Skandapurana 3.3

English (machine translation) 3.3

Language: English

Salutation to venerable Gaṇeśa. / Salutation to the venerable Gurus. / Now begins the Brahmottarakhaṇḍa. / Oṃ, salutation to Śiva. / To the one whose nature is pure light, who has the eye of spotless knowledge, / salutation to Śiva, peaceful, the absolute, embodied as the liṅga. (1)

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The seers said: / You have recounted, O Sūta, the supreme māhātmya of Viṣṇu, / which removes all sins and brings merit, and it has been heard by us in brief. (2)

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Now we wish to hear the māhātmya of the enemy of Tripura, / and the supreme māhātmya of his devotees, which removes all sins, 3

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and likewise the māhātmya of his mantras, O best of the twice-born. / Relate also the majesty of stories about him and devotion to him. 4

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Sūta said: / This alone is the mortals' supreme and eternal welfare, / namely, that unmotivated devotion should arise towards tales of Īśvara. 5

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Therefore, even a fraction of the māhātmya of devotion to him is described by me; / for even in a lifespan of a kalpa it could nowhere be told at length. 6

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Among all merits, among all goods, / and among all sacrifices, the sacrifice of mantra repetition is regarded as supreme. 7

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There, first of all, the fruit of the sacrifice of mantra repetition is a great blessing of welfare; / the great seers call the six-syllabled Śaiva [utterance] the divine mantra. 8

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Just as the destroyer of Tripura is indeed the supreme god among the gods, / so the Śaiva six-syllabled [mantra] is the supreme mantra among mantras. 9

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This five-syllabled mantra grants liberation to those who chant it; / it is constantly served by the best of sages, by all who desire accomplishments. / Even the four-faced [Brahmā] is not capable of reciting the greatness of its syllables. 10

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wherein the scriptures have reached their final conclusion, supremely blissful. 11

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Omniscient, complete, characterized by existence, consciousness, and bliss— / that Śiva delights in the auspicious five-syllabled Śaiva [mantra]. 12

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By means of this king of mantras, the essence of all the Upaniṣads, / all the sages attained the supreme, disease-free Brahman. 13

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Through the bow of greeting, the state of the individual soul merges into unity with Śiva here, the Supreme Self; / therefore, this mantra indeed consists of the supreme Brahman. 14

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Desiring the welfare of embodied beings bound by the fetters of mundane existence, / Śiva himself uttered the primeval mantra: 'Oṃ namaḥ śivāya'. 15

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What need has he of many mantras, what of sacred fords, what of austerities and sacrifices, / in whose heart the mantra 'Oṃ namaḥ śivāya' dwells? 16

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Embodied beings wander in mundane existence, dreadful and filled with sorrow, / only so long as they do not utter this mantra even once. 17

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This is the king over sovereign mantras, the crest of all the Vedāntas, / and this six-syllabled one is the repository of all knowledge. 18

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This six-syllabled mantra is the lamp on the path to liberation, the submarine fire to the ocean of ignorance, / [and] the forest fire to heinous sins! 19

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Therefore, this five-syllabled mantra is held to grant everything; / it may be maintained by women, śūdras, and people of mixed castes who desire liberation. 20

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It requires no initiation, no oblation into fire, no preparatory rite, no water offering, / no specific time, and no formal instruction; this mantra is always pure. 21

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For the destruction of heinous sins, the two syllables 'Śi-va' / are sufficient; coupled with homage, it is fit for liberation. 22

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When taught by a true guru and chanted in a purifying sacred field, / it immediately grants the desired accomplishment—what wonder is there in this? 23

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Therefore, having resorted to a true guru, this sovereign of mantras should be received; / it should be chanted in holy sacred fields: it grants immediate accomplishment. 24

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Gurus are pure, tranquil, virtuous, of measured speech, / free from desire and anger, of righteous conduct, having their senses conquered. 25

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When bestowed out of compassion by these [teachers], the mantra quickly yields success. / I shall tell concisely of the sacred fields suitable for mantra repetition. 26

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Prayāga, delightful Puṣkara, Kedāra, Setubandha, / Gokarṇa, and Naimiṣāraṇya immediately bring accomplishment to men. 27

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Here an ancient legend is recounted by the virtuous, / which brings blessings to those who hear it, whether repeatedly or even once. 28

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In Mathurā, there was an eminent Yadu known as Dāśārha, / a king wise, of great energy, and possessing great strength. 29

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He knew the scriptures, spoke with prudence, was heroic, resolute, of immeasurable splendor, / unconquerable, very deep, never retreating in battles, 30

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a great chariot-warrior, a great archer, skilled in the meaning of various treatises, / generous, endowed with beauty, youthful, and marked with auspicious signs. 31

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He married the daughter of the king of Kāśī, beautiful of face, / a beloved lady named Kalāvatī, endowed with beauty, good character, and virtues. 32

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Having concluded the wedding, that lord of kings reached his own palace; / at night, when she had mounted the bed, he called her for union. 33

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Called by her husband and entreated many times, the virtuous woman / did not fix her mind on him, nor did she approach his side. 34

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When his beloved wife did not come though called for union, / the king stood up, desiring to seize her by force. 35

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The queen said: / Do not touch me, O great king, [me] who know the cause and stand observing a vow; / you know righteousness and unrighteousness—do not commit rash violence against me. 36

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What is enjoyed by the beloved sometimes pleases the wise; / union through the love of both husband and wife increases love. 37

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When love arises in me, then your union may take place with me; / what love, what pleasure is there for men in enjoying women by force? 38

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A man should not forcefully lust after a woman who is unwilling, diseased, pregnant, / observing a vow, menstruating, or without desire. 39

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Having shown pleasing, fondling, nurturing, delighting, gentleness, and pity, / an affectionate husband should approach his bride, a young woman; / one who desires pleasure should act [gently] toward a young woman as toward a flower. / Though addressed in this way by that virtuous woman, the king, overcome with passion, / dragged her by the hand with force and embraced her, desiring to make love. 40–41

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As soon as she was touched, she was like a heated lump of iron; / feeling as though he were burning, he let go, distraught with fear. 42

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The king said: / Ah, a very great wonder has been seen in you, my dear! / How has your body, tender as a leaf-bud, become like fire? 43

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The king was thus greatly astonished and afraid; the king's beloved, / smiling purely, laughed and replied to him with modesty. 44

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The queen said: / O king, formerly in my childhood, Durvāsas, the foremost of sages, / out of compassion imparted to me the five-syllabled Śaiva teaching. 45

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By the power of that mantra my body is freed from defilement; / it cannot be touched by sinful men abandoned by fate.

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By your nature, O king, unchaste women, courtesans, and the like— / women constantly addicted to tasting liquor—are always enjoyed by you.

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Ritual ablution is not performed daily, the pure mantra is not recited, / [and] Īśāna is not worshipped by you; how are you fit to touch me?

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The king said: / Tell me that auspicious five-syllabled Śaiva lore, O fair-hipped one; / having sins destroyed by that lore, I desire pleasure with you, my beloved.

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The queen said: / I must not initiate you, for you are my master. / Approach the guru Garga, O king, the best among knowers of mantras.

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Sūta said: / Thus conversing, the husband and wife approached the presence of Garga, / and bowed down to his feet with their heads, their hands joined in reverence.

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Then the king, having repeatedly worshipped the pleased guru, / with a humble mind declared the secret desire of his heart:

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The king said: / Make me fulfilled, O guru, as I have approached you, your mind tender with compassion; / you ought to teach [me] the five-syllabled Śaiva lore.

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Give me that mantra, O guru, by which that sin may be cleansed, / whatever has been done unknowingly or knowingly through royal acts.

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Thus requested by the king, Garga, the best among brahmins, / led the two of them to the most excellent, highly sacred bank of the Kālindī.

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There, seated himself at the base of a sacred tree, the guru, / to the king who had bathed in the water of the sacred ford and had fasted,

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having seated him facing east and bowed to Śiva's lotus feet, / placed his hand on his head and imparted the mantra consisting of Śiva.

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Merely from holding that mantra, and from the touch of that guru's hand, / hundreds of millions of crows came forth from his body.

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With scorched wings, screeching, falling to the surface of the earth, / they were all then seen in thousands, reduced to ashes.

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Seeing that flock of crows burning, both exceedingly amazed, / the king and the royal queen questioned that guru:

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O venerable one, how did this wonder arise from the body? / A flock of crows was seen; explain truly what this is!

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The venerable guru said: O king, as you wandered through thousands of births, / endless sins were accumulated in manifold ways.

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Whatever merits you had across those thousands of births, / by their preponderance one is born somewhere in virtuous wombs.

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Likewise, one goes to a most sinful womb somewhere on account of sin; / and when merits and demerits are equal, you obtained a human womb.

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When the five-syllabled Śaiva lore entered your heart, / millions of sins went forth from you in the form of crows.

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Millions of slaughters of brahmins, millions of approaches to women who must not be approached, / millions of thefts of gold, liquor-drinkings, and abortions, / and whatever other heaps of sins across thousands of millions of births—

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they are reduced to ashes in an instant when the five-syllabled Śaiva [mantra] is held. / Today, O lord of kings, your millions of sins have been burned away.

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With your soul purified, enjoy pleasures with her at your will. / Having spoken thus and taught the mantra, the best of sages,

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accompanied by the two whose hearts were amazed, went to his own home; / and having taken leave of the excellent guru, the husband and wife were joyful.

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Then, having reached their palace, the two of great splendour shone. / Firmly embracing his wife, who was cool like sandalwood, / the king attained supreme contentment, like an impoverished man who has gained wealth.

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This crown of all the Vedas, Upaniṣads, Purāṇas, and treatises, destroying sin— / the supreme, great power of the five syllables alone has been related in brief by me.

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Thus ends the first chapter, named 'Description of the Glory of the Five-syllabled Mantra', in the Brahmottarakhaṇḍa, the third [khaṇḍa] in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.

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Sūta said: / Now I shall tell another māhātmya of the enemy of Tripura, / by the mere hearing of which all doubts are swiftly severed.

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There is nothing superior to this for the purification of sins, / bringing delight to all, glorious, accomplishing all aims and desires,

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bestowing the fruits of long life, victory, health, enjoyment, and liberation— / which is the supreme worship of Maheśa with single-minded devotion.

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Whether fresh or dry, small or great [sins], / this alone is taught as the supreme expiation.

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It is the cause of destruction even of sins that cannot be broken at all times / by the supreme expiations prescribed by great sages.

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This alone is the supreme good ascertained by all treatises: / the worship of the Supreme Lord with devotion, which yields supreme prosperity.

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Whether knowingly or unknowingly, or for whatever reason, / whatever slight act is performed for God yields complete liberation.

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In the month of Māgha, on the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight, fasting is exceedingly rare; / even more difficult than that, I think, is the keeping of a night vigil by men.

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Exceedingly rare, I consider, is the darśana of the Śivaliṅga; / even far rarer, I consider, is the worship of the Supreme Lord.

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From the ripening of a mass of merit produced across hundreds of millions of births / is obtained, moreover, the worship of the Lord with bilva leaves on that occasion.

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A man who has bathed in the water of the river Gaṅgā for ten thousand years / obtains that [same] fruit merely by worshipping once with a bilva leaf.

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Whatever merits have vanished here age after age / all abide entirely on the fourteenth of the dark fortnight in Māgha.

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The gods headed by Brahmā, and sages such as Vasiṣṭha, / praise this very fourteenth of the dark fortnight in Māgha in the world.

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A fast kept here by anyone surpasses a hundred sacrifices; / the merit of a night vigil is greater than austerity for ten million kalpas.

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If the worship of the Śivaliṅga is performed with a single bilva leaf, / who indeed could seek an equal to that merit in the three worlds?

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Here is narrated a sacred, exceedingly splendid tale, / which, though secret, was disclosed by Gautama out of compassion. / 16

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Born of the Ikṣvāku lineage was a glorious and supremely righteous king / named Mitrasaha, foremost among all archers. / 17

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That king knew all weapons, was versed in the scriptures, and had mastered the Vedas; / a hero possessed of immense strength and vigor, ever energetic, a treasury of compassion. / 18

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As if a mass of merits, as if a cage of fiery splendors, / as if a sacred field of wonders—such did his form shine forth. / 19

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His heart was filled with compassion, his body with splendor, / and his feet with the rays of the crest-jewels of tributary kings. // 3.3.2.20
Once that lord of the earth, eager for the sport of hunting, / entered a terrible wilderness, surrounded by a large army. // 21
There with his arrows he pierced tigers, gavayas, deer, / ruru deer, boars, buffaloes, and also lions in abundance. // 22
Mounted on a chariot, devoted to the hunt, roaming the dense thicket fully armored, / he slew a night-stalker that possessed the form of blazing fire. // 23
His younger brother, overcome with grief upon seeing it, vanished into the distance; / seeing his brother slain, he reflected in his mind: // 24
“Indeed, this king is invincible even to the gods and the rakṣasas; / by trickery alone must my enemy be conquered, and not otherwise.” // 25
Having thus resolved, that evil rākṣasa in human form / approached the foremost of kings like an embodied calamity. // 26
Seeing him of humble bearing, arrived to offer his service, / the lord of the earth, out of ignorance, made him head of the kitchen. // 27
Then, having sported for some time in that forest, / the king ceased, abandoning the hunt, and returned to his own city. // 28
Of that foremost of mighty kings, a faithful wife named Madayantī / was renowned as beloved, just as Damayantī was to Nala. // 29
At that time the king, having invited the eminent sage / Vasiṣṭha when the day for the ancestors had arrived, brought him to his house. // 3.3.2.30
When the meat dish mixed with human flesh by the rakṣas in the form of the cook / was placed before him, the guru then spoke: // 31
“Fie, fie upon human flesh! O king, by you, a deceitful villain, / this has been offered to me today; therefore you shall become a rakṣas!” // 32
Not knowing it was done by a rakṣas, the guru, having thus cursed [him], / then reflected again and made that curse last for twelve years. // 33
Enraged, the king too said: “Since this was not done by me, / nor known, I have been cursed in vain; I too shall curse my guru!” // 34
Taking up water in his cupped hands and preparing to curse the guru, / Madayantī, falling at his feet, restrained him. // 35
Then, desisting from the curse out of respect for her words, / he dropped the water upon his feet; his two feet became blackened. // 36
From that time forth the ruler of the earth was renowned as Kalmāṣāṅghri; / by the curse of the guru, he became a forest-dwelling rākṣasa. // 37
Assuming a terrible rākṣasa form like the god of death at the end of time, / roaming the forest, he devoured various living beings, beginning with humans. // 38
Once in the forest, somewhere, resembling the god of death, he saw / a youthful, newly-wed sage couple making love. // 39
Feeding on humans, afflicted by the curse, the rākṣasa seized / the youthful son of the sage to devour him, as a tiger seizes a fawn. // 3.3.2.40
Seeing her husband seized by the rakṣas, his beloved, terrified, / weeping and trembling violently, the young woman said piteously: // 41
“Oh, oh, do not commit sin, upholder of the glory of the Solar dynasty! / You are indeed the husband of Madayantī, a lord of kings, not a rākṣasa. // 42
Do not devour my husband, dearer to me than life, O lord; / for you alone are the refuge of the distressed who seek protection! // 43
What use to me, like heaps of sins, are my vile, senseless life-breaths, / and this body, an excessive burden without my noble husband? // 44
What joy is there in this foul, sinful body made of the five elements? / This youth is a knower of the Veda, tranquil, an ascetic, learned in many scriptures. // 45
Therefore, by giving him life, protection of the world will be performed by you; / have mercy, O great king, upon a young brahmin woman! // 46 //”

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“The virtuous are indeed compassionate toward the helpless, the wretched, and the distressed.” / Even though thus beseeched, that man-eater was merciless. / 47

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Cutting off the head, the evil-minded one devoured the brahmin’s son. / Then the virtuous woman, emaciated, miserable, and lamenting, deeply grieved, / 48

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gathered her husband’s bones and prepared a terrifying funeral pyre; / following her husband, entering the fire, / 49

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she struck that king in the form of a rākṣasa with the weapon of a curse: / “Hey, hey, sinful king, my husband has been devoured by you! // 3.3.2.50

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Therefore suffer the terrible curse of a devoted wife: / From this day forth, whenever you unite with women, / then your death shall occur!” Having spoken thus, the faithful wife entered the fire. / 51

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That king also, having endured the guru's curse whose term was fulfilled, / resumed his own form and, delighted, went to his own home. / 52

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Knowing the curse of the brahmin’s faithful wife, his wife restrained her husband / who was eager for amorous pleasure, being utterly terrified of widowhood. / 53

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Childless, disgusted with the enjoyments of kingship, the ruler of the earth, / abandoning all his royal fortune, went once more to the forest. / 54

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For the continuation of the Solar dynasty, Vasiṣṭha, the best of sages, / fathered an excellent son upon that Madayantī. / 55

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Having renounced his kingdom, the king, wandering over the entire earth, / saw coming behind him a female piśāca of terrible form. / 56

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She was indeed the embodiment of terrible, insurmountable brahmahatyā, / incurred when, fallen through the curse, he had devoured the sage’s son. / 57

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Through that deed of his own, the king understood, / by the instruction of the best of sages, that brahmahatyā was following behind him. / 58

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Seeking expiation for it, his mind despondent, / the king wandered to various sacred fields and sacred fords for many years. / 59

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When, despite bathing repeatedly in all the sacred fords, / the murder of a brahmin was not removed, he then came to Mithilā. / Having gone to its outer garden, afflicted with supreme anxiety,

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he saw the pure-minded sage Gautama arriving, / who, like fire, was attended by countless ascetics;

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who, like the sun, completely dispelled the darkness of dense blemishes; / who, like the moon, was devoid of fear and an arising of radiant virtues;

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who, like Maheśvara bearing the crescent moon, bore the learning of the illustrious king of the twice-born; / tranquil, accompanied by a host of disciples, the sole vessel of austerities.

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Approaching him, that king of kings bowed again and again. / Gautama too, the best of sages, [addressed] the king born of the solar dynasty.

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Welcoming him with affection, the sage spoke with a smile:

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Gautama said: / "Is all well with you, O king? Is your imperishable position safe?

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Are your subjects prosperous, or the women of your inner quarters? / For what purpose have you come here, having cast aside all royal splendour?

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And what are you pondering, O king, sighing long and hot?"

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The king said: / "All of us are well, O brahmin, through your compassion. / For the fortunes of kings of noble lineage are indeed dependent on brahmins. / Yet what torments me is this piśācī of dreadful form,

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unseen by anyone other than me, threatening me at every step.

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Alas, what was done by me, burnt by a curse, is difficult to overcome;

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no peace is produced from it by thousands of expiations.

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Various sacrifices have been offered, with the entire treasury given as sacrificial fees;

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the rivers and lakes that are worthy of veneration on the face of the earth have been bathed in;

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all the sacred fields have been visited by me as I wandered;

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all mantras have been recited; all deities have been meditated upon;

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great vows have been observed by me, subsisting on leaves, roots, and fruits.

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All those do not bring me peace at any time.

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Today the fruitfulness of my birth seems to have been attained,

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since from the very darśana of you, my self has partaken of joy.

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Seeking, one might sometimes attain one's desire after a multitude of years:'

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even this popular saying has become true in my case,

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at the rising and fruition of merits accumulated since birth,

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since you, the protector of those who fear mundane existence, have become visible to my eyes.

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From which land have you, the remover of the fear of worldly existence, come here?

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I think you have come here, rested after travelling from afar;

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as if having seen something exceedingly wondrous, you are delighted, judging from the radiance of your face.

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You delight my mind, as if through conversing with love.

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Today, for me who have committed a sin and have taken refuge in your lotus feet,

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bring peace, O fortunate one, so that I may attain happiness."

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Addressed thus by him, Gautama, an ocean of compassion,

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properly prescribed the expiation for terrible sins.

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Gautama said:

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"Well done, O king of kings! You are fortunate. Cast aside fear of great sins.

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When Śiva is the protector of his devotees, where is the fear for those seeking refuge?

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Hear, O noble king, of another celebrated sacred field,

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the destroyer of great sins, delightful, called Gokarṇa,

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where there is no persistence of sins, even the greatest of the great;

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where Śiva, whose mere remembrance destroys all sins, is present.

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Just as on the peak of Kailāsa, just as on the summit of Mandāra,

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so the dwelling of Śambhu is established in the realm of Gokarṇa.

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Not by fire, not by the moon, not by the lords of stars and planets,

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is darkness completely dispelled, as it is by the sight of the sun;

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even so, not by other sacred fords nor by delightful sacred fields,

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can instantaneous purification from sin occur as it does from the darśana of Gokarṇa.

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Even having committed a hundred sins such as the murder of a brahmin, a man

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who enters Gokarṇa just once never fears sin anywhere.

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There all the great-souled ones have attained peace through austerity.

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It is resorted to by Indra, Upendra, Viriñci, and others who desire perfections.

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Whatever supreme vow is performed there even for a single day,

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becomes equal to that performed elsewhere for a hundred thousand years.

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Where, out of a desire for the welfare of the gods headed by Indra, Brahmā, and Viṣṇu,

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the God is present in person under the name of Mahābala.

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Obtained through terrible austerity by the rākṣasa named Rāvaṇa,

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that liṅga was installed at Gokarṇa by the lord of gaṇas.

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Indra, Brahmā, Mukunda, the Viśvedevas, the hosts of the Maruts,

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the Ādityas, the Vasus, the two Aśvins, the Moon, and the Sun—

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these gods, travelling in aerial chariots, together with their attendants,

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attend upon the eastern gate of the God of gods who bears the trident.

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Yama, Death himself in person, Citragupta, and Agni,

3.3.2.69_57

Together with the ancestors and the Rudras, have taken their place at the southern gate.

3.3.2.69_58

Varuṇa, the lord of rivers, along with the hosts of rivers headed by the Gaṅgā,

3.3.2.69_59

Serves Mahādeva, having taken his place at the western gate.

3.3.2.69_60

Likewise, Vāyu, Kubera, and Bhadrakarṇikā, the ruler of gods,

3.3.2.69_61

Have taken their place at the northern gate together with the Mothers headed by Caṇḍikā.

3.3.2.69_62

Viśvāvasu, Citraratha, and the mighty Citrasena,

3.3.2.69_63

Along with the troops of gandharvas, worship Mahābala.

3.3.2.69_64

Rambhā, Ghṛtācī, Menā, Pūrvacitti, and Tilottamā—

3.3.2.69_65

Celestial women headed by Urvaśī dance before Śambhu.

3.3.2.69_66

Vasiṣṭha, Kaśyapa, Kaṇva, Viśvāmitra of great austerity,

3.3.2.69_67

Jaimini, Bharadvāja, Jābāli, Kratu, and Aṅgiras—

3.3.2.69_68

These and we, O king of kings, all spotless brahmin seers,

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Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit

Skandapurana 3.3

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