the conqueror of hundreds of tormentors of the gods, the sole partisan of the thirty [gods]—to him, whose glory is fierce austerity, we offer our bow.

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Whatever he does out of compassion, being a fire to the mountain-like cotton of the distress of the wretched, the foremost of those who know how to protect their dependents—

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may he be pleased with us by that very action of his, which has indeed never been imitated by any person.

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He properly bestows instruction upon us of noble minds, like a compassionate father, fully satisfied in his own attainments;

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may this full ocean of nectar, whose glance is adept in protecting the three worlds, protect [us] from calamity.

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To him upon whom superimposition makes this entire single universe, a vessel for play, appear real, unborn and of infinite majesty,

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and upon whose mouth the host of luminaries has taken recourse as its form—to you, the eternal one, we bow forever.

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By just a particle of whose grace great souls and other beings bound to worldly existence attained perfection—

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that they have crossed the dreadful ocean of existence in no time is our conviction.

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O all-pervading Lord, abode of good qualities, of auspicious form, supreme ruler, source of continuous honor,

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intoxicated by the taste of the nectar of your lotus feet, we have attained our purpose; in this there is no wonder at all.

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Then the Blessed Lord was pleased with those heaven-dwellers.

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Told, “Choose a boon,” they spoke to the best among boon-givers:

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“Since you, the God of gods, husband of Ramā, are directly pleased,

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neither Badarī nor Meru should ever be abandoned by you.

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Those meritorious people who gaze upon the peak of Meru,

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may their dwelling indeed come to be upon Meru through your grace.

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Having enjoyed pleasures there for a long time, may absorption into you take place at the end.”

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Having said, “So be it,” Hari vanished right there.

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From that time forward, all those roaming upon the peak of Meru,

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protected constantly in the presence of Nara and Nārāyaṇa,

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dwell sometimes in heaven and sometimes in the middle of Meru,

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free from doubt and agitation—both seers and those rich in austerity.

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The Blessed Lord also remains right there in the form of Nara,

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bearing bow and arrows, glorious, resembling fire through austerity,

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bringing joy to the assembly of seers, steadfast in austerity.

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After that, there is a supreme sacred ford praised by the world guardians,

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where Hari himself established the world guardians.

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How were the world guardians established there by the Blessed Lord?

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Great is my curiosity, father; tell me, O noble-minded one.

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Once Hari, dispelling the afflictions of those dwelling in the middle of Meru,

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set out to see the conduct of the gods and the foremost seers.

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Seeing him, the heaven-dwellers stood up at once, bowed,

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and all said with humility: “Be gracious, O Blessed Lord, O all-pervading one!”

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Resting for a moment, having properly looked at that secluded spot,

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and judging the mutual proximity of the seers and gods to be inappropriate,

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the Blessed Lord Madhusūdana then smiled and said,

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having summoned the world guardians: “Those like you must not dwell here.

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For seers, ascetics, and siddhas dwell here with their wives.

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A place of assembly for those like you was already prepared by me in the past.”

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Then Hari, having gone swiftly to the delightful foremost mountain,

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summoned the world guardians and established them there, O Guha.

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Right there, striking the fire with a stone staff out of desire for water,

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he fashioned a very charming lotus pool for their sport,

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where the gods, accompanied by their wives, roam according to their own desire,

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and the gandharvas of the heaven-dwellers sing and applaud.

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Delightful with the fragrance of flowers, through contentment,

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the days of embodied beings pass there almost like moments.

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The Blessed Lord also, bringing joy to them right there,

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comes in person for ritual bathing on the twelfth lunar day and on the full-moon day.

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After him, all the seers, sages, and those rich in austerity,

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having bathed there according to rule, O Guha, at midday,

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behold with their own eyes the unattached, supreme light in the water.

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Whatever fruit is proclaimed by plunging into all the sacred fords—

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that fruit [is attained] in that very moment, by beholding the Daṇḍapuṣkariṇī.

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Where rites performed with desire bear fruit for the wise,

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where, by offering funeral cakes, the fruit is eight times that of Gayā; // 34

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Sacrifice, gift, austerity, and ritual action are all declared inexhaustible [there].

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On the twelfth lunar day of the bright fortnight in the month of Jyeṣṭha, O six-faced one,

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having bathed there according to the rules, one achieves one's purpose; because

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within the Badarī sacred ford this is kept secret by the foremost of the gods.

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It should not be spoken anywhere; I have told it out of love for you. // 36

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What much need be said here? Those of abundant merit behold this renowned [pool], guarded exclusively by the gods.

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It could not enter the mind of others by any association; this secret is daily meditated upon by the gods. // 37

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Those whose minds and complete actions are dedicated to the Lord according to the rules of study and practice

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behold this excellent sacred ford, Daṇḍoda, hard to obtain in the three worlds; and it cannot be truly perceived otherwise. // 38

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There is no sacred ford higher than Daṇḍodaka; there is no immortal equal to Viṣṇu;

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there has never been, nor will there ever be, a sacred field equal to Viśālā. // 39

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Viśālā should be resorted to with effort by the discerning,

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whoever constantly desires the realm near to the Lord. // 2.3.8.40

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What sacred fords are there depending upon the Gaṅgā here in this true abode,

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which bestow great welfare? Tell them to me in brief. // 41

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Where there is a confluence with the Gaṅgā near the breaking out of the Mānasa lake,

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that sacred ford is pure, holy, greater than Prayāga, and eminent. // 42

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The fruit which would be obtained from subsisting on air for thirty thousand years,

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that fruit is attained by men merely by bathing at the confluence of the Gaṅgā. // 43

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South of the confluence is celebrated the Dharmakṣetra,

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where the seers Nara and Nārāyaṇa were born incarnate, as heard in tradition. // 44

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That sacred field in the mortal world is purifying, the highest of all.

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Lord Dharma stands right there on four legs. // 45

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Whatever sacrifice, austerity, or gift is performed there by men,

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there is no loss of that merit even through hundreds of millions of kalpas. // 46

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South of that is the region named Urvaśī-saṃgama,

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which removes all sins of embodied beings merely by bathing. // 47

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After that is Kūrmoddhāra, the direct and sole means for devotion to Hari;

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merely by bathing, purification of the mind of living beings is produced. // 48

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After that is Brahmāvarta, the direct and sole cause for [reaching] the world of Brahmā;

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merely from darśana of this sacred ford, the destruction of all sins occurs. // 49

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There are many sacred fords here that are difficult of access for embodied beings;

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this has been told in brief, O child, out of regard for you. // 2.3.8.50

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Whoever constantly listens to this or recites it with a collected mind,

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freed from all sins, attains the state of Viṣṇu. // 51

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A king attains victory; one desiring a son obtains a son;

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one desiring a daughter obtains a daughter; a maiden finds a good husband; // 52

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one desiring wealth attains wealth, the sole instrument of all desires. // 53

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A man who listens with devotion and an attentive mind for just one month,

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his attainment of desire, even though difficult to attain, is without doubt. // 54

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Mental affliction, bodily disease, terrible danger, poverty, and discord—

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in whose houses this māhātmya is present, these never occur there. // 55

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Neither untimely death nor snakes and the like, nor misfortune exists;

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nor bad dreams, affliction by planetary spirits, nor danger from an enemy kingdom. // 56

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In battle and when embarking on a journey it should be read with care;

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and in marriage, in disputes, and in auspicious rites, diligently

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by the discerning—either completely, or just a single chapter, or half of it.

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Success in all undertakings will occur; no hesitation should be entertained here. // 58

Thus ends the eighth chapter, titled 'Description of the Glory of Various Sacred Fords and Sacred Fields, Such as the Placement of Meru Sacred Ford, Lokapāla Sacred Ford, Daṇḍapuṣkariṇī Sacred Ford, and Dharmakṣetra at Badarikāśrama, in the Dialogue Between Śiva and Kārttikeya,' in the Badarikāśramamāhātmya, in the second section, the Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa of eighty-one thousand verses. // 8

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Thus ends the third Badarikāśramamāhātmya in the second section, the Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skandapurāṇa. (2-3)

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit