Skandapurana 2.2.3

English (machine translation) 2.2.3

Language: English

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"Noble is the thought arisen in you, having taken refuge in the presence of Viṣṇu.

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I shall tell of this wonder of the sacred field, O son of the Sun, / 1

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just as I, resting on the chest of the Blessed One, saw long ago,

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when this world of moving and unmoving beings was dissolved in the cosmic dissolution, O Yama. / 2

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This sacred field and I alone—only these two were present then.

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Then the sage, the son of Mṛkaṇḍu, endowed with a life of seven kalpas, / 3

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when the moving and unmoving had perished, submerged in the ocean of cosmic dissolution,

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finding no resting place at all, obtained no relief anywhere. / 4

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Wandering here and there in the ocean of water at the cosmic dissolution,

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he saw a banyan tree in the sacred field resembling Puruṣottama. / 5

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Leaping again and again near the root of the banyan tree,

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he heard a child's voice: 'O Mārkaṇḍeya, come to my side! / 6

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Entering, abandon this incomparable sorrow; do not grieve!'

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Hearing that wonderful and unfathomable voice then, the sage / 7

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experienced supreme wonder, and did not even think of his own sorrow:

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'This is not shattered by waters, nor burned by the fire of Time; / 8

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it is not dried up by the Saṃvartaka and other [clouds], nor is it shaken.

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In the dreadful single ocean, the sacred field is seen like a boat. / 9

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There stands this great banyan tree, resembling a sacrificial post,

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holding which, this sacred field—the banyan tree is the body of the Sovereign. / 10

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Its branch is not shaken even by the wind of the great cosmic dissolution.'

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Standing beneath it, that sage reflected thus: / 11

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'In this single ocean at the cosmic dissolution, when the moving and unmoving have perished,

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how is this most stable region of earth perceived, / 12

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where this foremost of trees is seen tender and fresh?

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And where does this supportless voice, courteous, saying repeatedly: / 13

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"Mārkaṇḍeya, come!", come from?' Thinking thus as he floated,

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he beheld Nārāyaṇa holding the conch, discus, and mace in his hands. / 14

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And he saw me seated on the lotus of his lap, O son of Vivasvat.

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Helpless from the water and wind, he then became comfortable and composed. / 15

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Delighted in his inner self, that sage bowed with all eight limbs to the two of us,

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and uttered this hymn of praise to propitiate the god. / 16

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"Rich with the fortune of Rudra, Indra, and the lotus-seated [Brahmā] who cling closely in pursuit of your lotus feet,

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devoid of devotion to you, burning on all sides, wretched—save me, O ocean of compassion! / 17

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Whose pair of lotus feet, attended by Brahmā and the others, is of inconceivable power,

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the essential cause for attaining supreme bliss—save me, wretched, O ocean of compassion! / 18

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This cosmic egg, which has become a part of you, shines forth multiplied many millions of times,

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dissolved, sustained, and created by the sport of your play—protect me, who am so wretched, O Viṣṇu! / 19

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Just as gold is one, yet differentiated by bracelets and the like, or as the sun risen in the sky is one,

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Just as [the sun appears varied] in water due to the differences of the receptacles, so are you perceived, though you are one and devoid of qualities. (20)

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Though free from all desires, completely full, / and devoid of material causes and deliberate resolve,

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you assume in every age, O Lord of boundless power, / a body suited to show compassion to the distressed. (21)

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Because earlier your lotus foot was not served by me, O Lord of the universe, / due to an ignorant mind,

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now experiencing the severe fruit of that deed, / protect me, miserable, O ocean of mercy! (22)

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Your form endowed with the three guṇas shines forth, / sporting in the preservation, creation, and dissolution of all worlds.

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O Great Self, the cause of the great [principle] and the rest, / homage to you, the supreme cause beyond primordial nature! (23)

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Having pervaded everywhere, immense, immeasurable, / expanding, and strengthened within you,

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I take refuge in that form of Brahman, the cause of transformation, / which consists of the inner self and all the universe. (24)

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In this terrifying single ocean, there is no place on earth

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to stand, O Lord of Lakṣmī, / because of the trembling from the clouds, rain, and wind. (25)

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Protect me, O Viṣṇu, Lord of the universe, drowned in the ocean of worldly existence!

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Deliver me from this, O Govinda, by a compassionate sidelong glance! (26)

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To the brahmin-seer who was praising him in this way, / the all-pervading Nārāyaṇa in person,

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looking with a glance of grace, spoke these words: (27)

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Mārkaṇḍeya, you are very miserable, not knowing me, O best of the twice-born.

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Severe austerity was performed [by you]; only a long life was [obtained] by that. (28)

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Behold [me] lying on a leaf-cup above the Kalpa-banyan tree,

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having the form of an infant, the soul of time for all beings, O great sage.

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Entering my wide-open mouth, you ought to remain inside. (29)

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Thus addressed by the Blessed Lord, that sage, his face filled with wonder, (30)

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climbed up and saw the form of the infant, and entered into his mouth.

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Having entered by way of the throat into the vast, great belly, (31)

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there that brahmin saw the fourteen worlds,

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Brahmā and the other gods who guard the quarters, siddhas, gandharvas, rākṣasas, (32)

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seers and divine seers, the surface of the earth marked by oceans,

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with diverse sacred fords, rivers, mountains, and forests, (33)

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marked with cities, towns, villages, and hamlets.

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Likewise, [he saw] the seven netherworlds, thousands of serpent-maidens, (34)

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and with mansions of priceless gems, and brilliant vessels of nectar,

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served by serpents with priceless jewels—most wonderful! (35)

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He saw Śeṣa, the upholder of the worlds, adorned with a thousand hoods,

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the expositor of all sacred treatises, seated amidst his disciples. (36)

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Whatever entity exists within the cosmic egg, created

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by the Supreme Lord, all that the great sage saw inside that belly. (37)

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Wandering here and there, he did not see the end of the belly.

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Then, coming out again, he saw, together with me, (38)

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Puruṣottama seated just as he had been perceived before.

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With eyes wide open in astonishment, he prostrated himself and said this: (39)

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O Blessed One, Lord of the gods of gods! What is this wonder, O Lord?

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In the confinement of the great dissolution, creation is perceived here! (40)

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Your māyā is difficult to fathom; how indeed can it be understood by me? (41)

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O sage, understand this sacred field to be wonderful and eternal to me.

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Neither creation nor dissolution exist here, nor does worldly transmigration. (42)

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Fully realizing me here as Puruṣottama, ever of one form and bestower of liberation, / one who enters here, becoming of the nature of concentrated bliss, does not enter a womb again. (43)

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Thus instructed by the Blessed Lord, the great sage Mārkaṇḍeya,

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thinking, “I shall dwell here,” and turning his back on other sacred fords,

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with a delighted face prostrated himself before the Guru of the universe and said: (44)

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He spoke thus to Viṣṇu, endowed with devotion and faith:

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“Bestow your grace, O Blessed One, in this sacred field of Puruṣottama,

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so that, residing [here], I may not fall under the power of death, O Puruṣottama!” (45)

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O brahmin-seer, in this sacred field that brings about liberation, my presence [dwells]. (46)

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My stay is here, O brahmin-seer, in the sacred field that brings about liberation.

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I will remain here, beyond any doubt, until the universal dissolution.

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At the conclusion of the deluge, I shall create an eternal sacred ford for you, // 47

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On whose bank, undertaking austerity and worshipping Śiva, / who is my second form,

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you shall assuredly conquer death through my grace.” // 48

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Having thus received the boon in ancient times, the great sage Mārkaṇḍeya

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resorted to the northwest corner of the banyan tree, to the pit dug by Hari’s discus,

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a holy hollow; and having worshipped the Great Lord,

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the brahmin easily conquered death through great austerity. // 50

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By the name of that very sage, this supreme pit is renowned;

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bathing in which and seeing Śiva, one obtains the fruit of a horse sacrifice. // 51

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This sacred field extends for five krośas, situated within the sea;

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two krośas of it lie on the shore of the king of sacred fords, exceedingly pure, // 52

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strewn with golden sand and graced by the Blue Mountain.

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That Lord of All, the god whose nature is Nārāyaṇa in visible form,

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restraining the assembly of sense objects, established himself upon the seashore

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to worship Jagannātha, becoming the sixty-fourth lord. // 54

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He is renowned as Yameśvara, destroyer of Yama’s restraint;

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having seen and worshipped him, one obtains the fruit of ten million liṅgas. // 55

Thus ends the third chapter in the dialogue between the sage Jaimini and the ṛṣis, in the glorification of Puruṣottama-kṣetra, in the second section, the Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa, of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses. // 3

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit