Skandapurana 3.3.2

English (machine translation) 3.3.2

Language: English

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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

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,

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

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

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

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

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

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Viśvāvasu, Citraratha, and the mighty Citrasena,

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Along with the troops of gandharvas, worship Mahābala.

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Rambhā, Ghṛtācī, Menā, Pūrvacitti, and Tilottamā—

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Celestial women headed by Urvaśī dance before Śambhu.

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Vasiṣṭha, Kaśyapa, Kaṇva, Viśvāmitra of great austerity,

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Jaimini, Bharadvāja, Jābāli, Kratu, and Aṅgiras—

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

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Worship the god Mahābala with devotion on all sides.

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Atri together with Marīci, the lords of sages headed by Dakṣa,

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And the great-souled ones headed by Sanaka sit and attend upon him.

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Likewise sages, Sādhyas, wearers of deerskin garments,

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Staff-bearers, those with shaven heads by vow, graduates, celibate students,

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Their limbs reduced to mere skin and bone, their sins burned away by austerity,

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Serve the god of gods, Pinākin, with supreme devotion.

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Likewise gods with gandharvas, ancestors, siddhas, cāraṇas,

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Vidyādharas, kiṃpuruṣas, kinnaras, guhyakas, birds,

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Nāgas, piśācas, vetālas, and mighty sons of Diti,

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Endowed with various kinds of wealth, possessing various ornaments and mounts,

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In aerial chariots resembling the sun, fire-colored, bright as the moon,

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And others like masses of lightning, have surrounded him on every side.

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They praise, sing aloud, recite, and bow down;

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They dance and rejoice in Gokarṇa, O lord of the earth.

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They obtain their desired objects and delight at their pleasure.

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There is no sacred field equal to Gokarṇa in the entire globe of the cosmos.

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There fierce austerity was practiced by the great-souled Agastya,

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Likewise by Sanatkumāra, and by the sons of Priyavrata,

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By Agni the foremost among gods, and by Kandarpa, O king,

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Likewise by goddess Bhadrakālī, and by the wise Śiśumāra,

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By Durmukha the lord of serpents, and the one named Maṇināga,

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By nāgas headed by Ilāvarta, and by the mighty Garuḍa.

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Even by the rākṣasa Rāvaṇa, and by the one named Kumbhakarṇa,

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And by the virtuous, great-souled Vibhīṣaṇa, austerity was practiced.

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These and other gods, siddhas, dānavas, and humans,

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Having worshiped Śiva, the lord of the god of gods, with devotion in Gokarṇa,

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And having established thousands of liṅgas marked with their own names,

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Attained supreme perfection and likewise made sacred fords.

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Here are the shrines of all the gods, O king:

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Of Viṣṇu the god of gods, of Brahmā the highest lord,

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Of the heroic Kārttikeya, and of the elephant-faced one, O sinless one,

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Of Dharma, of the guardian of the field, and of Durgā, O highly intelligent one.

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In Gokarṇa there are tens of millions of Śivaliṅgas,

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And countless sacred fords stand at every step.

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What need is there of saying much here, O king? In Gokarṇa,

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All stones are liṅgas, and all waters everywhere are sacred fords.

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The greatness of the Śivaliṅgas and of the sacred fords in Gokarṇa

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Is sung profusely by the great seers in the Purāṇas, O king.

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In Gokarṇa, the Koṭitīrtha has attained preeminence among sacred fords,

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And Mahābala is the emperor of all Śivaliṅgas.

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In the Kṛta age, Mahābala was white; in the Tretā age, extremely red;

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In the Dvāpara age, of yellow color; and in the Kali age, he will be dark.

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Though Mahābala pervades the seven netherworlds,

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When the terrible Kali age arrives, he will assume tenderness.

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Since the excellent sacred field of Gokarṇa, situated on the shore of the western ocean,

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Burns away sins such as the killing of a brahmin, what is there to wonder at?

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And here, those who are murderers of brahmins, those who harm living beings, the deceitful,

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those devoid of all virtues, and those devoted to the wives of others,

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those of bad conduct, those of evil ways, the ill-behaved, and the miserly,

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the greedy, the cruel, the wicked, the foolish, thieves, and the excessively lustful—

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they all, having reached Gokarṇa and bathed in the waters of the sacred fords,

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and having beheld the god Mahābala, have gone to the abode of Śaṃkara.

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There, on auspicious lunar days, under auspicious lunar mansions, on auspicious days of the week,

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those who worship the Great Lord become Rudras—there is no doubt.

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Whenever any human being at all

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enters Gokarṇa and worships the Lord, he goes to the abode of Brahmā.

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When a new moon occurs on a Sunday, a Monday, or a Wednesday,

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then bathing in the ocean, giving gifts, and offering libations to the ancestors,

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worship of Śiva, silent recitation, fire sacrifice, observance of vows, and worshipping twice-borns—

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whatever rite is performed yields endless reward.

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During conjunctions such as Vyatīpāta, and during the sun's transits,

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at the times of the great twilight worship, the worship of Śiva bestows liberation.

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Now I shall tell you, O king, of one lunar day that bestows liberation,

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upon which, indeed, the great hunter attained the supreme state of Śambhu:

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in the month of Māgha, that greatly auspicious fourteenth day of the dark fortnight;

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a Śiva-liṅga, and a bilva leaf—rare indeed is this group of four.

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Ah, powerful is the illusion by which this great lunar day sacred to Śiva

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is not kept with fasting by foolish people, just as the threefold Veda [is not studied] by the utterly mute!

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Fasting, keeping vigil, and presence before the Supreme Lord—

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Gokarṇa is the stairway for men to the world of Śiva.

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Listen, O king: I too have just now arrived from Gokarṇa,

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having observed this lunar day of Śiva and having watched the great festival.

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On this lunar day of Śiva, all wishing to see the great festival,

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great multitudes belonging to all four varnas came from all countries;

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women, the elderly, children, and dwellers in the four stages of life,

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having come and seen the Lord of gods, attained fulfillment of purpose.

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Then I too, these disciples, and other seers likewise,

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and royal seers, O king of kings, and celestial seers headed by Sanaka,

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having bathed in all the sacred fords and worshipped Mahābala,

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and having attained the fruitfulness of our births, departed in every direction.

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Having been invited today by this king, Janaka, who desires to perform a sacrifice,

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I have arrived from Gokarṇa, the temple of Śiva.

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On the way, my dear sir, having seen a certain wonder as I was returning,

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with a mind filled with great joy, I am fulfilled, O protector of the earth.

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Thus ends the second chapter, named 'Description of the Greatness of Gokarṇa', in the third Brahmottara section of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, in the collection of eighty-one thousand verses.

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit