Skandapurana 2.2.17
English (machine translation) 2.2.17
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2.2.17.1
The sages said:
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When Nārasiṃha had been consecrated in that sacred field, what did the king
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do, O sage? Tell [us], for that is our supreme curiosity.
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Jaimini said:
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First, he invited all the thirty [gods] beginning with Indra;
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then he invited thousands of seers and brahmins,
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who had studied the four Vedas along with the six limbs, pada, and krama,
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skilled in the sciences of sacrifice, firmly grounded in Mīmāṃsā,
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who perform rituals according to the Kalpasūtras along with commentaries,
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skilled in the eighteen sciences, knowing dharma,
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purified by good conduct, of noble family, truthful in speech,
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and especially Vaiṣṇavas, he respectfully invited.
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And whatever kings, siddhas, seven seers, twice-born,
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virtuous śūdras, merchants, and rulers of islands were in the three worlds, they were invited.
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Measuring two krośas, O brahmins, was the assembly hall of that king,
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built of stone, lofty, and plastered with white mortar.
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In some places the floor was made of jewels, in some places fashioned of gold;
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in others it was of crystal and of silver, the ground suitably arranged.
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With towering pillars made of jewels, draped all around with fine silk,
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endowed with beautiful canopies, with perfumes, garlands, and chowries,
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and with lovely windows set between pearl necklaces, auspicious,
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sprinkled with black aloe resin and moistened with sandalwood water,
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strewn with flowers of every season, and surrounded by bordering parks,
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[it had] step-wells with crystal stairways and gates adorned with lotus motifs,
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their waters covered by cakravāka birds, ducks, swans, and sweetly-calling cranes,
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clear, cool, fragrant, and sweet.
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All around it, O brahmins, were hundreds of easy descents,
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arranged with cool shades and shining on all sides.
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Just as the sacrificial hall of Marutta once was, O best of brahmins,
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so was that of King Indradyumna, fashioned by Viśvakarman.
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On an auspicious day and under an auspicious lunar mansion, having seated the assembly members,
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and having seen the kings seated on thrones and also the seers seated,
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along with the hosts of brahmin seers and siddhas seated on costly carpets,
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the gods seated on golden pedestals, and then the brahmins appropriately,
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and the others seated comfortably in their places on excellent seats,
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[he saw] the lord of Śacī seated in the midst of the kings, gods, and seers,
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upon his own jewelled throne having the marks of universal sovereignty.
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With divine garlands, perfumes, garments, high seats, and the like,
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along with his royal priest, [the king] first worshipped him magnificently;
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humble, like one who is poor, the king performed worship for him in that manner,
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so that even this lord of the three worlds considered it a wonder.
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Then, having worshipped the siddhas and divine sages like Indra,
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he aroused the astonishment even of Kubera, possessed of superior wealth.
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Then the lord of the earth worshipped the gods, whose own wealth was abundant,
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with hospitality, completely undisturbed in mind.
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He honoured the kings with paraphernalia suitable for kings,
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so that those kings thought: 'Only now do we become [true kings]!
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Truly kingship was obtained in due course, but never such paraphernalia!'
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He further worshipped the Vaiṣṇavas, attending [them] with acts of hospitality,
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so that, even though tranquil, they regarded this influx of sensory objects as a wonder.
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Then, led by the sages, the king, overflowing with the quality of sattva,
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properly worshipped the brahmins, the kṣatriyas, and the vaiśyas.
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And having worshipped the others through his ministers, with great eagerness,
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he was seen bowed with humility, with his palms joined in reverence.
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Together with his royal priest Nārada, he addressed great Indra aloud:
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Indradyumna said:
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"By your grace, O lord of the gods, I desire this; be pleased with me:
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with the horse sacrifice, I wish to worship the sacrifice's Lord.
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Grant me permission, O god; you are the lord of sacrifices.
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All who dwell in the three worlds are obeyers of your command.
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As long as the completion of the thousand sacrifices takes place, O lord,
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so long dwell in the sacrificial enclosure along with the gods.
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I desire to sacrifice, O lord of the gods, not out of longing for your position;
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you know the mental disposition of all at all times, O lord of the gods.
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Here lord Mādhava, endowed with form, was formerly seen by you in worship;
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that very same one who concealed himself under the sands—
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for the sake of revealing him once more, I shall perform a thousand horse sacrifices,
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O Indra, by the instruction and command of the Four-faced One [Brahmā].
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When he is revealed again, it will bring welfare to you as well."
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When thus petitioned by the king, the gods headed by great Indra,
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remembering that bodiless voice that had been heard previously,
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after the disappearance [of the Lord], spoke this, delighted:
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"Indradyumna, you are a great soul, truly among the truthful on earth!
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That future act of yours was experienced by us in advance.
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We shall be your helpers in this undertaking that purifies the three worlds,
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where the Creator of the worlds himself has indeed undertaken the effort.
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Right here the Lord said even to us upon the earth:
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Entering out of compassion for them, I shall once more
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make a wooden body; thus this has been resolved.
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There is no displeasure in this for us, nor for Indra, O king;
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your endeavor, destined by us, brings joy to us.
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Sacrifice with ease, O king of kings, to Vaikuṇṭha, who loves his devotees,
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by means of the horse sacrifice repeated a thousand times.
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For hard to propitiate is the Lord, yet affectionate to devotees, even for us.
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We too, abandoning godhood here, devoted to devotion,
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shall worship, humble, in human form in this sacred field.
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For dear indeed is an action performed in the mortal world, and it attains success.”
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Jaimini said:
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When this was spoken by the gods together with Indra, with his inner self deeply pleased,
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the king worshipped the Lord for the purpose of beginning the sacrifice
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with thousands of services presented according to rule.
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Then the king, endowed with faith, having seen to the hosts of ancestors,
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and the well-adorned brahmins and sacrificers gathered in the sacrificial hall,
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having placed the chosen deity Vaikuṇṭha in front along with the sacrificial fires,
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awaiting the determined astrological moment when the chanting of auspiciousness had concluded,
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stood present together with his wife, wearing pure and auspicious attire.
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Having pure twice-borns recite auspiciousness, a blessing of good fortune, and the rite for prosperity,
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he, having gathered all the provisions, then selected the priests.
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Those chosen priests, consecrating the best of kings together with his wife,
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having separated the fires for the initiation sacrifice, sacrificed as prompted by the assembly members.
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Having brought forward that blazing Āhavanīya fire upon the altar—
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was it the very splendour of Viṣṇu bringing auspiciousness to the three worlds?
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Having well sprinkled and consecrated [the horse] with mantras, having obtained leave from the guardians of the directions,
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they released the principal horse, marked with auspicious characteristics on its limbs.
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Then that consecrated king, keeping silence, seated upon the skin of a Ruru deer,
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sat in the midst of the sacrificial hall like Mṛtyuṃjaya himself.
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He gave directions with his eyes alone for the satisfaction of the invited guests.
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By the king's command, the minister prepared very costly
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gem-studded vessels for the dining of the gods in great abundance;
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vessels of pure gold for the sages and rulers of the earth;
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for the dining of the twice-borns, fresh ones every day, O twice-borns;
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and auspicious silver ones for the kṣatriyas and vaiśyas, O brahmins;
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spotless bell-metal vessels indeed for the dining of the śūdras.
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Day after day, at the end of dining, O best of twice-borns,
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the vessels were cast into pits by the people like discarded leaf-plates.
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Those indeed who were invited for dining at that sacrificial festival,
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their sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons—their whole lineage—
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were daily fed foods of five flavours, preceded by high honor,
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by those who respected them, according to the command of King Indradyumna.
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They stayed there like family members until the completion of the great sacrifice.
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From whichever country the people came, the king was their guardian;
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Nārada, who looked upon all equally and was eager to help others,
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requested by Indradyumna, served as the liaison among kings.
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For Indra and the other lords of the gods, and for the divine seers, the best of kings,
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the lord of men himself performed service for the completion of the sacrifice.
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Sixfold foods and drinks were prepared in two ways by men:
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for the gods' banquet there, by experts in mantras and rituals,
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and for mortals, by those skilled in the culinary science of Nala.
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For the sky-dwellers, whose food is nectar, are unaware of hunger and thirst;
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yet even to them that feast was a wonder because of its novelty.
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Food such as that in Indradyumna's house was rare for men on the mortal plane.
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The only difference between Indradyumna and Indra was living in the mortal world.
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This was exceedingly wondrous: every day new and fresh
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was the increase of honor, hospitality, and food, O best of twice-borns;
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they grew mutually as if in rivalry with one another,
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as did fragrant flower garlands and unguents of musk and other scents.
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variegated fine silks, and seats with cushions,
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couches that were small gem-inlaid beds, and fly-whisks with handles of jewels,
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and betel leaves with nutmeg, cloves, and camphor,
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charming songs, and various dances
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performed by those skilled in the teaching of the sage Bharata,
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and hundreds of bards and panegyrists expert in the fame of their respective lineages.
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These and other things, even those very hard to obtain,
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both the thirty [gods] and mortals enjoyed with great respect.
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Diverse in one place and another, nowhere were they deficient.
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And for the dwellers of Pātāla, the food was superior even to nectar,
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eating which, they indeed did not desire to return to Pātāla.
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The dwellings that were in Pātāla, illuminated by heaps of gems
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without the light of the sun—just such did the king
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give for their residence, in which, thinking it to be Pātāla,
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they sat at ease, playing, eating, and sleeping with delight.
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Indeed, even for the gods there was no touching of the ground anywhere else;
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yet there in Indradyumna’s city, more enchanting even than heaven,
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absorbed in joyful play at will, they did not leave the earth.
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They say that in heaven happiness arises only from desire;
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yet there, O brahmins, happiness was everywhere even without desire.
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Treating them with care, men attentively regarded [every] edible item;
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no person had to beg, and how could anyone turn away empty-handed?
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The palaces of the king of kings were equal to the peoples’ own homes,
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yet at that time, everything was not always available in their own homes.
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There, whatever was beyond [mere] desire was abundant and easy to obtain.
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When the sacrifice was thus joyfully undertaken for the pleasure of the Lord of Sacrifice,
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the earth, all of whose wealth had previously been stripped
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by the horse sacrifice of this king, became once again beautifully adorned by a rain of gold.
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When the rite of gifts, honors, and food for the people
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dwelling in the three worlds was thus performed according to rule day after day,
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the people sang songs to one another concerning the horse sacrifice:
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“Such preparation of a sacrifice enjoined by the ritual rules of scripture
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of royal sage Indradyumna has never been, nor ever will be,
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wherein none were beggars and none were non-givers, having been mutually invited,
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wherein there was no frustration of desire even for the gods, O twice-born!”
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Then the king's sovereign sacrifice, possessed of such prosperity, proceeded;
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imbued with extraordinary faith and highly accomplished, each [sacrifice] surpassed the previous one.
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Authors of the Smṛtis, authors of the Kalpa texts, and composers of the scriptures,
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skilled in the performance of sacrifices and the crest-jewels of virtuous conduct,
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conducted the rites in proper sequence from the laying of the fires to the final bath,
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for the pleasure of the king, by the approval of the assembly, O twice-born.
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Never were the mantras deficient in tone or in syllables;
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those who were the makers of the rules were indeed the conductors of the rites.
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Because there was no occasion for expiation on account of any cause of expiation,
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there was no injury to the rite; the practitioners of the rite were yogins,
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where the seven divine seers were members of the assembly, witnesses of the sacrifice.
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Those who distinguished between merits and faults conducted the rites;
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Yājñavalkya and other sages were chosen as officiating priests there.
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Seated in the assembly hall, in the intervals of their conversations with one another,
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theological debates, hymns, and secret Upaniṣads,
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as well as Purāṇic verses, O brahmins, preceded by devotion to Viṣṇu,
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and the deeds of Hari that remove the entire mass of sins—
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these those sages recited there in the assembly of the ruler of the earth.
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At his sacrifice, standing visible amidst the fire, the delighted thirty [gods],
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with great Indra at their head, consumed the sacrificial offering, O brahmins.
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Staying away from home for a long time, the gods did not remember Amarāvatī.
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For of old, Brahmā had fashioned the sacrificial oblation as their nectar;
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having eaten that, the gods became delighted, full of vigor, and long-lived.
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Apart from the sphere of the performance of the sacrifice, all the many objects of enjoyment
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prepared by Indradyumna they fully enjoyed.
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The serpent kings who dwell in the realm of Pātāla,
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enjoyed sensory pleasures in the mortal world far greater than those [in Pātāla].
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Indeed, they certainly had no desire in their hearts to return to Pātāla.
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Thus the sacrifice was conducted, bringing delight to the three worlds,
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- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit