Skandapurana 2.8.2
English (machine translation) 2.8.2
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Sūta said:
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Having thus spoken the story concerning Cakratīrtha
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and the all-pervading Viṣṇuhari, sage Agastya spoke again, O best of brahmins:
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Agastya said:
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Formerly, Brahmā, the creator of the world, having known that Hari, Acyuta,
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the god, resided in Ayodhyā, himself took up residence there.
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Brahmā came and duly performed a pilgrimage there,
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and properly performed a sacrifice furnished with various provisions.
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Then Brahmā, the grandfather of the worlds, made there
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an extensive pool bearing his own name, attended by various gods,
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filled with wide waves of water, removing impurities,
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thronged with multitudes of white water-lilies, blue lotuses, night-lotuses, and white lotuses,
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delightful with swans, cranes, and ruddy geese,
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crowded with flocks of birds sporting among the branches on its banks.
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All the gods bathed in that pool and, endowed with purity,
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truly became free from passion and dirt, possessing spotless radiance.
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Seeing that great wonder, all those gods at once
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bowed down to Brahmā and then, with folded hands, said with devotion:
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The gods said:
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O Blessed One seated on the lotus, speak in truth of the glory
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in its entirety of this excavated pool of spotless radiance.
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By bathing here, the passion and dirt of us all has vanished.
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Having witnessed this great wonder of the pool, we are all amazed,
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O best of gods; therefore, tell us out of compassion.
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Brahmā said:
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Let all the gods, attentive and full of wonder, hear
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the glory of this pool, which is accompanied by various fruits.
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By duly bathing here, even sinful creatures,
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mounting an aerial chariot yoked with swans, wearing splendid garments,
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dwell in the world of Brahmā until the cosmic dissolution.
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By giving gifts and making fire offerings here according to one's capacity, O best of gods,
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they obtain the merit of the Tulāpuruṣa gift and the horse sacrifice, O best of sages.
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By bathing in this lake of mine, a man becomes prosperous.
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Therefore, ritual ablution, charitable donation, recitation [of mantras], and other rites performed here in accordance with the rules, 14
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are equal indeed to all sacrifices and destroy great sins.
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From now on, it will attain supreme renown by the name Brahmakuṇḍa. 15
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And in this pool my presence shall dwell forever.
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On the fourteenth day of the bright fortnight of Kārttika, O best of gods, 16
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there shall always take place my annual pilgrimage festival, O gods,
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granting auspiciousness and destroying a multitude of great sins at that time. 17
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Gold and various kinds of garments should always be given,
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and according to one's capacity, O gods, the satisfaction of the twice-born should be accomplished. 18
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Agastya said:
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Having spoken thus, this god of gods, Brahmā, the grandfather of the worlds,
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disappeared along with the gods after beholding the sacred ford, O you whose wealth is austerity. 19
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From that time forward, that pool became supremely renowned on earth;
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and the great pool is situated to the east of Cakratīrtha. 20
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Sūta said:
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Having spoken thus, that mass of austerity, Agastya, born of a pitcher,
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questioned again, that best of sages recounted the narrative to Vyāsa. 21
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Agastya said:
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Listen, O fortunate one, to another sacred ford, hard to reach for evildoers,
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named Ṛṇamocana, situated on the bank of the Sarayū. 22
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Seven hundred bow-lengths from Brahmakuṇḍa, O best of sages,
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it is located in the waters of the Sarayū, in the north-eastern direction. 23
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There in ancient times the best of sages named Lomaśa,
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on the occasion of a pilgrimage to sacred fords, performed his ritual ablution according to rule. 24
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Thereupon he became free from debt and rid of all defilement.
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Seeing that great wonder, he spoke joyfully to the sages: 25
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“Let everyone behold the virtues of this great, best of sacred fords!”
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Raising his two arms and with eyes full of tears of joy, he said: 26
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Lomaśa said:
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“This unexcelled sacred ford is indeed named Ṛṇamocana,
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where, by bathing, the discharge of debts occurs for living beings. 27
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The threefold debt that belongs to men, pertaining to this world and the next—
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all of that is destroyed in an instant in this sacred ford merely by bathing. 28
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This is the best of all sacred fords, producing immediate conviction,
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and by me its fruit regarding debt and the like has been fully experienced here. 29
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Therefore, ritual ablution and donation according to one's capacity
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must always be performed here with faith by those who desire the fruit. 30
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One must bathe, and gold, garments, and other gifts should be given according to one's means.” 31
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Agastya said:
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Having thus proclaimed the māhātmya of the sacred ford, Lomaśa, best of sages,
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that foremost of sages vanished while joyfully praising the virtues of the sacred ford. 32
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Thus has been recounted, O brahmin, [the sacred ford] named Ṛṇamocana,
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where, by bathing, the debt of living beings is destroyed in that very instant. 33
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To the east of the Ṛṇamocana sacred ford, in the waters of the Sarayū,
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at two hundred bow-lengths, is the sacred ford named Pāpamocana. 34
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A person becomes purified of all sins by bathing there
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at that very instant; no doubt need be entertained here. 34
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Its excellent māhātmya was witnessed there by me, O best of sages. 35
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Born in the Pañcāla country, a twice-born man named Narahari
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became sinful in soul through the influence of bad company. 36
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Various kinds of sins, including the murder of a brahmin,
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he committed through association with sinners, reviling the path of the three Vedas. 37
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Once, through the company of good men, in the course of a pilgrimage to sacred fords,
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he came to Ayodhyā, O brahmin—that twice-born man who had committed great sins. 38
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Through association with the good, the twice-born bathed at the Pāpamocana sacred ford;
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his mass of sin was destroyed, and he became sinless in an instant. 39
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A shower of flowers fell from heaven upon his head, O lord of sages;
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and ascending a celestial aerial chariot, the twice-born went to the realm of Viṣṇu. 40
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And that great wonder having been seen by me, O foremost of the twice-born...
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Ritual ablution performed there with supreme faith is especially [efficacious].
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On the fourteenth day of the dark half of Māgha, ritual ablution there in particular,
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and gift-giving should be performed by men for purification from all sins.
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Even when ritual ablution is performed at other times, destruction of all sins occurs.
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To the east of Pāpamocanatīrtha in the waters of the Sarayū,
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at a measure of a hundred bows, there is an excellent sacred ford,
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named Sahasradhārā, destroying all sins,
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where by Rāma's command the hero Lakṣmaṇa, slayer of enemy heroes,
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having given up his vital breaths through yoga, attained the nature of Śeṣa in ancient times.
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They know the measure of a bow to be three cubits and a half;
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a count of four cubits is designated a staff.
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Sūta said:
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Having thus heard then from the pot-born sage,
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Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa asked again out of curiosity:
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Vyāsa said:
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Speak in detail, O you of good vows, the māhātmya of Sahasradhārā;
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listening to the māhātmya of the sacred ford, my mind is not satiated.
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Agastya said:
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Listen attentively, O sage, as I tell the story,
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the origin of the sacred ford Sahasradhārā, from its great rise.
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Formerly Rāma, lord of the Raghus, having accomplished the task of the gods,
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met together with Kāla and held counsel, the king of men.
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"Whoever comes near and sees the two of us consulting,
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must be quickly abandoned by me." Thus he made an agreement.
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While he was consulting, Lakṣmaṇa standing at the door,
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Durvāsas arrived, that mass of austerity, a treasury of splendors.
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Having arrived, afflicted with hunger, he quickly said affectionately to Lakṣmaṇa:
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Durvāsas said:
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"O son of Sumitrā, go quickly and announce me in front of Rāma.
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I am seeking a purpose; you ought not to act contrary to this command."
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Agastya said:
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Frightened of a curse, that son of Sumitrā swiftly went before the two
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and announced the sage in front of Rāma as desiring a darśana,
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Durvāsas, a mass of austerity, the son of Atri who had arrived.
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Rāma also, having taken leave of Kāla and dismissed him, went outside.
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Seeing that sage, the lord bowed down and fed him with respect.
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Having dismissed Durvāsas, best of sages, himself with respect,
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out of fear of breaking the truth, the hero then abandoned Lakṣmaṇa.
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Then the hero Lakṣmaṇa also, making true the word
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of his elder brother, wise-minded, went to the bank of the Sarayū.
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Having gone there and bathed, promptly engaging in meditation,
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joining his peaceful mind to the Self of pure consciousness, he remained then.
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Then there appeared there, adorned with a thousand hoods,
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Śeṣa, the best serpent, cleaving the earth a thousandfold.
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From the world of the gods, the lord of the gods also arrived along with the immortals.
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Then to Lakṣmaṇa, true to his promise, who had attained the nature of Śeṣa,
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Śakra spoke sweetly while the gods looked on there:
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Indra said:
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"Lakṣmaṇa, rise up quickly; ascend to your own abode!
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The task of the gods has been accomplished by you, O hero, slayer of enemies!
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Attain the eternal, supreme station of Viṣṇu!
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Your very form has arrived: Śeṣa too, with gleaming hoods,
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having cleaved the earth a thousandfold with rings of a thousand hoods.
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Because they burst up from the thousand openings of the earth, having cleaved [it],
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[and] are made fiery by the gems of the thousands of hoods of Śeṣa, O you of good vows,
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therefore this auspicious great sacred ford situated on the bank of the Sarayū
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will be famed as Sahasradhārā; there is no doubt.
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The extent of this sacred field is twenty-five bows.
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By ritual ablution, gift-giving, and ancestral offerings here, endowed with faith,
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a man, his soul purified of all sins, will go to the world of Viṣṇu."
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A wise man who bathes here, having worshipped imperishable Śeṣa
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and having duly worshipped the sacred ford, attains the world of Viṣṇu. // 67
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Therefore, ritual ablution should be performed here according to rule;
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brahmins are especially to be meditated upon and worshipped like serpents of the form of Śeṣa. // 68
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Gold, food, and clothes should be given by those endowed with faith;
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ritual ablution, gifting, and worship of Hari—all will attain imperishability. // 69
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Therefore, this great sacred ford, which grants the fruit of all desires,
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shall forever exist on earth; no doubt should be entertained on this point. // 2.8.2.70
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On whatever lunar day is the fifth of the bright fortnight in Śrāvaṇa,
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on that [day] here, dedicated to the nāgas,
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a vast festival should be assiduously performed by virtuous men, preceded by the worship of Śeṣa. // 71
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When the festival has indeed been performed there at the great sacred ford by men,
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and having gratified the twice-born with devotion preceded by the worship of the nāgas, // 72
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all the hooded serpents, being pleased, will not torment human beings. // 73
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Those who, being collected in mind, perform ritual ablution here in the month of Vaiśākha,
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have no return [to rebirth] even in hundreds of millions of kalpas. // 74
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Therefore, in the month of Mādhava, ritual ablution and gifting should be assiduously performed here by men;
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Hari and especially the brahmins are to be worshipped;
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[the bath] performed by men at this sacred ford grants the fruit of all desires. // 75
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Whoever gives, dedicated to Viṣṇu, a milch-cow with ornaments
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along with its calf here at this good sacred ford to a twice-born worthy recipient, // 76
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his abode shall be eternal in the imperishable world of Viṣṇu;
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a man attains imperishable heaven through ritual ablution at the sacred ford. // 77
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Here, especially, with ornaments and garments,
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a twice-born couple should be worshipped by men endowed with faith in the month of Vaiśākha, // 78
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for the pleasure of Lakṣmīnārāyaṇa and especially for the attainment of prosperity.
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In the month of Vaiśākha, all the sacred fords situated on earth
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will surely gather and abide here; there is no doubt. // 79
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Therefore, from ritual ablution here in Vaiśākha especially,
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there shall be for men the great fruit of bathing in all sacred fords. // 2.8.2.80
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Agastya said:
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Having spoken thus, the king of sages, to Lakṣmaṇa who had joined the gods,
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having established Śeṣa, who is capable of removing the burden of the earth, at that sacred ford,
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and having mounted Lakṣmaṇa on a vehicle, departed respectfully for heaven. // 81
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From that time forward, that sacred ford attained supreme renown;
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the supreme māhātmya of the sacred ford is remembered [especially] in the month of Vaiśākha, // 82
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and especially on the bright fifth lunar day of Śrāvaṇa;
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at other times, on a holy occasion, one should perform an auspicious, special ritual ablution;
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and at the Sahasradhārātīrtha, a man attains heaven. // 83
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O best of men, whatever wise man here performs with respect ritual ablutions and gifts at the sacred ford according to rule and according to his means,
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he, purified in soul, enjoys vast pleasures here and through devotion attains oneness of self with the Lord of Śrī, who lies upon the serpent. // 84
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Thus ends the second chapter, titled 'Description of the Māhātmya of the Brahmakuṇḍa and Sahasradhārātīrtha' in the Ayodhyāmāhātmya of the second [section], the Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa containing eighty-one thousand verses. // 2
Linked texts (1)
- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit