Skandapurana 2.2.24

English (machine translation) 2.2.24

Language: English

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Having arrived before Jagannātha, his mind longing for a long time,

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he bowed down like a staff, covered in an armor of dense horripilation:

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"Reverence to the god friendly to brahmins, and for the welfare of cows and brahmins,

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for the destruction of the affliction of the bowed, the sole cause of the four aims of life;

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to the one having the form of Hiraṇyagarbha, the Spirit, the Primal Matter, and the manifest!

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Oṃ, reverence to Vāsudeva, whose essential nature is pure knowledge!"

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Uttering this praise, the king, with eyes filled with tears of joy,

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making circumambulation again and again, bowed down repeatedly.

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Then the other deities who had arrived there, filled with joy,

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bowed down with palms joined in reverence, and praised the god with delight.

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The Puruṣa has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, and a thousand feet.

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Pervading the earth on every side, he stood beyond it by ten fingers.

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That Puruṣa who is sung as the supreme Brahman, the Supreme Self—

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past, present, and future: all that is the Puruṣa alone.

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Such is his greatness; yet greater than that is the Puruṣa, the Lord.

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One quarter of him is all beings; three quarters of him are the immortal in heaven.

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From you the Vedic meters were born, and from you the sacrificial Puruṣa also.

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From you horses were born, as well as cows, sheep, and the rest.

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The brahmins were born from your mouth; the kṣatriyas arose from your arms.

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The vaiśyas arose from your thighs; likewise the śūdras came forth from your feet.

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The moon was born from your mind, the sun from your eye.

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From your ears the wind [arose], with the vital breaths; and from your tongue the bearer of oblations.

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From your navel the atmosphere arose, and the sky from your head.

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From your feet the earth was born, and the eight directions proceeded from your hearing.

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Seven were its enclosing sticks, and thrice seven its kindling-sticks from you.

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All things moving and unmoving were indeed born from you alone.

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You alone are the Lord of the worlds; you alone are the protector;

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and with a fierce form, you alone are the destroyer, O Supreme Lord!

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You alone are the sacrifice, the sacrifice's share; you are the Lord of sacrifice, higher than the highest.

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You are beyond the Sound-Brahman, yet you are the Sound-Brahman, the ruler of the universe.

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You are the self-ruler, the emperor, Jagannātha, the cosmic sovereign, O Lord of the world!

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Below, above, and across—all has been pervaded by you, O you whose essence is the world!

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Sacrificers who worship you attain the supreme abode.

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You are the food, the enjoyer, the oblation, the priest, the offering, and the bestower of fruits.

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You are the enjoyer of all actions; you consist of all actions, O Lord!

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You are the instrument of all actions, the bestower of the fruits of all actions.

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You are indeed the instigator of action, the bestower of the attainment of duty, pleasure, and wealth.

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Except for you, who else can grant liberation? O Hṛṣīkeśa, homage be to you!

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Homage to the endless one of a thousand forms, with a thousand feet, eyes, heads, thighs, and arms!

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Homage to the Puruṣa of a thousand names, the eternal one, the sustainer of thousands of crores of cosmic ages!

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Having fallen from our offices, we have resorted to you for refuge, O Lord!

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Save us, O lotus-eyed one; become the refuge of the refuge-less!

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You alone are the refuge of a creature fallen into worldly existence, O Lord!

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In all your creation there is no one like you who protects the distressed.

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You are the sole refuge of the helpless and distressed, the father of the world, O Lord!

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You alone, O Lord, are the protector, the nourisher, the averter of all calamities.

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Save us, O Viṣṇu, Lord of the world! Save us, O Supreme Lord!

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Except for you, O beloved of Kamalā, who is capable of protecting us?

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Homage to the inner controller! Homage to the treasury of all splendour!

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While praising [him] thus, those gods, having bowed down again and again,

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along with Indradyumna, went outside, O best of brahmins.

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Having gone to the sacred field of venerable Narasiṃha and prostrated before him,

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having paid homage with supreme devotion and worshipped the man-lion,

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they went to the peak of the Nīlācala mountain, where the supreme temple stood,

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together with the treasure-spirit Padmanidhi, for the purpose of [gathering] materials.

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They saw [the temple], towering exceedingly high, encompassing the vault of the sky,

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as if it were the Vindhya mountain rising to block the path of the sun,

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pervading all quarters, brilliant with wonderful construction,

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wondrous with patterns of auspicious motifs that had endured over a great length of time.

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And then that Vaiṣṇava Indradyumna reflected:

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“Long ago I went from here to Satyaloka for the purpose of [its] construction.

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After a very long time, this complete, excellent temple has come into the range of my vision.

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This is indeed due to the grace of the Lord; human effort has no role here.

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Where is the end of a manvantara, which obstructed [even] the sun, moon, and Indra?

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Even so, this temple, so hard to attain, still stands!

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For temples built by men are like anthills:

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they crumble from growing trees, their lifespan lasting but a short time.

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Indeed, out of compassion for me, the dwelling of Hari has been preserved.”

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Then he addressed those companions with humble words:

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"Know that a temple for the Lord of the universe has been built by me.

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The Lord himself manifested with a form made of wood.

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Then a bodiless voice resounding in the sky spoke to me: // 36

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'Have a temple measuring a thousand cubits built upon the summit of Nīlādri,

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for the dwelling of the Lord of the universe.' // 37

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In the rite of consecration of this [temple], he will come here in person—

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the lotus-born [Brahmā] himself, together with the Siddhas, the brahmin seers, and the gods. // 38

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Therefore, what provision is to be made here? How is it known?"

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To him who had spoken thus, the gods, deprived of their offices, said: // 39

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"Even we do not know that. Our teacher is the preceptor [Bṛhaspati];

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he is not under our control now, for he is devoted to heaven and its welfare." // 40

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"Master, by the instruction of Brahmā, I have come with you.

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What must be done by me here, or what material is awaited?" // 41

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As they were conversing thus, Nārada stood before them,

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sent previously by Brahmā, expert in all sacred scriptures. // 42

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"O sage, prepare all the materials of provision according to the scriptures;

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the treasure Padmaka will provide them at your command." // 43

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Seeing him, the son of Brahmā, filled with joy, they stood up;

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the best of kings worshipped him with the worship of the sixfold offering. // 44

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Those gods bearing human form also bowed down to him.

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Indradyumna too spoke to him concerning the items for the consecration ritual: // 45

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"I do not know, O best of sages, having long been abandoned by my family priest;

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direct me in proper order, O brahmin, whatever is to be procured." // 46

Thus ends the twenty-fourth chapter in the conversation of the sage Jaimini, in the Glorious Field of Puruṣottama, in the second Vaiṣṇava Section of the Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses. // 24

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit