Skandapurana 2.2.30
English (machine translation) 2.2.30
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2.2.30.1
The sages said:
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By what rite did he perform the birth-ablution of the husband of Śrī?
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Tell us duly about all the other festivals as well, O sage!
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Everything was told to you long ago by Nārada, O best of sages;
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for he, the sage born of Brahmā, knows Brahman beyond the darkness.
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Tell all that in truth, O sage; great indeed is our curiosity!
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Oh, how fortunate is King Indradyumna, O sage,
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that at the end of such an undertaking of his, this great marvel occurred!
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Never has an image fashioned of wood been heard of or seen,
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which, like a living body in person, would grant boons like a human being!
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Remembering and remembering the sin-destroying deeds of the Lord,
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and the deed of that king, which is difficult to attain for mortals,
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there is no satiation for us who listen, O divine, great sage!
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Therefore, recount in sequence to us the processions that destroy all sins,
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by the sight of which dwelling in Vaikuṇṭha is certain!
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Since Madhusūdana in person was the speaker of the māhātmya of the processions,
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tell that to us, O fortunate one, out of a desire for the welfare of the worlds!
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Jaimini said:
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I shall explain the ritual ablution of Jyeṣṭha; listen now, O sages.
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On the tenth day of the bright fortnight of Jyeṣṭha, having resolved upon the vow, restraining one's speech,
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Rising at dawn, one should perform [the rites] according to the procedure of the five sacred fords.
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Having gone to the Mārkaṇḍeya banyan tree, having sipped water, restrained, a man,
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Having bowed to Śaṃkara, with folded hands before him, should pray:
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“O exceedingly fierce one of immense form, resembling the fire of cosmic dissolution!
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Homage to you, O Bhairava! You ought to grant permission.”
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Then, having entered the sacred ford, with the five Vedic Vāruṇa [hymns],
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Or with the Aghamarṣaṇa hymn repeated thrice, O twice-born ones,
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Having bathed properly, he should bathe in the end with this mantra:
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“Homage to Śiva, peaceful and the remover of all sins.
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I perform the ritual ablution, O Lord of gods; let my sin perish!
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Drowned in the ocean of worldly existence, seized by sin, mindless,
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Save me, O crusher of Bhaga’s eyes, O enemy of Tripura! Homage be to you.”
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Having thus bathed and gone outside, wearing clean garments, adorned with sectarian marks,
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And having offered libations to the gods, seers, and ancestors according to the rule,
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Entering the abode of Śaṃkara, touching the bull on its testicles
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With this mantra, O brahmins, one obtains the fruit of all sacrifices:
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“You are four-footed Dharma, you are sacrifice, with golden horns, having the three Vedas as your body.
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O lord of cattle, whose form is the mount, I bow to you, who bear the trident-bearer.”
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Then he should worship the one whose mount is the bull with the Aghora mantra,
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And with the five Brahmā verses he should touch the supreme liṅga.
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He should touch the liṅga with his thumb and the Śakti [pedestal] with his fist;
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Having worshipped according to the rule and praised the god who is the enemy of the cities,
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He attains the unsurpassed fruit of ten horse-sacrifices.
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Having bathed at the Mārkaṇḍeya banyan tree and seen the god Śaṃkara,
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He obtains the complete fruit of the royal consecration and horse-sacrifices.
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In the end, attaining the world of Śiva, and having acquired knowledge, a mortal
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Gradually obtains liberation by the grace of Jagannātha.
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Then, maintaining silence, he should go to the flawless god Nārāyaṇa,
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[And to] the excellent banyan tree situated to his south, having the form of Viṣṇu,
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Which destroys the accumulation of sins even upon seeing it.
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Having seen it, he should bow from afar, meditating on Puruṣottama;
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Then he should perform circumambulation, uttering this mantra:
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“You are immortal, lasting for an aeon, the great dwelling of Viṣṇu.
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O banyan tree, remove my sin; O you whose form is Viṣṇu, homage be to you!
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Homage to the unmanifest form, remaining through the great dissolution;
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To the sole refuge of the worlds, to the wish-fulfilling tree, homage to you!”
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Praising and reciting [prayers] with devotion to Janārdana at its base,
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He is indeed freed from sins born of hundreds of millions of births.
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Even by traversing its shadow, a man becomes free from sin.
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Then he should bow to Suparṇa, who is the mount, in front of Hari.
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Standing before Viṣṇu, bowed in devotion, with folded hands in joy:
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“O composed of Vedic metres, O abode of the world, whose form is the mount, whose body is the threefold [Veda],
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Whose form is sacrifice, all-pervading one of the universe, homage to you who are pleased!”
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Having thus praised Garuḍa, he is freed from sins born of many births.
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Restrained in speech, mind, and action, reflecting thus, he should go;
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Having entered the temple of the deity and circumambulated it thrice,
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He should worship with the king of mantras, or with the Puruṣasūkta,
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Or with the twelve-syllable mantra, or wherever his inclination lies.
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All brahmins, kṣatriyas, and vaiśyas are qualified to perform worship;
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For others, [it is performed] through darśana with devotion and from chanting their names.
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He should worship the Supreme Lord by means of the fivefold offerings;
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Having folded his hands, he should recite this hymn:
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“O God of gods, O Jagannātha, O saviour from the ocean of worldly existence,
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Always gracious to devotees, protect me who am bowed at your feet!
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Victory, O Kṛṣṇa, O Jagannātha! Victory, O destroyer of all sins!
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Victory, O one whose lotus-feet are adored by the entire universe! Homage be to you!
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Victory, O Lord of millions of cosmic eggs, whose breath is the wind of the Vedas,
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Support of the entire universe, O Supreme Self, homage be to you!”
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Victory to you who dispel the distress of the bowing host of gods headed by Brahmā, Indra, and Rudra!
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Victory, O abode of the entire universe, O inner controller, obeisance unto you! (39)
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Victory, O ocean of unmotivated compassion, affectionate to the destitute,
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O sole refuge of the poor and helpless, witness of the universe, obeisance unto you! (40)
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In the water of the ocean of worldly existence, in the whirlpool of delusion that is very difficult to cross,
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impassable with the host of six waves, fearful with the sea-monsters of evil deeds, (41)
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without shelter, without support, unsubstantial, frothy with suffering,
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bound by the strands of your māyā, helpless, and fallen therein, (42)
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lift me up, O Lord of gods, with looks from the corners of your merciful eyes,
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sunk as I am there, O best of gods, revealer of sublime grace! (43)
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You alone, O Lord of the world, are the friend of those afraid of worldly existence.
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Hunger and thirst belong to vital breath; in traditional teaching, grief and delusion
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belong to the mind; old age, death, and birth of a body belong to the body.
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In your creation there is no one else who protects the destitute such as this. (45)
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You have descended, O Lord, with the intent of bestowing grace upon the worlds;
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for you whose desires are fulfilled, O Master, what other reason could there be on earth? (46)
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Having attained your lotus feet, there is no anxiety, O Lord of the universe,
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since your lotus feet are the sole means for the four ends of life, (47)
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granting the fruit of all desires to all people through darśana.
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Then one should worship him who has the plough as his emblem with the Śeṣa mantra, (48)
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or with the twelve-syllable mantra, or by his name preceded by the syllable Om.
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Becoming single-minded, bowing down, one should propitiate him: (49)
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"Victory, O Rāma, who always takes delight, whose form is being, consciousness, and bliss!
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Obeisance to you whose form is pure, free from the mud of ignorance! (50)
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Victory to you who are free from the fatigue of bearing the weight of the entire world!
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You ever brandish the plough to tear away the three afflictions. (51)
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With open lotus eyes to protect the destitute who take refuge,
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you alone, O Lord, are able to wash away the entire mass of highest sins. (52)
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O ocean of gracious mercy, friend of the destitute, obeisance unto you!
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By whom the earth, together with mobile and immobile beings, is borne upon the tip of his hood; (53)
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deliver me from this impassable, boundless ocean of worldly existence!
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O Supreme Lord higher than the high and the low, obeisance unto you!" (54)
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Having thus praised the king of serpents, Bala, bearer of the pestle,
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one should worship the prime cause of the worlds, whose eyes are auspicious. (55)
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Having praised that victorious one, O brahmins, one should bow down and propitiate her:
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"Victory, O goddess, great goddess! Be gracious, O deliverer from worldly existence! (56)
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O firestick that produces happiness for those who take refuge, victory, O bringer of contentment!
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The effect among embodied effects, and the cause among causes, (57)
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the support among things supported—I bow down to you, the primordial one;
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resting on the chest of Viṣṇu, bearing half the body of Śambhu, (58)
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seated on the lotus mouth of Brahmā, dear to the world, I bow to you.
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For the Supreme Self's acts of creation, maintenance, destruction, and the rest,
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you are the one incomparable power; without you, even he is powerless. (59)
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You, the mother of all worlds, the māyā of Viṣṇu, practicing austerity,
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Subhadrā, whose form is auspicious, who is the root cause—to her I bow." (60)
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Then, for bathing in the ocean, one should pray to Puruṣottama: (61)
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"Obeisance to you, O Lord Viṣṇu, pervading the moving and unmoving universe!
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May my bath in the ocean reach completion without obstacles, O Lord! (62)
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Obeisance to you, O Lord of the worlds, holding the conch, discus, and mace!
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Give me, O God, permission to resort to your sacred ford." (63)
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Then, observing silence, meditating on Viṣṇu, [and on] the lord of rivers,
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having asked permission from Ugrasena situated on the path, composed in mind: (64)
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"O mighty-armed Ugrasena, powerful one of fierce valor,
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having received a boon from the well-pleased [Lord], you stay on the shore of the ocean; (65)
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O bestower of the fully complete fruit of the ritual ablution performed in the king of sacred fords,
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I shall perform my ocean ritual ablution; please grant me permission." (66)
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Then one should proceed further, O best of twice-born, to Svargadvāra,
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by which the gods come to this sacred field of Puruṣottama, (67)
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this heaven on earth, day after day to have darśana of the Lord of the universe.
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"By the path of the descent from heaven, I bow to both of you standing there." (68)
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May you two indeed lead me upward, you witnesses of the deeds of the virtuous,
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born from the ocean's waters, supreme and endowed with all virtues.
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Between the two of you I go to the opened gate of heaven."
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Having prayed thus, one should then go into the presence of the king of sacred fords,
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seeing whom from afar one is surely released from great sin.
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Having washed one's hands and feet, having sipped water, on a pure seat,
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seated facing east, one should draw a mandala in front:
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four-cornered, with four gates and svastikas at the four corners.
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In its center one should draw a very beautiful eight-petaled lotus.
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Then one should place the eight-syllable mantra upon the hands and upon the body.
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The placement on the six limbs with six syllables has been declared by the wise;
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the remaining two should then be placed on the belly and on the back.
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On the feet, the shanks, the thighs, the buttocks, and the sides;
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on the navel, the back, the pair of arms, the heart, the throat, and the armpits;
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on the lips, the ears, the eyes, the cheeks, and the nostrils;
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on the eyebrows, the forehead, and the head, [placing] the mantra syllables in proper order,
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having placed [them], concentrated in mind, one should perform the pervasive placement with all [the syllables].
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One should perform three breath-controls, twenty-five times with the root [mantra].
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One should put on the divine armor that dispels all sins:
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"May Govinda protect me in the east, and the Lotus-Eyed One in the south;
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may Pradyumna protect me in the west, and likewise Hṛṣīkeśa in the north;
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Narasiṃha in the southeast, and Madhusūdana in the southwest;
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may Śrīdhara protect in the northwest, and the Mace-Bearer in the northeast;
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may Trivikrama protect above, and below the Holder of the Boar's Form;
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may the god bearing the conch, discus, and mace protect me everywhere.
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May Nārāyaṇa protect the mind, and the One whose emblem is Garuḍa protect consciousness;
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may Janārdana, whose self is the three qualities, protect my intellect and ego;
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may the Destroyer of the Daitya host always protect the senses."
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Having put on this armor, a person becomes freed from sin.
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With the sixteen services conceived in the mind, a person,
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having duly worshipped Puruṣottama according to rule, O brahmins,
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having invoked the disease-free God of gods in that mandala,
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having worshipped according to the rite with [offerings] augmented according to one's means,
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meditating upon oneself [as one with] the king of sacred fords, the God of gods,
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having folded one's hands in reverence, one should utter this mantra:
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"O Sudarśana, praise be to you, of brilliance equal to ten million suns!
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Show the path of Viṣṇu to one blinded by the darkness of ignorance."
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Having prayed thus, O brahmins, near the water of the king of sacred fords,
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going down on the earth with both knees, filled with devotion, one should bow:
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"Praise be to you, king of sacred fords, to Viṣṇu who has the form of water,
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the sustenance of living beings, the cause of supreme liberation.
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Agni is your womb, and the earth is in your body; you are the seed-placer of Viṣṇu, the navel of nectar.
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I approach your form, which has no other cause, full of bliss, having entered into the waters."
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Reciting this mantra, O brahmins, one should enter into the midst of the water.
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One should invoke the king of sacred fords, meditating on the Lord of the worlds,
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the Lord of the waters, abiding therein to grant the fruit of the bath performed.
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With the Aghamarṣaṇa hymn, accompanied by the Nārāyaṇa [hymn],
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repeated three times, and with the fivefold Vāruṇa hymn,
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[one should perform] once the invocation and the other six ancillary rites during the ablution.
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The invocation was spoken of before; now the manifestation is described:
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the visualization of presence for the attainment of the desired fruit by the bather.
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For internal purification, one should sip [water] after drinking that which is consecrated with mantras;
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for external bodily purification, one should sprinkle oneself with kuśa grass water.
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For inner and outer purity, with water consecrated by mantras,
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one should sprinkle three handfuls onto one's head; in the ocean there is no muttering underwater.
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Through three immersions, one's sins committed over ten million births
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are washed away in that water, while meditating on the destroyer of sins.
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Having risen and sipped water according to rule, one should pray, uttering the mantra:
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"You are Agni, O Lord of the worlds, the placer of seed, the kindler of desire,
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the primary source of all elements, the imperishable master of living beings."
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You are indeed the fire-drill of nectar, the source of the gods, O lord of waters!
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Take away all my wickedness, O king of sacred fords! Salutation to you!
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Linked texts (1)
- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit