Skandapurana 2.8.6
English (machine translation) 2.8.6
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2.8.6.1
Agastya said:
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To the west from that confluence, situated on the bank, O brahmin,
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is that which is famed as Sītākuṇḍa, which grants the fruit of all desires.
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Bathing where, O brahmin, a man is freed from all sins,
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that pool was indeed made by Sītā herself,
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and by the granting of a boon by Rāma, it was made a treasury of great fruit.
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The venerable Rāma said:
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"Hear, O Sītā! I shall declare what its māhātmya is on earth.
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I tell of this pool of yours out of love for you, O fortunate lady!
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Bathing, giving, recitation, offering into fire, or austerity performed here,
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all attains imperishability according to the injunctions, O lady of pure smiles!
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Bathing there especially on the fourteenth of the dark fortnight of Mārgaśīrṣa,
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removes all sin, O goddess, for men who bathe at all times."
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Thus Rāma, dear to his subjects, granted the boon to Sītā.
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From that time forth, that sacred ford exists everywhere on earth,
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known as Sītākuṇḍa, exceedingly wondrous to people.
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A man who bathes in that sacred ford surely attains Rāma.
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By bathing, giving, and especially austerity there,
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with perfumes, garlands, incense, lamps, and various abundant offerings,
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having fully worshipped Rāma and Sītā, he becomes liberated—there is no doubt about this.
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One should bathe in the month of Mārgaśīrṣa; no dwelling in a womb occurs [for him].
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Bathing at other times as well, a man goes to the world of Viṣṇu.
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On the pleasant western bank belonging to the all-pervading Viṣṇu-Hari, O brahmin,
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there is the god named Cakrahari, who grants the fruit of all desired things.
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The greatness of that Cakrahari, O brahmin, cannot
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be described by mortals, even by wise men who are foremost among the intelligent.
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Then, to the western side, is the holy [shrine] named Harismṛti,
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the renowned sanctuary of Viṣṇu that grants the fruit of the supreme truth,
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by the mere darśana of which one is freed from all sins.
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From the darśana of the two of them depart the sins of those embodied beings,
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as many sins as people commit on earth.
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Formerly, when an exceedingly terrible battle between the gods and asuras arose—
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The gods were defeated in battle by the Daityas, who were arrogant with pride born of boons.
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As those gods were fleeing, Hara, their leader,
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stayed them all and, placing the lotus-seated Brahmā at the forefront,
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approached Viṣṇu, who sleeps upon the Milk Ocean, lying on the couch of Śeṣa,
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with Lakṣmī seated at his side, her hands holding his lotus feet,
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whose greatness was sung aloud by the best of sages, Nārada and the rest,
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who was constantly praised with folded hands by Garuḍa standing before him,
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whose garments were marked with fine spray from the surging waves of the Milk Ocean's waters,
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who shone with a necklace of bright pearls as vast as a host of stars,
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dressed in yellow garments, suffused with an expression radiant with a gentle smile,
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wearing large ear-rings on both ears, bright with pearls,
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resembling a pure creeper of jewels dwelling in Śvetadvīpa,
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wearing a supreme crown and a circlet of rubies,
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like a second sun driving away the terror of Rāhu,
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bearing the radiant disk of the Kaustubha, reddish like coral,
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like the supreme conception for the creation of the four-faced Brahmā;
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subdued in mind, he swiftly went to him for refuge, praising him thus.
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At that moment, Śambhu, together with all the hosts of gods,
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became composed and praised Viṣṇu, the conqueror of the enemies of the gods.
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Īśvara said:
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O Garuḍa who carries [beings] safely across the ocean of worldly existence, giver of happiness,
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homage to Hari, the moon who dispels the intense darkness of delusion!
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The crest-gem of flashing consciousness, the moonlight of harmony in the mind,
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flowing through the garden of the mind—to that devotion to the Lord I take refuge!
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The power whose enthusiasm shines in effortless play, pervading the three worlds,
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she who is the primordial source of existences, or the Vaiṣṇavī energy of beings.
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For creatures poised on the edge of a lotus leaf tossed by the wind
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and on the verge of falling, remembrance of Hari is the sole stability.
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Homage to you whose nature is the sun, who wear a garland of rays of consciousness,
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who cause the unfolding beauty of the heart's lotus-bud!
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Homage to him who is self-controlled, ever the refuge of yogins,
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to the Supreme Lord beyond splendor and beyond darkness!
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Homage to the sacrifice, the consumer of the oblation, whose form is the Ṛg, Yajur, and Sāma Vedas,
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who are endowed with the divine, virtuous hosts sung by Sarasvatī!
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To the peaceful one, the treasure of dharma, the knower of the field, whose nature is immortality,
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the foundation of yoga for disciples, homage to the sole cause of individual souls!
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Homage to the terrible one, the controller of illusion, the thousand-headed!
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To him whose nature is yogic sleep, from whose navel-lotus the creator of the world arose,
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homage to him whose form is water, the cause of the maintenance of the world!
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To him who is known through effects, the mighty, the soul, the supreme self,
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the protector, the life-breath of living beings, homage to the all-pervading creator!
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To the haughty one in the body of a lion, who works the destruction of the Daityas,
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to valor, of boundless mind, who sustains the being of the universe, homage!
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To the destroyer of the thick darkness of ignorance, which is the cause of worldly existence,
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of inconceivable splendor, secret, Rudra, intensely frightening, homage!
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To the calm one, the bestower of the state of absolute liberation where waves have ceased,
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transcending all existence, homage to the one whose self consists of everything!
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Dark as the petal of a blue lotus, radiant with the charm of shimmering filaments,
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bearing the Kaustubha, I praise Viṣṇu, an elixir to the eyes.
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Agastya said:
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Thus praised, gracious in spirit, the boon-granting deity with Garuḍa on his banner,
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full of compassion, showered all the gods with the nectar of his gaze.
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He addressed sweet words to the gods bowed down in modesty:
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The Blessed One said:
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O gods, I know through meditation your entire intention:
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your position has been overrun through valor by the Daityas, insolent from war.
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You were deprived of power, and your splendor was conquered by the powerful enemies.
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Now, however, I shall perform austerity for your strength.
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Going to the city of Ayodhyā, I will perform supreme austerity
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in secret, for the increase of your fiery vigor and the pacification of the Daityas.
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You also, pure of mind, must perform severe austerity.
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O gods, go quickly to Ayodhyā for the destruction of the Daityas!”
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Agastya said:
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Having spoken thus, the god whose mount is Garuḍa vanished from the gods.
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Having quickly gone to Ayodhyā, he performed supreme austerity.
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When, becoming hidden, O wise one, for increasing the fiery power of the gods,
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the god attained renown by the name Guptahari.
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Where previously from the palm of Hari's hand as he arrived
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that discus named Sudarśana slipped, he is commemorated by that as Cakrahari.
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Merely by the darśana of both of them, one is freed from all sins.
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By the power of Hari, the gods, possessed of mighty fiery energy,
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having conquered all the Daityas in battles and having regained their own stations,
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shone with immense joy, having then tormented the asuras.
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Then, having all assembled quickly, headed by Bṛhaspati,
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all the gods bowed to his lotus feet adorned with garlands of their diadems;
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then they eagerly came to Ayodhyā to behold Hari.
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And having arrived, hearing of his respect for various virtues,
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having worshipped him with pure sentiments and bowed with cupped hands,
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established in meditation, meditating on Hari with one-pointed mind,
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Beholding them who had arrived and made obeisance with devotion at his feet,
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the yellow-robed Janārdana, the soul of the universe, pleased, spoke:
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The Holy One said:
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“Hail, O gods! By good fortune you have met together today after a long time.
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What wish of yours, O gods, shall I now fulfill?
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Tell that to me quickly, fearless without delay!”
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The gods said:
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“O Blessed One, Lord of the gods of gods, by you now in every way
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all our work has indeed been accomplished and fulfilled, O Lord of the world!
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Even so, you must always abide eternally here, O all-pervading God,
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for our protection, having subdued the path of the senses;
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in this very way, destruction of the hostile faction must always be wrought.”
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The Holy One said:
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“I will do this: the total conquest of your enemies.
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I shall constantly cause the increase of the fiery splendor of you glorious ones, O gods.
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And this story shall always attain supreme fame in the world.
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By the name Guptahari, this god shall become renowned in the universe;
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this supreme secret place of mine shall attain renown.
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Whatever best among living beings performs here worship, sacrifice, recitation, and the like
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with supreme devotion, he goes to the highest state.
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Whoever gives a gift here according to his capacity, with senses subdued,
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having attained matchless heaven, he never grieves.
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Here, for my pleasure, O gods, by living beings desiring righteousness
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a cow accompanied by its calf must be given diligently according to rule:
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with gold horns, silver hooves, draped in two cloths,
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with a bronze milking vessel, a copper back, endowed with many good qualities,
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with a jeweled tail, rich in milk, adorned with bells as ornaments,
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worshipped with fragrant sandalwood paste, flowers, and the like, very gentle, with immortal offspring;
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to a twice-born who knows the Veda, virtuous, pure of self,
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devoted to Viṣṇu, learned, and delighting in non-cruelty—
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and the cow should be given to a brahmin; [the donor] enjoys happiness everywhere.
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It must not be given to someone who is a twice-born merely by birth; he would bring the giver down.
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For my pleasure it must be given here with a pure inner self.
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And by those devoted to devotion to me, who have bathed here for complete purification,
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heavenly states are attained eternally, and liberation rests in the palm of their hand.
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Likewise, an excellent gift should be given for my pleasure at the seat of Cakrahari,
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and silent recitation, fire offerings, and the like must also be performed diligently by men.
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You also, O best of beings, undertake a pilgrimage according to rule
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from this place of Guptahari near the auspicious confluence,
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in the western part, measured at three yojanas from Gopratāra,
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where the Sarayū meets the Ghargharā river with its undulating waters.”
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Having performed ritual ablution here according to rule, one should carefully behold here
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the deity named Guptahari, who grants the fulfillment of all desires and purposes. (69)
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Agastya said:
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Having spoken thus, the imperishable god wearing yellow garments vanished.
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The gods too, having properly and diligently made the pilgrimage,
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stayed constantly in Ayodhyā, captivated by Hari's virtues. (70)
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From then on, O best of brahmins, that place became renowned on earth.
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The annual pilgrimage should take place especially on the full moon of Kārttika,
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preceded by ritual ablution at the confluence, of the all-pervading Guptahari there.
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And at this sacred ford Gopratāra, situated at the Sarayū and Ghargharā,
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having bathed, this deity who bestows the fruit of all desires is to be worshipped. (72)
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Likewise, a pilgrimage to Cakrahari should be made with great effort
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by men during the bright fortnight of Mārgaśīrṣa on Hari's lunar day. (73)
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He who makes the pilgrimage in this manner rejoices in the world of Viṣṇu. (74)
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Śrī Sūta said:
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When the pitcher-born sage had thus spoken and paused,
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Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa spoke again, filled with wonder: (75)
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Vyāsa said:
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O brahmin, O rich in austerity, this most marvelous narrative
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you have told, by which my mind has been filled with wonder. (76)
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Tell me in detail the supremely wonderful māhātmya. (77)
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[Agastya said:] / Hear the supremely wonderful confluence-māhātmya, O best of brahmins; / as heard from the god Skanda, I shall relate it fully to you. (78)
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One hundred thousand million, and ten thousand million
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sacred fords, at the confluence of the river Sarayū and the waters of the Ghargharā,
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dwell perpetually, O brahmin; this has been understood by me from Skanda. (79)
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The presence of deities, gods, siddhas, and yogins,
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and of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva, is established there at all times. (80)
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A man who has bathed composed in mind in the water of that confluence,
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having gratified the ancestors and gods, and having given gifts according to his capacity, (81)
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having offered oblations with a Vaiṣṇava mantra, pure—whatever fruit he obtains,
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hear that now with single-minded focus, O brahmin, as I tell it to you: (82)
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The merit of a thousand horse sacrifices and a hundred Vājapeyas,
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or the giving of gold at the great sacred field of Kurukṣetra when the sun is seized by Rāhu—
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that [same] merit accrues every single day. (84)
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On the new moon, on the full moon, and on both twelfth lunar days,
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at the solstice, and during Vyatīpāta, ritual ablution grants the world of Viṣṇu. (85)
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Even if a man should stand on one foot for a thousand yugas,
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bathing at the confluence according to rule on the full moon of Pauṣa is not different from that. (86)
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And whatever man hangs head downward for ten thousand yugas,
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for self-restrained men who bathe with pure waters at the confluence, (87)
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whatever reward arises for men cannot [be matched] even by hundreds of sacrifices. (88)
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Ritual ablution in the month of Pauṣa especially yields abundant fruit. (89)
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Whoever performs ritual ablution with reverence especially in the month of Pauṣa,
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whether a brahmin, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, or one of mixed caste,
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goes to the realm of Brahman, from which there is no return. (90)
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Whoever offers an excellent lamp rich in ghee in the month of Pauṣa,
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according to rule and with faith, O brahmin, hear also what fruit is his: (91)
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Sin acquired across many births, whether small or even great,
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Linked texts (1)
- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit