Skandapurana 2.2.49

English (machine translation) 2.2.49

Language: English

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O venerable Jaimini, master of all the Vedas and Vedāṅgas,

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by your grace, the māhātmya of the Lord of the Universe,

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of this king of sacred fields, and of all the festivals in every detail,

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as well as the fruit of consuming the Lord's leftover food,

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the exceedingly rare history of King Indradyumna,

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the manifestation of Nīlamādhava and of the Wooden Brahman,

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has been heard as it flowed properly from the lotus of your mouth.

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Now we wish to hear from you, O best of speakers,

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everything in detail, O holy one, all of us filled with joy:

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that fruit which has been stated precisely for the hearing of the Purāṇa,

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what is its rule, and how does it become complete in all parts?

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If you have compassion for us, you ought to tell it properly.

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Well done, well done, O best of sages, that you have asked with supreme joy!

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In that, incomparable delight has arisen in me, causing my hair to stand on end.

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I shall tell you all of that; listen attentively.

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At the beginning of listening to a Purāṇa, according to one's own means,

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having first made the ritual resolve according to the rule, [one should select] a brahmin born of a pure lineage,

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free from defective limbs, peaceful, belonging to one's own Vedic branch, or one's own family priest,

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knowing the true meaning of all treatises; with exceedingly radiant ornaments,

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with garments, sandalwood paste, garlands and the like, one should appoint him for reading and recitation.

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Having folded his hands in supplication, he should then pray to the twice-born:

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“You are Viṣṇu, you are Viṣṇu indeed, there is never any difference.

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May my [listening] be free of obstacles through your grace, and be pleased [with me]!”

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Then, [having placed] the appointed brahmin on an auspicious, costly seat,

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And seating him, one should place a garland around his neck,

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place a mass of flowers upon his head, and anoint him with sandalwood paste. // 13

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For at that time the brahmin is regarded as equal to Vyāsa.

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Through that very brahmin, upon the book embodying the form of Viṣṇu, // 14

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one should have the worship of Vyāsa performed with sandalwood, agallochum, and flowers,

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with various pleasing rites of worship, and also with diverse foods and eatables. // 15

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With devotion, the rite of offering a seat and other honors should be performed day after day.

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Now I will declare the characteristic marks of a listener: let it be heard! // 16

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And for the accommodation of the followers who have arrived, O brahmins,

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having himself prepared suitable seats in a proper manner, // 17

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seated upon an auspicious seat, he should be eager in mind;

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or else he should sit on the ground together with all in a purified place. // 18

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One's seat before Vyāsa should not be high at all.

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Having performed his ritual ablution, full of joy, wearing two white garments, // 19

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having sipped water, his body marked with tilakas of the conch, discus, and other symbols,

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he should meditate upon Viṣṇu in his mind and cultivate deep faith. // 2.2.49.20

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In the Purāṇa, in the brahmin, in the deity, and in the rite of mantras,

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in a sacred ford, and in the word of an elder, faith yields fruit. // 21

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Therefore, O best of sages, all religious merit has faith as its cause.

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Conversation with heretics and idle chatter should be scrupulously avoided; // 22

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at the time of listening to the Purāṇa, one should abandon all anxieties.

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According to this rule, O brahmins, one should listen every day with joy. // 23

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Then, when the recitation is concluded, with clappings of hands repeatedly,

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uttering names such as 'Victory to Kṛṣṇa, Lord of the Universe, Hara!', // 24

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one should magnify the sound so that it is heard even in the sky.

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And in this way one should act every day for the pleasure of the enemy of Mura. // 25

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Then, upon the conclusion of the text, intent on pleasing Viṣṇu,

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especially with garments, garlands, sandalwood, and ornaments,

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one should adorn the brahmin who is equal to Vyāsa with supreme devotion, O twice-born ones. // 26

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And according to one's means, one should offer the priestly fee in accordance with the rule.

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Whoever should give whatever, hear that now from me: // 27

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Kings should give elephants adorned with ornaments and endowed with auspicious marks;

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kṣatriyas should do likewise, for they are regarded as equal to kings. // 28

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Brahmins [should give] manuscripts, caskets for the worship of Viṣṇu,

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gold, silver, grain, and cloth according to their devotion. // 29

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Vaiśyas [should give horses] adorned with gemmed ornaments and born in the Sindhu region,

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and cows endowed with good marks, accompanied by calves and giving milk. // 2.2.49.30

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And intent on righteousness, they should give other gifts, such as gold and the like.

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Śūdras, their minds endowed with supreme joy, should give // 31

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decked with various ornaments, possessing large udders, and pregnant for the first time. // 32

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In this way one should give a priestly fee so that the guru is satisfied.

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According to one's capacity, O brahmins, one should not be miserly with wealth. // 33

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A rite for peace, a rite for prosperity, an observance, a wedding, and similar rites,

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as well as listening to the Purāṇa, an act leading to liberation, // 34

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sacrifice, charitable donation, and various kinds of observances—

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if devoid of a priestly fee, then it becomes fruitless. // 35

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The demons snatch away the fruit of that rite,

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just as the charm of women devoid of a husband's love, // 36

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and the turned backs of bowmen fleeing from battle,

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or, O twice-born ones, the viciousness of horses that will not run, // 37

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or the learning of scholars learned in all treatises rendered useless through muteness—

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whatever rite is devoid of a priestly fee is just like that, completely fruitless. // 38

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Because through giving, a multitude of sins is destroyed,

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it is sung as 'dakṣiṇā' by those who know the sacred texts, O brahmins. // 39

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Then one should feed the brahmins with [foods] prepared according to one's capacity,

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provided with camphor, sugar, clarified butter, and rice cooked in milk, // 2.2.49.40

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with six kinds of foods, drinks, and the like, very delicious and resembling nectar.

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To them also one should give gold, garments, and other gifts according to one's ability. // 41

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All this regarding the hearing of the Purāṇa has been told to you,

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and the procedure with its main parts and subsidiaries by which this [listening] becomes fruitful.

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Now, O best of sages, what else do you wish to know?"

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"Ah, great is our good fortune, that the destruction of a flood of sins,

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the fruit of hearing the Purāṇa itself, and

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the procedure with all its main parts and subsidiaries have been heard by us from the lotus of your mouth!

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We are blessed! We have acquired merit! We are freed from feverish anxiety in saṃsāra!

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Now indeed, according to our capacity, O sage, is offered to you

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a sacrificial fee for the attainment of the fruit; be pleased and accept it."

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Having spoken thus, the sages, having no possessions, prepared sacrificial wood, kuśa grass, flowers, fruits, unbroken grains, and the like,

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and offering it to him, the sages, fully liberated, departed for the supreme sacred field, exceedingly rejoiced.

Thus ends the forty-ninth chapter in the dialogue with the seer Jaimini, in the Puruṣottamakṣetra-māhātmya, in the second section, the Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, in the collection of eighty-one thousand [verses].

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Thus ends the second [part], the glorious Puruṣottama (Jagannātha) Kṣetra-māhātmya, in the Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa. (2-2)

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit