Skandapurana 3.2

English (machine translation) 3.2

Language: English

Homage to glorious Gaṇeśa.
Whose name is a boat for the three worlds to cross the ocean of dissolution, the Lord / through whom all this, born, maintained, and transmuted, shines continuously,
who is a mass of consciousness, beyond means of knowledge, knowable through Vedānta, the all-pervading Lord— / to that supreme, pure, self-luminous Śrī Rāmacandra I bow. (1)

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Wives, sons, or wealth, or one's beloved circle of kinsmen together with attendants, / mother, brother, father, or in-laws, servants, power, and property,
learning, beauty, a spotless mansion, youth, or young women— / all is useless at the hour of death; dharma alone is one's companion. (2)

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In Naimiṣa, the sacred field of Nimiṣa, the seers headed by Śaunaka / celebrated a sacrificial session lasting a thousand years to attain the heavenly realm. (1)

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Once, seeing Sūta arriving, Śaunaka and the others, / overcome with supreme joy, drank him in with their eyes and happy minds; / the ascetics gathered around there to hear wondrous tales. (2)

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Then, when those great-souled ascetics were seated, / the son of Romaharṣaṇa modestly took the appointed seat.

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Seeing him comfortably seated and noting that obstacles had ceased, / those seers then asked about certain contextual stories:

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“Dear one, formerly your father studied the entire Purāṇa. / Have you also studied all of that, O Lomaharṣaṇa?

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Tell us, O Sūta, a sacred tale that destroys sin, / hearing which, sin born of a hundred lifetimes goes to dissolution.”

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Sūta said: / Bowing to the pair of feet of the venerable Sarasvatī and the two feet of Gaṇanātha, / and to all the gods, I shall speak.

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Bowing to the Śaktis, the Vasus, the planets, the deities of sacrifice and the rest, / to the auspicious brahmins and the foremost of poets everywhere,

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and bowing to the chosen deities and to the best of gurus, / bowing to the auspicious gods, especially Rāma and others,

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remembering whom one is freed from diverse sins, without doubt— / by their grace, and having bowed to the virtuous controller of all, / I shall proclaim the supreme fruit of the sacred fords.

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May the Lord of Dharmāraṇya, the Lord of Heaven, the eternal Lord of Bhavānī, that god Dharmeśvara, easily attained through yoga and steadfast enjoyment, [protect] you from sin! / Pervading the hearts of all as the particle of the individual soul, He abides forever; meditating on Him, mortals do not enter the prison-house of saṃsāra again.

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Sūta said: / Once, indeed, Dharma went to the assembly of Brahmā. / Beholding that assembly, he then became absorbed in knowledge.

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He was astonished to behold the assembly filled with gods and excellent sages, / with gods, yakṣas, nāgas, serpents, and asuras,

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with seers, siddhas, and gandharvas, who had occupied appropriate seats. / That assembly was comfortable, O brahmin; it was neither cold nor hot.

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They experienced neither hunger, nor thirst, nor exhaustion. / That assembly seemed to be fashioned of diverse forms by excellent jewels,

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and supported by pillars, eternal and free from decay, / of boundless splendor through radiant, diverse celestial forms.

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Self-luminous, surpassing the moon, the sun, and fire, / situated on the vault of heaven, it shone as if mocking the sun.

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In it, that Lord Brahmā alone, the Grandfather of all the worlds, / incessantly governs the various gods and humans.

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The lords of creatures also attend upon this Lord: / Dakṣa, Pracetas, Pulaha, Marīci, and the lord Kaśyapa,

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Bhṛgu, Atri, Vasiṣṭha, Gautama, and Aṅgiras, / Pulastya, Kratu, Prahlāda, and Kardama,

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Atharvāṅgirases, Vālakhilyas, Marīcipas, / the mind, the sky, the Vidyās, the wind, fire, water, earth,

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sound, touch, form, taste, and smell, / the primal nature, transformation, and the cause of being and non-being,

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the greatly radiant Agastya, the valorous Mārkaṇḍeya, / Jamadagni, Bharadvāja, Saṃvarta, and Cyavana,

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the illustrious Durvāsas, the righteous Ṛṣyaśṛṅga, / the venerable Sanatkumāra, master of yoga and great ascetic,

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Asita, Devala, and Jaigīṣavya, the knower of truth, / the eightfold Āyurveda and the Gandharva lore there,

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the moon together with the constellations, the ray-filled sun, / the winds, the cosmic threads, intention, and the vital breath,

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personified, great-souled, dedicated to great vows— / these and many others waited upon Brahmā.

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Wealth, righteousness, desire, joy, hatred, darkness, and self-restraint; / the hosts of gandharvas and apsarases arrive there together.

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The planets beginning with Śukra, and others who go near to him, / the mantras, the rathaṃtara chant, and Harimat and Vasumat,

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the revered Viśvakarman, the Vasus on all sides, / all the hosts of ancestors, and all the sacrificial oblations,

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the Ṛgveda, the Sāmaveda, the Yajurveda, / the Atharvaveda, and all the scriptures,

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the Itihāsas, Upavedas, and all the auxiliary limbs of the Veda, / intelligence, resolve, memory, wisdom, intellect, fame, and the years,

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the celestial wheel of time, eternal, imperishable, and unchanging, / as many wives of the gods as there are, all swift as thought,

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the Gārhapatyas, dwellers in heaven, the world-renowned ancestors, / the Somapas, the Ekaśṛṅgas, and all the ascetics,

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nāgas, suparṇas, and beasts attend upon the Grandfather, / as well as the immobile and mobile beings, and other great elements.

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Puraṃdara the king of gods, Varuṇa, Dhanada, / and Mahādeva with Umā, the giver of everything, always goes there.

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The gods always go, and Nārāyaṇa, as well as the seers, / the seers and the Vālakhilyas, both womb-born and not womb-born.

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Whatever is seen in the three worlds, stationary or moving— / knowing it to be seated together there in that assembly, that knower of dharma,

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beholding it filled with gods and excellent sages, was utterly amazed; / filled with great joy, the hairs on his body stood on end.

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There Dharma of great splendor heard a sin-destroying tale / being recited by Vyāsa of boundless luster:

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the divine, utterly captivating tale of Dharmāraṇya, / which grants the fruits of dharma, wealth, pleasure, and liberation,

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and also bestows the fruit of sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons, / through retaining, hearing, reciting, and viewing.

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Having heard that very extensive tale born from the cosmic egg, / with eyes blossomed with joy and having obtained the leave of Brahmā,

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having accomplished his purpose, the virtuous Dharma then wished to depart; / having bowed to Brahmā the Grandfather at that time,

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Permitted by him then, he went to the domain of Yama, / and having heard, through the grace of the grandfather [Brahmā], that which bestows merit—

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the divine, holy story of Dharmāraṇya, which destroys sin, / he went thence together with his attendants toward Saṃyaminī.

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Accompanied by ministers and attendants, Yama entered his own city. / Meanwhile, Nārada, that bull among sages of great splendor,

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hard to behold, full of compassion, impartial, a treasury of austerity, / whose body was consumed by austerity, devoted to the devotion to Viṣṇu,

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all-pervading, all-knowing, ever pure, / and devoted to the study of the Vedas, arrived there in that assembly.

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Seeing him suddenly, Dharma, together with his wife and servants, / went swiftly to meet him, filled with joy:

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"Today my birth has borne fruit! Today my lineage has borne fruit! / Today my righteousness has borne fruit, now that you have arrived, O rich in austerity!

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Having duly performed worship with the rites of water for hospitality, water for feet, and the rest, / and having prostrated before him like a staff, he seated him in the proper manner

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on his own great divine seat, adorned with jewels and gold. / The whole assembly [sat still] as if painted in a picture, like lamps in a windless place.

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Inquiring after his welfare and welcoming him with greetings, / he attained incomparable delight as he remembered the story of Dharmāraṇya.

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Having worshipped Nārada with a joyful heart— / seeing Yama so delighted, Nārada was filled with wonder,

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and thought in his mind: 'What is this, that Hari [Yama] is so joyful?' / And seeing him, who has the form of Yamarāja, filled with extreme joy, / his mind full of wonder, Nārada then asked:

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Nārada said: / 'What wondrous thing has been seen by you, or what great rank has been attained? / You are harsh, harsh in your deeds, harsh-minded, and bearing the form of wrath;

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your primary form is the restraint of sinners. / How has it become gentle? This is my doubt, O lord.

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Why are you seen today filled with joy? / Tell me, O large-bodied one, the cause of this joy!'

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Dharmarāja said: / 'Listen, O son of Brahmā, I shall tell this without doubt. / Formerly, I went to the abode of Brahmā to pay homage.

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Seated there in the midst of the assembly, worshipped by all the worlds, / various stories concerned with the matters of dharma were heard by me there,

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meritorious stories endowed with dharma, delightful, heard from the mouth of Vyāsa, / connected with righteousness, pleasure, and wealth, destroying all multitudes of sins,

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hearing which people are freed from all sins, [even] from the murder of a brahmin, / and which deliver one hundred and one generations of ancestors, O sage.'

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Nārada said: / 'What is that story like? Describe to me that which was heard by you! / O mighty-armed Yama, I too desire to hear that story.'

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Yama said: / 'Once, in order to pay homage to the grandfather [Brahmā], / I went to that realm, the world of Brahmā, for the discernment of what is right and wrong to do.

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There a wonder was seen by me, and heard, O best of sages: / the divine story of Dharmāraṇya spoken by Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana.

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Having heard that very meritorious, auspicious story, O brahmin, which spans the universe, / full of virtues and endowed with truth, I am joyful with that joy.

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Moreover, O best of sages, the reason for your arrival / is indeed for auspiciousness, happiness, safety, and victory.

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Today I have achieved my purpose; today I am one of good deeds, O sage. / Today I have truly become Dharma by name, through the sight of your two feet.

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I am worthy of worship, my goal is achieved, and I am blessed today, O Nārada; / by the grace of your feet I am worthy of worship in the three worlds.'

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Sūta said: / Pleased by such words, the best of sages / asked with supreme devotion about the auspicious story of Dharmāraṇya.

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Nārada said: / 'The auspicious story of Dharmāraṇya was heard by you from the mouth of Vyāsa, O Dharma; / tell me all of that in full, exactly as it was.'

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Yama said: / 'I am constantly occupied, O brahmin, in giving creatures, who experience pleasure and pain, / their destination, happy or otherwise, according to their respective deeds.

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Even so, association with the virtuous arises only for the sake of dharma, / for safety and happiness in this world and in the next.

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All that was uttered by the mouth of Vyāsa and heard in the presence of Brahmā, / I will relate in full for the benefit of mortals.'

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Sūta said: / Everything that was heard in the assembly of Brahmā was related by Yama— / beginning, middle, and end—all of it, there is no doubt.

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In the period between Kali and Dvāpara, to Yudhiṣṭhira the son of Dharma, / that Nārada went to the mortal realm, to the kingdom of the son of Dharma.

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Having arrived, Nārada, a portion of holy Hari, was seen: / resembling a blazing fire, with eyes like the morning sun,

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bearing a broad circle of matted locks turned to the left, / wearing two garments white as moonbeams, adorned with gold,

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holding his great lute clinging to his side like a female friend, / wearing a black antelope skin as an upper garment, possessing a golden sacred thread,

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bearing a staff, with a water pot in his hand, like another fire incarnate, / the discloser of secrets in the world, like Guha in resolving disputes,

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accomplished among hosts of great seers, learned, knowing the science of music, / fond of sporting with strife, a brahmin like another Kali born of Brahmā,

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the foremost speaker among the worlds of gods and gandharvas, self-controlled, / singer of the four Vedas, chanter of Hari's noble virtues.

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Then that Nārada, the brahmin seer, imperishable wanderer in the world of Brahmā, / joyfully arrived at the city ruled by Dharmarāja.

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Then, while the great royal figures were seated there, / and while the great gandharvas were seated there,

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traversing all the worlds, that king of great seers, / Nārada of exceedingly great splendor, arrived accompanied by seers.

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Seeing that sage Nārada arrive, the knower of all righteousness [Yudhiṣṭhira] / rose from his throne and then went forward to meet him.

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Then, bowing low with modesty, he greeted him with affection, / and offered him a seat worthy of him according to the proper rites. (88)

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And offering a cow, the honey-mixture, and water for the guest-offering, / the knower of dharma worshipped him with jewels and all desired objects. (89)

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Having received the worship properly, the knower of dharma was pleased: / “Are you well, O fortunate one? Is your austerity faring well? (90)

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Does no wicked Daitya oppress the lord of heaven? / O sage, your form brings auspiciousness, praised by gods and demons, / omnipresent and all-knowing, O son of Brahmā, O ocean of mercy! (91)

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Nārada said: / “All is well with me today everywhere, always through the grace of Brahmā. / Are you well, O fortunate Yudhiṣṭhira, son of Dharma? (92)

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Along with your brothers, O best of kings, does your mind delight in duties of dharma, / with your wives and sons and servants, and with thriving elephants and horses? (93)

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Like your own biological sons, you protect your subjects / with righteousness, O son of Dharma. What wonder is there? Blessed indeed are those subjects through you! (94)

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From the protection and nourishment of men, dharma surely arises. / You are the enjoyer of that very dharma—thus indeed Manu declared.” (95)

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Yudhiṣṭhira said: / “My kingdom is well from the touch of your feet. / By your darśana, O fortunate one, I have become free from sin. / Blessed am I, accomplished of purpose am I, fortunate am I on the surface of the earth! / Today I have become virtuous, when the son of Brahmā has arrived at my home. (96–97)

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Whence is your arrival today, O brahmin, best of sages? / Is it for the grace of the righteous, or for what purpose and task?” (98)

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Nārada said: / “O best of kings, I have come from the presence of Śamana, [hearing] / an auspicious purāṇic tale recited by Vyāsa before Brahmā, (99)

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a divine [tale] relating to the Dharmāraṇya, taking away all distress, / hearing which one is freed from all sins, [even] the killing of a brahmin, (100)

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allaying tens of thousands of slaughters, destroying the threefold torment, / hearing which with supreme devotion even a hard-hearted person adopts gentleness. (101)

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Having heard it recited before me by the King of Dharma, / the immeasurable-souled one asked him that tale delighting in dharma.” (102)

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Yudhiṣṭhira said: / “O best of the twice-born, by your grace, / relate to me that holy tale relating to the Dharmāraṇya out of a desire for the welfare of the worlds.” (103)

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Nārada said: / “This is the time for my ritual ablution; it is not the occasion for my narration. / Nevertheless, listen, O king: I will give you instruction. (104)

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Māgha is the best among the months for ritual ablution, giving gifts, and the like. / And whoever bathes in that month of Māgha is freed from all sins. / Go quickly to the Gaṅgā for ritual ablution now, O king; / and Vyāsa's arrival will take place today, O best of kings. (105–106)

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Ask him, O fortunate one; he will recite for you the auspicious / and wondrous holy fruit of all the sacred fords, (107)

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past, present, and future, the highest, lowest, and middling. / He will read out all of that originating from history. (108)

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Whatever ancient account there is of the entire Dharmāraṇya, / Vyāsa, the son of Satyavatī, will tell you all of it.” (109)

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Sūta said: / Having spoken thus, the son of Brahmā vanished right there. / When he had gone, the king amused himself with his ministers. / In the meantime, the son of Satyavatī arrived there; / then Vidura indeed announced [him] to the Pāṇḍava. (110–111)

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Sūta said: / Hearing that the sage had arrived, all, filled with joy, / Bhīma and the others, along with Dharma, stood up on all sides. (112)

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Then indeed, going to meet him, with head bowed he rejoiced. / Having bowed to him like a stick together with his brothers at that time, (113)

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performing a very splendid worship with the honey-mixture according to rule, / and seating him upon a throne, he then inquired after his health. (114)

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Then the knower of dharma caused him to recite a holy, divine tale; / and at the end of the tale, he addressed these words to the tiger among sages. (115)

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Yudhiṣṭhira said: / “By your grace, O brahmin, excellent tales have been heard by me, / duties in times of distress, the duties of kings, and duties for liberation in many ways, (116)

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and the duties of the Purāṇas, and likewise numerous vows, / sacred fords of manifold forms, and all shrines. (117)

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Now I desire to hear the auspicious tale of Dharmāraṇya, / hearing which sin such as the slaughter of a brahmin is destroyed. (118)

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I wish to hear accurately of the sacred fords situated in Dharmāraṇya: / By whom was this place established? From what cause was it created? (119)

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By whom was it guarded and protected? And at what time was it made? / What things took place here previously? Tell this to me who am asking, (120)

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and whatever may be in that place, past, present, and future— / relate all of that today, as well as the situation of the sacred fords.” (121)

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Thus ends the first chapter, named the Description of Yudhiṣṭhira's Question, in the Dharmāraṇyamāhātmya, in the first part of the third Brahmakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses. (1)

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Vyāsa said: / “The ornamental mark on the forehead of the matron Earth, the clearly visible garden basin for the creeper of Lakṣmī, / the water-play delight of the Goddess of Speech—now I describe Moheraka. (1)

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Well asked by you, O king! Superior even to Vārāṇasī, / Dharmāraṇya, O best of kings—listen to it with great attention. (2)

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All sacred fords are right there; therefore it is called Ūṣara. / It is attended by Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśa, and others, and Indra and the rest, (3)

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by the world-protectors, the guardians of the directions, the Mothers, and the powers of Śiva, / and by gandharvas and apsarases, with sacrificial rites, (4)

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by spirits, vetālas, śākinīs, planets, gods, and supreme deities, / by seasons, months, and fortnights, attended by gods and demons. (5)

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That primeval place of kings, granting all happiness, / was attended with many sacrifices by the best of sages. (6)

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with lions, tigers, and elephants, and likewise with various kinds of birds, / and also with cows, she-buffaloes, and the like, with cranes, deer, and boars;

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it is inhabited, O tiger among kings, even by various predatory beasts. / Those birds, insects, and others who meet their end there,

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beasts and carnivores, creatures living in water and on land, / those moving through the air and on the ground, as well as ḍākinīs and rākṣasas—

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theirs is eternal liberation along with a hundred and one [generations of kin]. / They all go to the realm of Viṣṇu without any doubt.

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He delivers ten ancestors and ten descendants who went before. / With barley, rice, and sesame seeds, with clarified butter, bilva leaves, and dūrvā grass,

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and with jaggery and water, O lord, whoever offers a funeral ball (piṇḍa) there / delivers seven gotras and a hundred and one generations.

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It is filled with various kinds of trees and adorned with creepers and thickets; / it constantly yields religious merit, and is ever endowed with fruits.

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It is free from enmity and fear—this Dharmāraṇya, O king! / Cows and tigers play together there, and cats and mice likewise;

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the frog plays with the serpent, and human beings [live] with rākṣasas; / one resides without fear there, in Dharmāraṇya upon the earth.

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Full of great bliss, divine, supreme, the purifier of purifiers! / Inside the grove, the cuckoo softly coos along with its sweet-toned mate;

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one who is absorbed in meditation will then hear, and is stopped by the female pigeon. / The peacock, leaving the peahen, remains in silence out of fear of disturbing that [meditation].

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The cakora bird, feeding on moonlight, seems to observe a nocturnal vow. / Look! The mainas recite the essence [of truth] and instruct the parrot.

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Śiva grants a crossing to the far shore of the boundless ocean of saṃsāra. / Whoever should set out from home towards Dharmavana even out of idleness,

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merit surpassing an horse-sacrifice accrues to him at every single step. / Indeed, brahmins endowed with the power of blessing and cursing dwell there:

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eighteen thousand appointed for meritorious acts, / and thirty-six thousand merchants who are their attendants on earth.

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Devoted to the twice-born, pious, and not born of a womb, / knowledgeable in the Purāṇas, of good conduct, righteous, and of pure intellect. / The gods in heaven praise the dwellers of Dharmāraṇya.

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Yudhiṣṭhira said: / When was the name "Dharmāraṇya" established by the thirty [gods]? / How did it come into being on the earth, and why was it created by him? / For what reason did it become a sacred ford? Tell me that. / How many were the brahmins, and by whom were they settled long ago? / For what purpose were the eighteen thousand settled? / From what part were those brahmins, best among the twice-born, born? / Skilled in all branches of learning, masters of the Vedas and Vedāṅgas, / well-versed in the Ṛgveda and having exerted themselves in the Yajurveda, / knowing the far shore of the Sāmaveda's limbs, knowing the threefold knowledge, foremost in dharma, / devoted to austerity, of auspicious conduct, intent on vows of truth, / emaciated by month-long fasts and by cāndrāyaṇa penances and the like, / of good conduct, friendly to brahmins—by what do they make their daily livelihood? / Tell me all that entirely from the beginning, O best of speakers! / How is it that the dānavas, daiteyas, beings born as bhūtas and vetālas, / rākṣasas, and piśācas there do not torment them? / Thus ends the second chapter, titled "The Description of Yudhiṣṭhira's Questions," in the māhātmya of Dharmāraṇya, in the first half of the Brahmakhaṇḍa, in the venerable Skanda Mahāpurāṇa of eighty-one thousand verses.

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit

Skandapurana 3.2

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