Skandapurana 2.4.22
English (machine translation) 2.4.22
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Nārada said:
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Then Jalandhara, seeing Rudra of wonderful valor,
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created Gaurī by illusion, as if deluding Tryambaka.
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Bound upon a chariot and weeping, Śiva saw Pārvatī
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being beaten by Niśumbha and other leaders.
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Seeing Gaurī in such a state, Śiva too became agitated in mind;
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he stood silent with his face cast down, forgetting his own valor.
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Then Jalandhara swiftly pierced him with three arrows
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up to their feathered shafts—Rudra—in the head, chest, and belly.
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Then he recognized that illusion and, awakened by Viṣṇu,
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he assumed a terrible form, utterly terrifying with garlands of flames.
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Seeing his exceedingly terrible form, the great asuras
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could not stand before him; they fled in the ten directions.
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Then Rudra pronounced a curse on both of them, Śumbha and Niśumbha:
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"Having fled from my battle, you two shall be slain by Gaurī!"
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Again Jalandhara swiftly rained sharp arrows [upon him].
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Then the vast surface of the earth was covered by the darkness of arrows.
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And while Rudra swiftly severed his host of arrows,
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meanwhile that powerful one quickly struck the bull with an iron club.
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Turned back from the battlefield by that blow,
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the bull did not remain on the field of battle, even though pulled back by Rudra.
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Then Rudra, exceedingly enraged, assuming a terrifying form,
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swiftly hurled the Sudarśana discus possessing the radiance of the sun.
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Burning heaven and earth, it fell with speed upon the surface of the earth;
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it severed his head, large and wide-eyed, from his body.
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His body fell from the chariot, making the earth's surface resound,
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and the fiery splendor that emerged from his body merged into Rudra.
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The fiery splendor arisen from Vṛndā's body dissolved into Gaurī.
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Then the gods, led by Brahmā, their eyes wide with joy,
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bowed their heads to Rudra and recounted Viṣṇu's conduct.
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The gods said:
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“O Mahādeva, the gods have been protected by you from fear born of the enemy.
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Something else has arisen; what shall we do about that?
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Bewildered by Vṛndā's loveliness, Viṣṇu remains deluded.”
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Īśvara said:
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“O gods, go for refuge, for the removal of Viṣṇu's delusion,
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to the refuge-granting, enchanting Māyā; she will accomplish your task.”
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Nārada said:
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Having spoken thus, the god then disappeared along with all the hosts of beings,
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and the gods praised Mūlaprakṛti, who is affectionate to devotees.
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The gods said:
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“She from whom originate the qualities of sattva, rajas, and tamas, the causal agents of creation, maintenance, and destruction,
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by whose will this universe unfolds its existence and nonexistence—to that Mūlaprakṛti we bow.
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She who is designated as having twenty-three distinctions, presiding supreme over the entire universe,
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whose form and deeds even the three inert gods do not know—to that Prakṛti we bow.
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Men endowed with devotion to whom never indeed encounter
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poverty, fear, delusion, defeat, and the like—to that Mūlaprakṛti, always affectionate to devotees, we bow.”
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Nārada said:
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Whoever recites this hymn with a one-pointed mind at the three twilights,
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poverty, delusion, and miseries never touch him.
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While praising in this manner, those gods beheld
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a sphere of light situated in the sky there, the quarters of space pervaded by flames.
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From the middle of it, all heard a voice moving through the sky.
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The Śakti said:
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“I alone abide divided into three by the three qualities:
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as Gaurī, Lakṣmī, and Svarā, through the qualities of rajas, sattva, and tamas.
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Go there; they will accomplish your purpose, O gods.”
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Nārada said:
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As the gods were hearing that speech, O king,
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that splendor disappeared, while their eyes expanded with astonishment.
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Then all those gods, impelled by her words, went
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and bowed to Gaurī, Lakṣmī, and Svarā, intent on devotion.
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Then, seeing those bowed gods, those goddesses, affectionate to devotees,
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gave them seeds and spoke these words, O king.
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The goddesses said:
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“Scatter these seeds there where Viṣṇu stays;
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thereupon your purpose will attain fulfillment.”
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Nārada said:
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Then the delighted hosts of gods and siddhas, taking the seeds, scattered them
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on the surface of the earth where Viṣṇu, joined with Vṛndā, constantly remains devoid of happiness.
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Thus ends the twenty-second chapter, titled “The Description of the Liberation of Jalandhara,” in the Kārttikamāsamāhātmya of the second section, the Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.
Linked texts (1)
- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit