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Skandapurana 3.2.34

English (machine translation) 3.2.34

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Vyāsa said:

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"Thus, O knower of righteousness, the restoration was accomplished in ancient times by Rāma

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for the benefit of the twice-born and according to the instruction of Śrīmātā."

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Yudhiṣṭhira said:

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"What kind of edict, O brahmin, was written by Rāma in ancient times?

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Recount it graciously, [as it was] in the Tretā age in the abode of truth."

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Vyāsa said:

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In the excellent, celestial Dharmāraṇya, when Bakulārka was well established,

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and when Śūnyasvāmin, the lord Nārāyaṇa, was present, O chief of brahmins;

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when the god who is the lord of protection, omniscient and chief in virtues [was there],

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where the Yoginī carries across those sunk in the ocean of worldly existence—

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there is the royal charter of Rāma, the descendant of Raghu, by name.

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Hear of it inscribed there on copper in accordance with the treatises on dharma,

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causing great wonder, indeed lasting through many yugas.

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All metal undergoes decay, and gold also perishes;

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yet visibly seen, my son, is the imperishable charter of the brahmins.

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Indeed, the imperishability of that copper has a reason behind it:

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for everything stated in the Vedas is said to be none other than Viṣṇu.

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In the Purāṇas, the Vedas, and the treatises on dharma, O descendant of Bharata,

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Viṣṇu is sung everywhere, relying upon diverse states of being,

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in various regions, among various duties, by practitioners of various virtues;

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through various distinctions, it is Viṣṇu alone who is everywhere meditated upon.

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He indeed incarnated visibly as the supreme, ancient Puruṣa

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to destroy the enemies of the gods and to preserve dharma.

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By him was this charter of imperishable nature granted, my son;

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by whose majesty stones were floated in the midst of the waters,

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Laṅkā was besieged by monkeys, and rākṣasas were slain with ease;

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Rāma brought back the deceased son of a sage from the realm of Yama;

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by whom Dundubhi was slain, and likewise Kabandha was struck down;

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Tāḍakā was killed, and the seven palm trees were pierced through;

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Khara, Dūṣaṇa, and the great asura Triśiras,

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and fourteen thousand [demons] were swiftly slain in battle.

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By him this charter was granted; how could it not be imperishable?

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Having himself written down the description of his own lineage there,

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he inscribed everything according to rule, including the place, time, and so forth.

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Marked with his own seal, he then gave it there to the masters of the three Vedas;

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Rāma, son of Daśaratha, was forty-four years old.

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At that time a great wonder was granted, O descendant of Bharata:

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there, water resembling gold and also resembling silver

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flowed at the sacred ford, satisfying the gods, seers, and ancestors.

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That was performed by Sūrya before the chief of his own lineage.

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Seeing that great wonder and having worshipped Viṣṇu,

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Rāma inscribed the charter of dharma in varied characters of Rāma's handwriting.

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Having seen it, all the brahmins never make an entrapment

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out of fear of worldly existence, because of which [charter], therefore, it is the protector of all.

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For those who are most sinful, of wicked conduct, and intent on betraying friends,

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he previously made it renowned in order to awaken them.

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On the wondrous copper plate with diverse characters of Rāma's writing,

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these words are indeed heard in the charter, O Nārada:

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“Ancestors clap their hands, grandfathers proclaim:

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‘A giver of land is born in our lineage; he will deliver us across!’

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This earth has been enjoyed by many kings in many ways;

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to whomever the land belongs at any time, to him belongs the fruit at that time.

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The giver of land dwells in heaven for sixty thousand years;

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both he who seizes it and he who approves [the seizure] will go to hell for just as many.

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Poked with pincers, struck down with mallets,

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and tightly bound with nooses, he screams loudly in a great voice.

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Beaten on the head with clubs, forced to embrace fire,

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and being cut with a knife, he screams with a loud sound.

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The destroyer of a brahmin’s livelihood [is tormented] by the terrifying messengers of Yama;

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they are tormented by such very wicked, great hosts.

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Then he obtains an animal state, or the womb of a rākṣasa, a bitch,

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a female serpent, a female jackal, a piśāca woman, terrifying to great spirits.

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How could he who seizes even a finger's breadth of land commit [more] sin?

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And how could he who gives a finger's breadth of land acquire [greater] merit?

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The fruit of a thousand horse sacrifices and a hundred royal consecrations,

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and of giving away a hundred maidens, does the giver of land obtain.”

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Longevity, fame, happiness, wisdom, dharma, grain, wealth, and victory,

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and lineage constantly increase; the giver of land enjoys happiness. // 33

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Those wicked men who seize even an inch of land

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become black serpents living in dry tree hollows

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in waterless, barren forests—such stealers of given inheritances. // 34

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By [digging] a thousand reservoirs, or by a hundred horse sacrifices,

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or by donating ten million cows, the stealer of land is purified. // 35

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What wealths given here, gifts bringing dharma, wealth, and renown,

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bestowed through generosity upon brahmins—what good person would take them back? // 36

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In a living world fickle as the quivering play of a trembling leaf, where all worldly happiness has the slight worth of a blade of grass,

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the ill-intentioned man seizes the grant of brahmins, eager to plunge into the whirling pit of deep hell. // 37

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Those kings who shall protect this earth, shall depart after enjoying it entirely; the earth has not gone, does not go, and will not go with anyone.

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Whatever is on earth is all perishable, fame alone endures; thus the good reputations of those by whom even the earth was benefited must not be erased. // 38

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In this world there is only one sister common to all kings:

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the earth given to brahmins; she is not to be enjoyed, nor are taxes to be taken from her. // 39

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Having granted the land, Rāmacandra repeatedly begs the kings of the future:

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“This common bridge of dharma belongs to kings; you must protect it in your respective eras.” // 3.2.34.40

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“If any king on earth arises in this lineage,

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I join my hands to him if what I have given is preserved.” // 41

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Having written the royal charter, the wise Rāma, in the presence of Vasiṣṭha,

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worshiped and gave it to the excellent brahmins learned in the four Vedas. // 42

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Those brahmins, having received that auspicious plate by Rāma’s command,

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made of copper, inscribed with golden letters, lawful, the ornament of dharma, // 43

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guarded it out of devotion and desire to worship it.

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With divine sandalwood paste and fragrant flowers, // 44

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and likewise with golden flowers or silver flowers,

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those brahmins perform auspicious worship day after day. // 45

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Before it, O King, the twice-born offer an arghya

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and a lamp with pure ghee, fitted with seven wicks. // 46

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The excellent twice-born always offer food with devotion,

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and indeed chant the mantra: “Rāma, Rāma, Rāma.” // 47

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While eating, sleeping, drinking, walking, and sitting,

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in happiness or in sorrow, one should recite the Rāma-mantra. // 48

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He incurs no sorrow, misfortune, or fear of mental and physical afflictions;

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day by day they increase his lifespan, fortune, and strength. // 49

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By the name “Rāma,” one is indeed freed from even dreadful sin;

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he never goes to hell, and attains the eternal state. // 3.2.34.50

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Vyāsa said:

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Having done this, Rāma then considered himself accomplished in his purpose.

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Circumambulating and bowing down to the many brahmins, // 51

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and giving vast gifts of cows, horses, female buffaloes, and chariots,

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he then addressed these words to all his people: // 52

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“All of you must reside right here as long as the moon and sun endure,

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as long as Meru stands upon the surface of the earth and the seven oceans [remain]. // 53

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Indeed, without doubt, you must remain right here for that long.

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O brahmins, whenever kings on earth do not respect the charter, // 54

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or merchants, or warriors, deluded by pride and illusion,

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do not carry out my command or those people do not respect it, // 55

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then, O brahmins, remember the Son of the Wind.

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As soon as he is remembered, Hanūmat will come and surely // 56

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turn them to ashes at once by my word, without doubt.

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Whichever king protects this beautiful charter, // 57

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to him the Son of the Wind will always grant happiness and prosperity;

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he gives sons, grandsons, a virtuous wife, fame, and victory.” // 58

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Having spoken thus and instructed Hanūmat,

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Lord Rāma turned back along with his army and retinue. // 59

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His auspicious arrival announced on every side by the sounds of musical instruments,

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accompanied by a white parasol and fanned with chowries by men,

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he reached the city of Ayodhyā and ruled for a long time. // 3.2.34.60

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Thus ends the thirty-fourth chapter, titled “Description of the Granting of the Royal Charter Plate to the Brahmins by Śrī Rāma,” in the Dharmāraṇyamāhātmya, in the dialogue between Brahmā and Nārada, in the first part of the Brahmakhaṇḍa, in the third [section] of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses. // 34

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