Skandapurana 3.3.20
English (machine translation) 3.3.20
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Sūta said:
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Now I will describe briefly the māhātmya of the rudrākṣa,
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which causes the destruction of all sins for those who hear it and also those who read it.
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Whether a non-devotee or a devotee, low-born or even lower,
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he who wears rudrākṣas is freed from all sins.
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To what could the meritorious wearing of rudrākṣa be equal?
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Sages who see reality have declared this to be a great vow.
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Whoever, having undertaken the vow, wears a thousand rudrākṣas,
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to him all the gods bow; as Rudra is, even so is he.
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In the absence of a thousand, however, sixteen on each of the two arms,
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one on the tuft of hair, and twelve on each of the hands;
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thirty-two around the neck, and forty on the head,
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one [or] six on each of the two ears, and one hundred and eight upon the chest—
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whoever wears [these] rudrākṣas is worshiped like Rudra himself.
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Combined with pearls, corals, crystals, silver, lapis lazuli, and gold,
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he who wears rudrākṣas becomes Śiva.
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Even rudrākṣas alone, as they are obtained, whoever wears them,
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sins do not touch him, just as darkness [does not touch] the sun.
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A mantra muttered with a rudrākṣa rosary yields endless fruit;
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japa performed without rudrākṣa yields only limited fruit for men.
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On whose body there is not even a single rudrākṣa that bestows abundant merit,
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his life would be useless if he is devoid of the tripuṇḍra.
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He who, having tied a rudrākṣa upon his head, performs a head-ablution,
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obtains the fruit of an ablution in the Gaṅgā; there is no doubt in this.
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And he who worships a rudrākṣa, [even] without ritual sprinkling with water,
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undoubtedly attains that very fruit which comes from the worship of a liṅga.
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Rudrākṣas with one face, five faces, others with eleven faces,
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[and] some with fourteen faces are revered by the world.
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Constantly worshipped with devotion, the rudrākṣa, being identical to Śaṃkara,
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makes even a pauper endowed with the splendour of a king of kings.
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In this regard, wise men recount this holy narrative,
which destroys great sins by merely listening to or reciting it.
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There was a famous king of the Kāśmīra country named Bhadrasena.
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He had an intelligent and valiant son named Sudharmā.
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His minister had a son named Tāraka, endowed with good qualities,
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who became a magnificent companion to the prince.
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Both boys, deeply affectionate toward each other and possessing handsome forms,
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devoted to the pursuit of learning, played together in their childhood.
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Constantly adorned with rudrākṣas on all their limbs,
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the noble-bodied youths moved about, always wearing sacred ash.
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Abandoning ornaments of gold and jewels—
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necklaces, armlets, bracelets, and earrings—the two wore rudrākṣas.
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Always garlanded with rudrākṣas, with rudrākṣa bracelets on their hands,
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wearing rudrākṣa neck-ornaments, and constantly having rudrākṣa earrings,
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they viewed gold, jewels, and other ornaments as clods of earth or stone.
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Even when admonished by the people, they would not take off their rudrākṣas.
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By chance, Parāśara, the best of sages,
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like the Grandfather [Brahmā] in bodily form, arrived at the palace of that king of Kāśmīra.
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Having worshipped him according to the rules, the king, foremost of upholders of righteousness,
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asked the great sage, who was seated comfortably and knew the three times:
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The king said:
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"O holy one, this son of mine, and also that son of my minister,
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constantly wear rudrākṣas and have no desire for jewelled ornaments.
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Although constantly instructed to wear ornaments of gems,
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they disobey our words and remain devoted solely to rudrākṣas.
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These two boys were never instructed [in this] by anyone.
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How did this natural inclination arise in the two young men?"
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Parāśara said:
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"Listen, O king, I will tell you of your intelligent son,
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and likewise of the minister's son: their astonishing past history.
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Formerly, in Nandigrāma, there was a well-known
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courtesan named Mahānandā, charming in appearance with erotic elegance.
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A parasol resembling the full moon, a conveyance gleaming with gold,
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fly-whisks with fine handles, and golden sandals;
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varied garments, highly precious and radiant;
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couches resembling moonbeams, and golden beds;
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cows and buffaloes by the hundreds, and likewise male servants by the hundreds;
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female servants in the prime of youth, their limbs radiant with all kinds of ornaments;
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the most exquisite ornaments, sparkling with the nine gems;
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unguent of sandalwood paste, saffron, musk, camphor, and aloe;
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garlands of varied flowers for the head, and sweet food as much as desired;
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a house enriched with various painted canopies and stocked with various grains;
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wealth enriched with many thousands of gems, amounting to more than a crore—
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thus endowed with riches, the courtesan, sporting in pleasures of love,
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was constantly devoted to the worship of Śiva, dedicated to truth and righteousness,
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attached to stories of Sadāśiva, eager for recitations of Śiva's names,
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bowing before the feet of Śiva's devotees, and night and day devoted to the worship of Śiva.
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For amusement, that courtesan, in the midst of the dance hall,
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having adorned a monkey and a rooster with rudrākṣas,
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constantly made them dance herself to hand-clapping and songs,
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and then laughed aloud, surrounded by her female companions.
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[Pair]
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Adorned with armlets and ear-ornaments made of rudrākṣas,
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the monkey, trained by her, constantly danced like a child.
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With a rudrākṣa tied to its crest, the rooster, knowing how to dance, danced long
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along with the monkey, evoking wonder in the onlookers.
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One day, to her residence, a certain merchant who was observing a vow to Śiva...
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Wearing rudrākṣa beads and the tripuṇḍra, free from selfish attachment, accomplished;
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bearing ashes [on his body], wearing an excellent bracelet on his fair wrist,
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inlaid with splendid gems and blazing like the morning sun.
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Having honoured that guest with supreme delight,
the courtesan, seeing the bracelet on his wrist, was astonished and said:
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“This bracelet on your hand is made of splendid gems;
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fit for adorning a celestial woman, it captivates my heart, O virtuous one!”
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Seeing her longing for the hand-ornament rich in excellent gems,
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the noble-minded vaiśya smiled and replied:
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The vaiśya said:
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“If your heart longs for this excellent, heavenly gem[-bracelet],
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take it with great pleasure! What will you give as its price?”
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The courtesan said:
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“We are indeed free-roaming courtesans, not devoted wives;
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the traditional way of our family is wantonness, no doubt.
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If you give me this jewel-inlaid hand-ornament,
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I will be your wife for three days and three nights.”
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The vaiśya said:
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“So be it, if your word is true, O courtesan;
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I give you the gem-encrusted bracelet; be my bride for three nights.
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In this agreement, however, the moon and sun are witnesses;
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saying ‘It is truth’ three times, touch my heart, my dear!”
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The courtesan said:
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“Becoming your wife for three days and nights, O master,
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I will practice virtue alongside you!” Saying thus, she touched his heart.
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Then the vaiśya gave her the gem bracelet;
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and placing a gem-made liṅga in her hand, he said this:
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“This jeweled liṅga of Śiva is as dear to me as my very life;
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you must protect it, my lovely one: its loss will be my death.”
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Saying “So be it,” the lovely woman took the jewel-born liṅga,
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placed it on a pillar of the dance pavilion, and entered the house.
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United that night with that vaiśya behaving like a paramour,
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she slept happily upon a couch adorned with a soft mattress.
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Then, at midnight, inside the dance pavilion,
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a fire suddenly arose and quickly enveloped it.
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As the pavilion was burning, rising up in great agitation,
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the courtesan released the monkey from its bond there.
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That monkey, freed from bondage, together with that rooster,
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fled far away in terror, shaking off many sparks of fire.
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The liṅga was consumed along with the pillar and shattered to pieces;
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seeing it, the courtesan and the vaiśya suffered boundless grief.
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Seeing the liṅga—equal to his life—burned, the vaiśya husband likewise,
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having fallen into deep despondency, set his mind on death.
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From deep world-weariness and utter distress, the vaiśya said to that sorrowful woman:
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“Since the Śiva-liṅga is broken to pieces, I do not wish to live.
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O auspicious one, have a funeral pyre prepared for me by your strong servants;
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fixing my mind on Śiva, I will enter the fire.
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Even if Brahmā, Indra, Viṣṇu, and the others should assemble and forbid me,
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even so, resolute at this very moment, I will enter the fire and give up my life.”
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Realizing his firm resolve, deeply grieved,
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she had a pyre built by her servants outside her city.
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Then that vaiśya, purified by devotion to Śiva, circumambulated the blazing fire; / resolute, he entered [it] as people watched, and the young woman was seized with remorse.
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Then that sorrowful woman, recollecting the immaculate dharma,
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looked upon all her kinsmen and spoke these mournful words:
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“Taking the jewel bracelet, I uttered the truth:
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‘For three days I am agreed to be the wife of this vaiśya.’
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Because of an act done by me, this vaiśya who observed the vow of Śiva is dead;
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therefore, I will enter the fire along with him.
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I said, ‘I shall be a partner in dharma’—behold this truth!
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By truth the gods, the lords of the three worlds, are pleased;
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devotion to truth is the highest dharma; upon truth everything is established.”
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By truth come heaven and liberation, and by untruth the supreme state is not [attained].
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Therefore, taking refuge in truth, I shall enter the fire.”
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Thus with firm resolve, although dissuaded by her kinsfolk,
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the woman set her mind to giving up her life out of fear of abandoning truth.
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Having given all her possessions to the devotees of Śiva and meditated upon Sadāśiva,
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she circumambulated the fire three times and stood facing the place [of sacrifice].
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As she was falling into the kindled fire, with her mind fixed on his abode,
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Śiva himself, the self of all, manifested and held her back.
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Beholding that God of all gods, the three-eyed one adorned with the crescent moon,
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radiant as ten million moons, suns, and fires, she stood as though petrified, as though terrified.
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Comforting her who was distraught, frightened, trembling, and stunned,
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with tears falling [from her eyes], he took her by the hand and spoke these words:
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Śiva said:
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“In order to test your truthfulness, your righteousness, your steadfastness, and your unwavering devotion to me,
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I came into your presence disguised as a merchant.
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Having magically raised a fire, I burnt down the theater pavilion,
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and making the jewel liṅga appear burnt, I entered the fire.
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Courtesans are deceitful, self-willed, and swindlers of men;
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yet you, remembering truth, have entered the fire with me.
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Therefore, I shall grant you pleasures difficult even for the gods to attain,
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an exceedingly long lifespan, health, and the prosperity of offspring.
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Whatever you desire, O fair-hipped woman, that very thing I grant to you.”
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Sūta said:
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As the lord of Gaurī spoke thus, the courtesan replied:
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The courtesan said:
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“I have no desire for pleasures on earth, in heaven, or in the underworld.
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Other than the touch of your lotus feet, I choose nothing at all.
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These servants, maidservants, and whichever other relatives I have,
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are all devoted to your worship, their livelihoods dedicated to you.
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Taking all of them along with me to your supreme abode,
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free us from the terrifying fear of rebirth. Salutations to you!”
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Saying 'So be it', Maheśvara praised her words,
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and led all of them together with her to the supreme abode.
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Parāśara said:
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“The two who previously ran far away during the burning of the theater pavilion,
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those very two left behind there were a rooster and a monkey.
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Her dancing monkey who met his death in the course of time,
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he became this prince of yours, and the rooster became the minister's son.
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From the merit acquired in a previous existence by wearing the rudrākṣa,
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these two boys have been born and live in an exalted family.
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Because of previous habit, their minds pure, they wear rudrākṣas;
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in this life, having worshiped Śiva, the two shall go to that world [of Śiva].
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Thus the past history of these two boys has been narrated,
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as well as the story of the devotee of Śiva. What else do you wish to ask?”
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Thus ends the twentieth chapter, named 'Description of the Greatness of Rudrākṣa', in the Brahmottarakhaṇḍa, the third [section] of the venerable Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.
Linked texts (1)
- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit