and, joyful in mind, praised her:

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Indradyumna said:

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Salutations to you, O ruler of the gods, remover of all calamities,

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who are proclaimed under forms beginning with Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva!

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O primeval cause of the worlds, be gracious, O supreme goddess!

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Without you, O Śivā, this universe cannot endure for an instant.

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The accomplishments of all enterprises and blessings, O eternal one,

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are indeed the fruit of worshipping your feet in the world of mortals, not otherwise.

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You are the power of Viṣṇu, the lord of the moving and unmoving, O supreme goddess,

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by which the all-pervading lord creates, protects, and dissolves the universe.

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Bestow your grace upon me, O goddess, so that with my own eyes

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I may behold the god, the guru of the moving and unmoving, who dwells upon the Blue Mountain.

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Jaimini said:

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