Skandapurana 3.3.23

English (machine translation) 3.3.23

Language: English

3.3.23.1

Now begins the third Brahmottarakhaṇḍa in the Brāhmakhaṇḍa.

1. Now, in Naimiṣāraṇya, the asking of questions to the great seer Sūta by the great seers Śaunaka and others out of a desire to know the māhātmya of Śaṃkara; therein, first, the description by the great seer Sūta to the great seers Śaunaka and others of the māhātmya of the five-syllable mantra of Śaṃkara, and the description of the rules regarding receiving the mantra from a true guru and so forth. In that context, the narration of the account of King Dāśārha, the ruler of Mathurā; therein, the marriage of King Dāśārha to the daughter of the king of Kāśī; then, when she did not desire copulation on account of an observance, the king, wishing to enjoy her, pulled her by force, and as soon as her limb was touched, it was intensely heated like a red-hot iron ball; immediately letting her go and becoming terrified, when he asked the reason for her heated limb, she recounted to the king the power of the Śiva-pañcākṣarī mantra practiced by herself; the king's making a supplication to receive the Śiva-pañcākṣarī mantra from a true guru; then, having heard her words, when the king received the initiation of the venerable Śiva mantra from the teacher Garga on the bank of the Yamunā at the root of a sacred tree, sins came out from the pores of that king's body in the form of a billion crows and were reduced to ashes; then, the body of King Dāśārha having been purified, by the auspicious blessing of the guru, returning to his own home with that wife whose limbs were cool as sandalwood, and ruling the kingdom with the enjoyment of pleasures; the māhātmya of the Śiva-pañcākṣarī mantra. 172 1

3.3.23.3

2. Now, description of the māhātmya of the great Śivarātri on the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight of Māgha; therein, the māhātmya of fasting, worshiping the Śivaliṅga, and offering bilva leaves; in that connection, description of the account of the king named Mitrasaha born of the Ikṣvāku dynasty; therein, after a certain rākṣasa was slain when King Mitrasaha went on a hunt, the arrival before the king in a humble form by that rākṣasa's younger brother, having disguised himself as a servant in order to watch for an opportune vulnerability; the appointment by the king of that rākṣasa to the overseership of his royal kitchen; then, once, when his family preceptor Vasiṣṭha was invited by that king for a meal, the serving of human flesh in his dish by the rākṣasa wearing disguise; seeing that impure food, the granting of a curse consisting of rākṣasa-hood for twelve years to the king by the enraged great seer Vasiṣṭha; then, hearing the unmerited curse, taking water in his hand by the enraged king in order to give a counter-curse to his guru Vasiṣṭha; then, the holding back, by making a plea, of that king who was intent on cursing the guru, by Queen Madayantī; then, throwing onto his own feet, by that king, of the water taken in hand to give the curse to the guru; through that, because his feet acquired black spots, the king's fame under the name Kalmāṣapāda; then, after obtaining rākṣasa-hood, when a certain young sage was eaten by King Kalmāṣapāda wandering in the forest, the entering into fire after giving the curse 'When there is sexual union with a woman, your death will occur' to that King Kalmāṣapāda who had become a rākṣasa, by that young sage's wife who was wandering with him; then, after the expiration of the curse's term, the return to his home of him who was freed from the curse after regaining his own true form; then, hearing the brahmin's wife's curse, the warding off of her husband who was begging for sexual pleasure by his wife Madayantī out of fear of her own widowhood; then, when the king, despairing of the enjoyment of kingship, departed for the forest, the fathering of a son on that king's wife Madayantī by the sage Vasiṣṭha for the continuity of the Solar dynasty; then, the pursuit by terrible brahmahatyā after that King Kalmāṣapāda who had gone to the forest; the going before the great seer Gautama in the garden of Mithilā by the king afflicted by brahmahatyā; then, the instructing by the great seer Gautama to the king to go do darśana of the Śivaliṅga in the Gokarna sacred field in order to remove the fault of brahmahatyā; in that connection, description of the māhātmya of Gokarṇeśvara. ... 173 2

3.3.23.4

3. Now, in the context of describing the Gokarṇeśvara-māhātmya by Gautama, description of his dialogue with the Śivadūtas who had arrived to take a certain elderly Cāṇḍāla woman to the world of Śiva; therein, when the reason for taking the Cāṇḍāla woman to the world of Śiva was asked of the Śivadūtas by Gautama, description by the Śivadūtas of that Cāṇḍāla woman's previous birth; therein, in her previous birth as a brahmin widow, having fallen from her caste under the influence of lust and being attached to a Śūdra, when a calf was inadvertently killed at night by her hand, seeing it in the light and realizing it was a calf, her uttering 'Śiva, Śiva' out of repentance; then, description of the adverse turn of fate preceded by her falling into the condition of a Cāṇḍāla woman when she died in the course of time; on this Cāṇḍāla woman's way toward the Gokarṇa sacred field to beg for food and alms, when death occurred midway along the path, Śiva remembering her by the power of her recitation of the name of Śiva; the extraction of her subtle soul by the Śivadūtas, uniting it with a spark of divine brilliance, and taking her to the world of Śiva; then, in that connection, when the nature of the world of Śiva was asked of Gautama by the king, description of the nature of the world of Śiva by the great seer Gautama to the king Mitrasaha, also known as Kalmāṣapāda; then, by Gautama's instruction, the king's going to the Gokarṇa sacred field, and, preceded by being freed from sins such as brahmahatyā through the power of darśana, worship, and other rites of the great god Gokarṇeśvara, description of his attainment of the world of Śiva. ... 176 2

3.3.23.5

4. Now, description of the māhātmya of the worship of Śrī Śiva; in that connection, description of the account of the king named Vimardana residing in the Kirāta country; that king's devotion to Śiva despite his continuous inclination toward unrighteousness; then, once, in solitude, the asking by his wife Kumudvatī of that king out of a desire to know the reason for his devotedness to Śiva-bhakti despite his being utterly prone to wicked conduct; then, description by King Vimardana of the account of his own previous birth; in the previous birth, circumambulation of the Śrī Śiva temple having been performed in the city of Pampā by a dog during the great worship occurring on Mahāśivarātri; when its life departed because that dog was struck down by the stroke of an arrow by the people of that place at the entranceway, description of the attainment of birth as a king by the power of Śrī Śiva's presence; and description of his engagement in wicked conduct such as omnivorousness, pitilessness, and so forth, under the influence of the latent impression of desire for food in canine birth; then, description by the king to the queen of that queen's previous birth; therein, in her previous birth as a female pigeon who had taken a lump of meat and mounted the summit of the Śiva temple, when death occurred upon being knocked down by a sharp-beaked vulture seeking to seize the lump of meat, description of the attainment of the status of a king's wife through the power of dying in the presence of Śrī Śaṃkara; then, by the king questioned by the queen, preceded by the description of the account of future seven births for both of them, description stating that attainment of the abode of Śiva will occur through the power of the worship of Śrī Śiva on Mahāśivarātri. ... 179 2

3.3.23.6

5 Now, the description of the greatness of devotion to Śiva; in that connection, the description of the story of King Candrasena dwelling in Ujjayinī; there, a gaṇa of Śiva named Maṇibhadra, having observed King Candrasena’s constant devotion to Śiva, formed a friendship with him and presented the wishing-gem (cintāmaṇi) to that king; the other kings, unable to endure the majesty of King Candrasena who was ruling the kingdom with that wishing-gem worn around his neck, asked him for that wishing-gem jewel, and having prepared for war, came toward the city of Avantī and laid siege all around the city of Avantī; on that occasion, King Candrasena went for refuge to the great lord Śrī Mahākāla and performed the great worship of Śrī Śaṃkara day and night; at that time, a certain widowed cowherd woman, who had come to the temple of Śrī Śiva accompanied by her five-year-old child, saw the festival of worship performed by the king and returned to her camp; then her five-year-old child set up a stone Śiva liṅga in a solitary, empty place near their camp, took whatever flowers were at hand, contrived artificial offerings such as perfumes, and performed the worship of Śiva with an undistracted mind; then, meanwhile, that cowherd woman arrived there and in anger destroyed that worship of Śiva performed by her child; then, seeing the destruction of the worship of Śambhu, the child, with immense grief and lamentation, fell into a swoon; then, after some time, having regained consciousness, that child saw in that very place a heavenly golden Śiva temple and a jewel-studded Śiva liṅga; then that delighted child begged forgiveness before Śrī Śaṅkara for the offense caused by his mother’s disruption of the Śiva worship; then in the evening at the onset of night, seeing the whole camp of cowherds turned into divine gold by the grace of Śrī Śiva, he approached his sleeping mother who had assumed a divine form, woke her, and told her that the entire camp was turned to gold; then that cowherd woman, seeing that wonder, went near the king and reported the whole incident to him; then the king, having come to that camp along with his ministers and others, and having seen it full of jewels and gold, embraced that five-year-old cowherd boy; when that night had thus passed in joy, at dawn, all the hostile kings stationed around the city, having heard of that miraculous deed of the cowherd boy from the words of spies, were struck with wonder, abandoned their enmity with the king, formed the greatest friendship, entered that city, received the hospitable reception offered by the king, saw Śrī Mahākāla, went to the cowherds' camp, and seeing the Śiva temple manifested to bestow grace upon the son of the cowherd, all those delighted kings gave garments, gold, jewels, and other gifts to that son of a cowherd, and bestowed upon him kingship over the cowherds residing in all the regions; at that very moment, Śrī Hanumān, the lord of monkeys, manifested there, received the worshipful honor of all the kings, embraced that cowherd boy in the midst of them all, explained the greatness of the Śiva-Śani-Pradoṣa to all the kings, gave that cowherd boy the name Śrīkara, instructed him in the conduct sacred to Śiva, and vanished; [and] the description of the attainment of the world of Śiva by King Candrasena and the cowherd boy named Śrīkara through the power of worshipping Śiva. 181 1

3.3.23.7

6 Now, the description of the greatness of the Pradoṣa worship; in that connection, the description of the account of the king named Satyaratha residing in the Vidarbha country; there, the death of the king named Satyaratha in battle with the Śālva kings; thereafter, his pregnant wife, having made an effort, went out from the city into an impassable forest; there, at the root of a certain tree, during her delivery, a son was born; then, overcome by excessive thirst, as she entered an adjacent lake to drink water, her death by being seized by a crocodile; at that time, a certain widowed brahmin woman named Umā, who was wandering in that region with a one-year-old child, heard the sound of that newborn prince crying, saw that helpless boy whose umbilical cord had not been cut, and out of a mind filled with compassion, took him to raise him; as her mind was full of doubt about bringing him to her house, she gained confidence from the words of Śaṃkara who wore the guise of a beggar, and brought that child to her house to nourish him; then that brahmin woman named Umā, living in the village named Ekacakrā, gathered alms and tended and nourished that child, regarding him as no different from her own son; then, at a certain time, when that brahmin woman entered a certain temple along with those two boys to see the deity, the great seer Śāṇḍilya, who was residing in that temple, saw those two boys and spoke of the strange turns of fate with reference to that prince among them; having heard those words, when that brahmin woman asked out of a desire to know the lineage, family, and other origins of that child she had brought, the great seer Śrī Śāṇḍilya narrated in detail the deeds of that child in all his previous births; there, in a previous birth, a Pāṇḍya king died at the hands of an enemy in another birth due to the fault of interrupting the Śiva-Pradoṣa worship; his son also, due to the fault of transgressing the worship of Śiva at Pradoṣa, attained poverty in another birth; and his mother, due to the sin of killing her co-wife by deceit in a previous birth, was described as dying by being devoured by a crocodile in another birth; and the son of the brahmin woman, due to being devoted solely to receiving gifts in his previous birth, without sacrifices, offerings, gifts, and the like, was described as attaining poverty in another birth; then, having declared the greatness of worshipping Śiva at Pradoṣa, his giving instruction to both of those boys for the worship of Śiva at Pradoṣa. 182 2

3.3.23.8

7. Now, asked by that brahmin woman named Umā, the great sage Śāṇḍilya describes in full detail the complete ritual of worshipping Śiva in connection with the pradoṣa observance. Then, between the two boys—the brahmin's son and the king's son—that great sage Śāṇḍilya performs the name-giving of the brahmin's son as Śucivrata and of the prince as Dharmagupta, and imparts the Śiva mantra to the two for performing Śiva's worship. Thereupon, after bowing to and taking leave of the sage Śāṇḍilya, that twice-born woman departs with the two boys. Thenceforward, performing the worship of Śiva at the pradoṣa hour, the two boys, brahmin and prince, live in obedience to their mother's command. Then, on one occasion, as the brahmin's son is wandering on a riverbank, he finds a golden pot of treasure; his mother bids them divide it equally between the two boys, whereupon the prince shows his reluctance to take the wealth obtained by the brahmin boy, showing instead his contentment solely with what is gained by his own destiny. Then, once, while roaming deep in the forest, the two boys—the brahmin and the prince—see gandharva maidens sporting; seeing them, though forbidden by the brahmin boy to go near them, the prince approaches those gandharva maidens. Seeing the handsome youth, the prince, the daughter of the gandharva king named Dravika, herself named Aṃśumatī, comes alone to his side; tormented by the arrows of love upon beholding each other, during their mutual conversation, the gandharva king's daughter gives to that prince Dharmagupta the pearl necklace from her neck, vows 'the day after tomorrow I will marry you', and departs to her father's presence with her female companions. Then the prince Dharmagupta returns to his home with the brahmin boy named Śucivrata and relates to his mother, the brahmin woman, what had happened in the forest. Then, when the day after tomorrow arrives, that prince named Dharmagupta goes with the brahmin's son into that forest. When the two youths arrive, the lord of the gandharvas honors them, declares the command received by him from Śrī Śaṃkara, gives his own daughter in marriage according to the rites of grasping the hand to that prince Dharmagupta, presents a dowry consisting of various gems, elephants, horses, chariots, weapons, golden armor, male and female servants, and other riches, and himself ascends in an aerial chariot to the gandharva realm. Having thus wedded the gandharva maiden Aṃśumatī, that prince named Dharmagupta, accompanied by the army of valiant gandharvas given by his father-in-law as dowry, arrives at his father's royal capital, the city of Vidarbha, slays all his enemies, and ascends his ancestral throne upon receiving the royal consecration. Treating that brahmin woman with the honor due to a mother and that brahmin boy with the honor due to a brother, that prince named Dharmagupta, together with his wife, the gandharva princess, rules in the city of Vidarbha in great happiness through the grace of Śrī Śaṅkara by the efficacy of the pradoṣa observance—thus is narrated. Description of the greatness of the pradoṣa observance and the worship of Śiva. 184. 2

3.3.23.9

8. Now, the description of the māhātmya of the Somapradoṣa vow; in that context, the narration of the story of Sīmantinī, the daughter of King Citravarman in Āryāvarta. There, after Sīmantinī heard separately from two brahmins skilled in palmistry, who had approached her father, about her future great fortune and her future widowhood, and out of fear of attaining widowhood, her seeking refuge with the great sage Yājñavalkya's wife named Maitreyī to hear the means for enhancing her marital auspiciousness; Maitreyī's teaching her the rite of worshipping Śiva and Gaurī on Mondays; then, the royal maiden Sīmantinī's undertaking of the Monday vow with all its parts according to the path instructed by Maitreyī; the marriage of Sīmantinī with Indrasena's son Citrāṅgada; then, while residing in his father-in-law's house, Citrāṅgada's boarding a boat at one time to cross the Yamunā river, and the sudden sinking of the boat in the middle of the current; the death of everyone aboard the boat; King Citravarman and others mourning upon learning of the prince Citrāṅgada's death through the sinking of the boat; thus Sīmantinī's falling into the state of widowhood; even though the state of widowhood had befallen her, Sīmantinī's performing the observance of the Monday vow duly for a period of three years; then, as Citrāṅgada was sinking lower and lower in the waters of the Yamunā, sporting Nāga maidens taking him to Takṣaka's city in Pātāla and reporting him to King Takṣaka; Takṣaka's hospitably welcoming Citrāṅgada and asking questions about his chosen deity; Citrāṅgada's declaration of his devotion to the Lord, the venerable Śaṅkara, as his chosen deity; hearing his words, the pleased Takṣaka's showing great honor to Citrāṅgada; then, hearing Citrāṅgada's petition to go to his own home, Takṣaka's gratifying him by feeding him with dishes made from the elixir of the wishing-tree of that place, giving him vast wealth, granting a rākṣasa and a serpent for assistance, providing him with a horse capable of going anywhere at will with unobstructed gait for a mount, endowing him with blessings, and giving Citrāṅgada permission to go to his own residence; then, Citrāṅgada bowing to King Takṣaka, receiving his permission, mounting the horse, taking the wealth, departing from Pātāla together with the rākṣasa and serpent given for assistance, swiftly emerging from the waters of the Yamunā, and riding the horse in recreation along the bank of the Yamunā; now at that very time, Sīmantinī, who had come to bathe in the Yamunā with her companions, seeing him; then, hearing Sīmantinī's story from the mouth of her companion, Citrāṅgada himself saying to Sīmantinī, 'Your husband has been seen by us; he will return to you very soon; compose your mind and do not grieve; we are gods known as Siddhas who travel at will,' and thus comforting her, Citrāṅgada departing for his father's city; there, hearing that his father Indrasena, whose son was lost, had been deposed from his royal position by his kinsmen, Citrāṅgada sending a message to the kinsmen through the Nāga youth to relinquish the royal office; hearing Citrāṅgada's message spoken by the Nāga youth, all the kinsmen returning the royal office to Indrasena, reporting the news of his son's arrival, begging forgiveness for their transgression, and appeasing him; then, Citrāṅgada going to his own palace and bowing to his parents; the parents attaining supreme joy upon recovering their son; then, King Indrasena sending a messenger to King Citravarman to convey the auspicious news of his son's safe return from Pātāla; hearing the news of his son-in-law's arrival from the mouth of the messenger, King Citravarman attaining supreme joy and auspiciousness; then, the king joyfully conveying the auspicious news of her husband to his daughter Sīmantinī; then, Citravarman summoning Indrasena's son Citrāṅgada, performing the wedding rites again in full detail, and giving his daughter Sīmantinī to Citrāṅgada with great ceremony; then, Citrāṅgada pleasing his wife with ornaments and other articles brought from Pātāla, taking her, arriving at his own city, and enjoying royal happiness with great joy; thus, the description of Citrāṅgada and Sīmantinī obtaining all desired happiness through the power of the vow of worshipping Śiva and Gaurī on Mondays. .... 187 2

3.3.23.10

9. Now, in the context of describing the efficacy of the Monday observance performed by Sīmantinī, the narration of the account of the two sons, named Sumedhas and Sāmavat, of two brahmins named Vedamitra and Sārasvata: / There, after completing the study of the sciences along with their auxiliary branches in the preceptor's home, the two brahmin sons, by their father's command, went before the ruler of Vidarbha to acquire wealth for their own marriages. / Then, having observed the two brahmin sons making their request and laughing slightly, the ruler of Vidarbha said: "Dress one of the two of you in a woman's attire, become a brahmin couple, receive Sīmantinī's hospitality, and come back to me; then I shall give you much wealth." When this was said, those two young brahmins, considering the king's command unavoidable, dressed Sāmavat in disguise as a woman and set out for the Naiṣadha country in the form of a brahmin couple. / And then, on a Monday, Sīmantinī performed worship of the male between the two with the mindset that he was Mahādeva, and of the woman with the mindset that she was Pārvatī. / For that brahmin son named Sāmavat, disguised in woman's attire and worshipped by Sīmantinī with the mindset that he was Pārvatī, femalehood was attained in reality at that very moment. / And then, when the two young brahmins had taken the jewels, garlands, garments, ornaments, and other gifts bestowed by Sīmantinī and departed, erotic longing arose in Sāmavat due to his transformation into a woman. / Then, she who had become Sāmavatī made a supplication to Sumedhas for erotic dalliance. / Then, in private, having observed by physical characteristics and actual form that his friend had attained femalehood, Sumedhas somehow consoled her with words of discernment as she begged for sexual union, took that Sāmavatī, brought her to his own home, and reported the entire story to his own father and to her father. / Then, distressed with grief, the two fathers took their two sons, went before the king of Vidarbha, and said to him: "Because of your fault, Sāmavat has attained femalehood." / Then, by the instruction of the sage Bharadvāja, so that the brahmin son might be relieved of femalehood and regain manhood, that king went together with the sage Bharadvāja and the two young brahmins to the abode of Ambikā and worshipped the glorious Mother of the Universe. / Thereupon, the pleased Mother of the Universe appeared, declared that what had been done by her devotee could not be undone, commanded that Sāmavatī should enjoy the pleasures of love as a wife with Sumedhas, and granted the boon that her father, the Sārasvata brahmin, would have a son endowed with even more virtues than the previous son. / Then, by that Sārasvata brahmin, his own child named Sāmavatī was given according to the rites of marriage to that Sumedhas. / The description of those two, Sumedhas and Sāmavatī, enjoying the pleasures of love while practicing the duties of householders; thus the narration of the glory of the devotion to Śiva performed by Sīmantinī. [Chapter] 191.

3.3.23.11

10. Now, in the context of describing the māhātmya of Śiva, the narrative of the brahmin named Mandara residing in the region of Avanti is described. There, because of that brahmin named Mandara being devoted to attachment to sensual pleasures, he continuously dwelled in the house of a courtesan named Piṅgalā. Then, once while that twice-born was dwelling in that courtesan's house, the arrival of a Śaiva ascetic named Ṛṣabha, whose self was righteousness, [occurred]. By both the brahmin Mandara and the courtesan Piṅgalā performing proper service for that ascetic Ṛṣabha, beginning with washing his feet and ending with massaging his feet, great satisfaction was produced [in him] for the duration of a single night. Then on the second day, that ascetic Ṛṣabha, who had arrived in the course of a pilgrimage, departed. Later, after the death of the brahmin Mandara in the course of time, his birth in the wife of King Vajrabāhu, the sovereign of Daśārṇa, [took place]. There, right at the stage of being in the womb, although poison was given in secret by the co-wives for the purpose of killing that king's wife, by the arrangement of destiny death did not occur; however, from the burning caused by the poison, extreme distress was obtained. Extreme distress was obtained by the burning caused by the poison in the young boy who was born to that king's wife. Seeing the extreme distress of both mother and child through the effect of the contact with poison, though medicine was administered through physicians by the king, seeing their indisposition, having resolved in his mind, "Surely these two have come from hell," he had them abandoned in a desolate wilderness by his chariot-driver in a chariot. Then, wandering in the forest with that infant boy, the king's wife, by the arrangement of destiny, went along a merchants' route found far away toward a city of vaiśyas. Then, through a female servant of the lord of that city, a vaiśya named Padmākara, upon recognizing that queen, she was brought to the presence of her master, the vaiśya Padmākara. Then, after the vaiśya Padmākara comforted that king's wife, he settled her with honor in his own house. Then, while that king's wife was living there in the vaiśya's house, by the turn of fate the death of that young boy occurred through an affliction of boils and other diseases. Then the king's wife wailed intensely. By the turn of fate on that very day, in the house of that very vaiśya Padmākara, the arrival of the previously mentioned Śaiva ascetic named Ṛṣabha took place in the course of a pilgrimage. That Śaiva ascetic Ṛṣabha, having received the worshipful reception done by the vaiśya, approached that king's wife who was grieving severely on account of the death of her son; and, having instructed her with the teaching of the supreme truth to practice devotion to Śiva, he approached that dead son of hers and revived his life-breath by means of sacred ash consecrated with Śiva mantras. Then, upon the boy being revived, extreme joy was obtained by the queen and by all the people. Then the Śaiva ascetic Ṛṣabha touched the bodies of both mother and son with sacred ash consecrated with Śiva mantras. Merely by the touch of that sacred ash, divine bodies were attained by both mother and son. Then the Śaiva ascetic Ṛṣabha gave that boy the name Bhadrāyus, described the future rise of fortune for both, ordered [them] to reside in the house of the vaiśya Padmākara until the acquisition of learning for the child, and departed for another place to continue his pilgrimage. 193 2.

3.3.23.12

11. Now, the description of the courtesan Piṅgalā's birth, through the power of her worship and reception of the Śaiva ascetic named Ṛṣabha who was a devotee of Śiva, in another birth as Sīmantinī, the queen of King Citrāṅgada; then the growth of Bhadrāyus in the house of the vaiśya Padmākara alongside the son of that vaiśya Padmākara, named Sunaya, with friendship from childhood, playing together and the like; then the vaiśya Padmākara having the sacred rites such as the investiture of the sacred thread performed for those two, the vaiśya youth and the prince, by brahmins, and bringing about their mastery of study; then, upon the prince Bhadrāyus reaching his sixteenth year, the arrival of that previously mentioned lord of ascetics Ṛṣabha near him; the bowing performed by the mother of Bhadrāyus along with her son to that ascetic Ṛṣabha and her prayer to instruct Bhadrāyus in the righteous path; then the Śaiva ascetic Ṛṣabha giving instruction in the eternal duty appropriate to caste and life-stage proclaimed in the Vedas, smṛtis, and Purāṇas to Prince Bhadrāyus; then his instructing in the service of glorious Śiva for liberation from all distress. 195 2.

3.3.23.13

12. Now, the illustrious Śaiva ascetic Ṛṣabha, having given instruction in the glorious Śivakavaca hymn that affords all protection, gave to that prince named Bhadrāyus a conch that grants victory and destroys all enemies, touched his body with sacred ash consecrated with Śiva mantras, bestowed upon him the strength of twelve thousand elephants, gave a sword that grants victory over enemies merely by its sight, instructed him on duties to be performed, directed him with words of auspicious blessing, and, having received worshipful reception from both of them, departed to his desired destination. 196 2.

3.3.23.14

13. Then, sometime after that, while that Bhadrāyus was practicing devotion to Śiva in a very short time, the king of Magadha, an enemy of his father named Vajrabāhu, the ruler of the Daśārṇa country, arrived for battle accompanied by a mighty army; then, the king of Magadha fought with the king of the Daśārṇa country, defeated him in battle, destroyed his entire army, brought the realm of the Daśārṇa country under his own control, bound him to a chariot, and departed toward his own country; thus, prince Bhadrāyus, residing in the merchants' city, heard from people's mouths the report of the devastation of his father's realm, mounted a horse with his companion Sunaya, the son of the merchant Padmākara, and with great speed saw the Daśārṇa country formerly protected by his father devastated by the soldiers of the enemy king, the lord of Magadha; then, overcome by anger, he immediately entered the enemy army, blew the conch of victory given by the Śiva yogin, raised the sword of victory, bewildered all the enemy hosts with a swoon, slew many enemies, freed his father who had been bound to a chariot by the enemies from his bonds, liberated all his father's wives who had fallen under enemy control, the wives and daughters of the townsfolk, and the cattle-wealth and so forth, consoled his father and all the others, and sent them to his own city; then, entering the enemy army, he seized all their wealth consisting of women, elephants, horses, chariots, male and female slaves, and so on, vanquished the lord of Magadha, bound him along with his ministers and retinue, and returned to his own city; then, without openly stating his own name and so forth, merely declaring himself to be the son of a kṣatriya, that Bhadrāyus offered salutations at his father's feet; then, after bowing to his father, Bhadrāyus returned to the merchants' city together with that merchant's son named Sunaya and reported the entire account of the battle and everything else to his mother and to that excellent merchant named Padmākara; then, on the second day, the previously mentioned Śiva yogin named Ṛṣabha approached King Citrāṅgada, otherwise called Candrāṅgada, and gave instruction and an order to Citrāṅgada to give his daughter in marriage to Prince Bhadrāyus; thereupon, upon the word of the yogin Ṛṣabha, King Citrāṅgada summoned Bhadrāyus, gave him his own daughter named Kīrtimālinī, and undertook the preparations to perform the marriage rites; then, he dispatched a messenger to the presence of his father Vajrabāhu and respectfully invited him to his son's wedding; Vajrabāhu arrived with his retinue there at the capital of the lord of Niṣadha; Bhadrāyus greeted his arrived father Vajrabāhu; nonetheless, as Vajrabāhu did not know his lineage and name, when he asked out of curiosity about Bhadrāyus, the lord of Niṣadha recounted his story to Vajrabāhu: 'This one, who was abandoned along with his mother in the forest by you, is your own son named Bhadrāyus'; upon that narration, Vajrabāhu, after reproaching himself with shame for his deed in abandoning his wife along with his son, experienced extreme joy at obtaining his own valiant son; then, accepting the honor and worship offered by King Citrāṅgada, taking his chief queen, who was Bhadrāyus's mother, and his son Bhadrāyus along with his daughter-in-law, Vajrabāhu returned to his own city with great celebration and joy together with his retinue; then, Bhadrāyus, having previously held the position of crown prince by his father's command, ruled over the entire circle of the earth after his father ascended to heaven; after ascending the throne, Bhadrāyus made an alliance of friendship and released from captivity the Magadhan king named Hemaratha, whom he had formerly imprisoned; then, Bhadrāyus ruled the kingdom enjoying pleasures together with his wife Kīrtimālinī; thus is the description of the efficacy of the worship and honor paid to the Śiva yogin in a past life. ..... ..... 198 1

3.3.23.15

14. Then, Bhadrāyus, who had attained the royal throne, once went to the forest with his wife and roamed about at will; at that very time in that forest, when a tiger pursued and harassed a certain brahmin couple, they cried out loudly in supplication to the king for their own protection; right then the tiger came and seized the brahmin's wife; though blows with weapons were struck against it by Bhadrāyus, all the weapons became useless; and when the brahmin's wife was carried off by the tiger, the brahmin, filled with grief, reviled the king; then King Bhadrāyus made manifold appeals to console that brahmin whose wife had been destroyed by the tiger; then the brahmin begged the king for the queen in order to appease the longing of his own desire; then Bhadrāyus, giving his own wife to that brahmin, kindled a fire, meditated on Śiva, and prepared to throw himself into the fire; at that very moment, that very Lord Śaṃkara, who had assumed the form of the brahmin in order to test his devotion, manifested in his own true form; Bhadrāyus uttered a praise to Lord Śaṃkara; pleased by that praise, the blessed Lord Śaṃkara granted a boon to Bhadrāyus along with his wife; description of Bhadrāyus's attainment of the enjoyment of royal pleasures through Śiva's grace; and in the end, having entrusted the kingdom to his sons, Bhadrāyus's attainment of union with Śiva; description of the attainment of the state of Śambhu by Bhadrāyus's father-in-law Citrāṅgada along with his wife Sīmantinī; thus is the description of the greatness of devotion to Śiva. ... ....... ..... 200 1

3.3.23.16

15. Now begins the description of the greatness of holy ash, and in that connection, the story of the Śiva-yogin named Vāmadeva. There, when that Śiva-yogin Vāmadeva was once roaming in the Krauñca forest, a brahmarākṣasa who came to devour him gripped him firmly with both arms; by the mere touch of his body, the [demon's] sins were instantly destroyed. Then, his mind filled with despondency at the memory of his past misdeeds, the brahmarākṣasa related to the Śiva-yogin Vāmadeva his evil deeds committed in his twenty-fifth past life, their fruition in the tortures of Yama, his attainment of the state of a brahmarākṣasa, and so forth. And then he asked Vāmadeva: 'By the mere touch of your body, memory of my past thousand births has arisen, and my mind has become exceedingly serene; so how did you attain such power?' Being thus questioned, the Śiva-yogin Vāmadeva stated, 'This is the power of the holy ash smeared on my body,' and described the efficacy of holy ash; and in that connection he related the story of how an ill-behaved brahmin residing in the Draviḍa country attained the world of Śiva by the mere touch of holy ash adhering to the foot of a dog whose paws were smeared with holy ash upon his corpse. Having thus heard the greatness of holy ash spoken by Vāmadeva, the brahmarākṣasa questioned Vāmadeva again in order to hear the greatness of holy ash in detail. [201.2]

3.3.23.17

16. Now, as Vāmadeva began to describe the greatness of holy ash in detail, the arrival of all the gods, headed by Śakra, before the venerable Maheśa on Mandara, king of mountains, is described. In that great festival, all the gods worshipped and praised the blessed Maheśvara, who was seated upon a jewelled throne. And then, the great seer Sanatkumāra, in the course of inquiring about dharma set forth in the Vedas and Śāstras, questioned the exceedingly gracious blessed lord Rudra out of a desire to know the rule for wearing the tripuṇḍra. Hearing that question posed by him, the blessed lord Rudra described in detail the greatness of wearing the tripuṇḍra of holy ash. [203.1]

3.3.23.18

17. Now, in connection with recounting the greatness of holy ash, the story of the Śabara is described: there, as Siṃhaketu, a prince of the Pāñcāla country, was once wandering in the forest for hunting, a Śabara, his follower who had gone along to assist him, saw a Śivaliṅga with a broken pedestal upon a sacrificial altar in the forest; taking it and approaching the prince, he asked him out of a desire to know the rite of worshipping the Śivaliṅga. Then, as a joke, the prince instructed him in the method of Śiva-worship with daily offerings of cremation ash and the like. That Śabara, having taken the liṅga to his house, devoutly brought cremation ash every day and worshipped the venerable Śaṃkara with the proper offerings according to the method spoken by the prince. Now once, being distressed because he could not obtain cremation ash for the Śiva-worship, his Śabarī wife consoled her husband, ignited their house with fire, and entered into it, burning her own body. Then, near his burnt house, with the cremation ash produced from the burning of his wife's body, the Śabara performed the complete worship of the venerable Śaṃkara; and at the conclusion of the worship, when he called out as usual to his Śabarī wife to receive the prasāda of the venerable Śiva, at that very moment she stood behind him as before, having returned as on every day; and his house too stood as before. Then, as he conversed with his wife in astonishment, a divine aerial chariot arrived; mounting that aerial chariot, the Śabara couple went to the world of Śiva and attained liberation through similarity of form with Śiva. Thus is described the greatness of steadfast faith. [204.2]

3.3.23.19

18. Now begins the description of the greatness of the Umāmaheśvara observance, which grants the attainment of all ends; and in that connection, the story of Śāradā, the daughter of a brahmin named Vedaratha living in the Ānarta country, is described. There, when her husband, the brahmin Padmanābha, died of a snakebite, Śāradā, having attained widowhood, resided in her father's house. Once, having approached the great seer named Naidhruva who had arrived at her father's house, when Śāradā bowed to that aged, blind sage Naidhruva, the sage gave her the auspicious blessing: 'May you be fortunate with your husband and possessed of sons!' Then, having learned the fact of her widowhood, the sage Naidhruva instructed that Śāradā in detail regarding the performance of the Umāmaheśvara observance for the sake of obtaining good fortune. Then that Śāradā undertook the Umāmaheśvara observance taught by the sage. Then her parents and relatives requested the great seer Naidhruva to stay until the proper completion of her observance, so as to destroy the sorrow of Śāradā's widowhood; and at their request, the great seer Naidhruva stayed right there in the hermitage until the proper completion of the observance performed by Śāradā. [206.1]

3.3.23.20

19. Now begins the account of Śāradā staying in the presence of her guru, the great seer Naidhruva, and observing the vow of Umā-Maheśvara according to rule for one year; then, at the end of the year, performing the concluding rite of that vow; on the night of the day of the concluding rite, that great seer Naidhruva, together with Śāradā, pleasing the Mother of the Universe by recitation, meditation, and austerities; on that occasion, through the power of their devotion, the manifestation of the Mother of the Universe; at that very moment, by the grace of the Mother of the Universe, the blind great seer Naidhruva obtaining two eyes; then, when praise of the Mother of the Universe was offered by the great seer Naidhruva together with Śāradā, the Mother of the Universe, being well pleased, at the request of the great seer Naidhruva, having described Śāradā's deeds in her previous life, granted the boon: 'She shall obtain the pleasure of sexual union with her husband in a dream'; and having commanded Śāradā: 'Give the son born of your own womb to the man who enjoyed pleasure [with you] in the dream whenever you see him in person,' she vanished; then that young girl Śāradā, being well pleased, worshipped and honoured her guru, the sage Naidhruva; then the sage Naidhruva, having secretly related the account of the Mother of the Universe granting the boon and other events to Śāradā's parents, took leave of all and departed for another country according to his wish; now Śāradā, by the grace of the Mother of the Universe, conceiving a child from having sexual intercourse with her husband in a dream; then, hearing that the widow Śāradā was pregnant, all the people censured her and assembled together to deliberate upon exiling her from her own village; while such wicked thoughts were being entertained by those people, a voice from the sky declared the faultlessness of that Śāradā; having heard that, all those men and women, being well pleased, joyfully learned the true account from Śāradā in private, praised her, and went to their respective homes; now the birth of a male child to Śāradā; after the initiation of that son of Śāradā named Śāradeya was performed by the guru, the description of his attaining mastery within merely four years after initiation over the four Vedas and the entire body of learning along with their auxiliary and secondary branches; now, on a certain great festival of Śiva, when the residents of that village set out on a pilgrimage to the sacred field of the great god Gokarṇeśvara, that Śāradā also went along with her son together with all those residents of her village; there Śāradā saw her husband, the brahmin of her previous birth who daily granted sexual pleasure in dreams; that man too saw in person that Śāradā who daily gave sexual pleasure in dreams, and that son born of himself whom he had seen in the dream; then that brahmin, with his mind overwhelmed by wonder, approached her and questioned Śāradā out of a desire to know her story; then Śāradā reported her entire story to him; then that brahmin, having taken the boy given by her and that Śāradā with the permission of her parents, went to his own home; then, after a lapse of time, following the death of that brahmin, Śāradā's following her husband onto the funeral pyre; then the departure of the married couple to the world of Śiva. Thus ends the description of the power of the Umā-Maheśvara vow. ... ... ... 207 2

3.3.23.21

20. Now begins the description of the māhātmya of rudrākṣa beads. In that context, on the occasion of describing the spiritual merit of wearing rudrākṣa beads, [there is an account of] the prince named Sudharman, son of King Bhadrasena of the country of Kāśmīra, and the minister's son named Tāraka, both of whom, from their childhood onward, lived in consummate friendship. Having witnessed in both of them an extraordinary love for wearing rudrākṣa beads to the constant exclusion of ornaments made of gold and gems, King Bhadrasena, filled with great wonder, once honored Sage Parāśara who had arrived at his palace according to the prescribed rites of worship, and inquired out of a desire to know the cause of those two boys' fond attachment to wearing rudrākṣa beads. Thereupon the great sage Parāśara described the account of the previous lives of the prince and the minister's son. In former times, in the house of a courtesan named Mahānandā—who dwelt in Nandigrāma, possessed immense opulence, and was constantly devoted to the worship of Sadāśiva—there lived a rooster and a monkey adorned with ear, arm, and crest ornaments made of rudrākṣa beads, who had attained mastery in the training in dance given daily by the courtesan and who used to dance daily in front of Śiva at the time of that courtesan's dance. Then, once, a certain vaiśya who observed the vow of Śiva and was a Śaiva ascetic arrived at her house. Seeing a celestial jewel-bracelet on his hand and desiring to obtain it, that courtesan, even though she was a professional courtesan, made a vow to that vaiśya: 'Having accepted the role of your wife for three days, I shall serve you in accordance with the duty of a lawful wife.' Hearing her words, that vaiśya, who was intent upon the vows of Śiva, said 'So be it,' placed in her hands a jeweled Śivaliṅga that was his object of daily worship, and commanded her to protect that liṅga with the utmost care, saying, 'If this jeweled Śivaliṅga is destroyed, it will be the end of my life.' Respecting that vaiśya's command, the courtesan Mahānandā took the liṅga given by him, set that liṅga atop a pillar of the dance pavilion, entered her house, and slept at night happily joined with that vaiśya upon the couch. Then at midnight, due to a fire that suddenly broke out, the entire dance pavilion of that courtesan burned down. At that moment, that courtesan, awakened immediately, went there swiftly and promptly freed from bondage that rooster and monkey who had been tied with a rope and a chain. Those two, the rooster and the monkey, having been freed, fled far away from that pavilion out of fear of the fire. When the whole pavilion burned, the pillar standing in the pavilion and the jeweled liṅga placed upon it, given by the vaiśya, broke into fragments from the burning. Seeing the destruction of that liṅga, that vaiśya resolved to die and commanded the courtesan Mahānandā to prepare a funeral pyre. Then, seeing that vaiśya's firm insistence, that courtesan constructed a pyre outside the village with pieces of wood. Then, when that pyre was ignited, that vaiśya, a devotee of Śiva, entered it. Seeing that vaiśya had entered the pyre, that courtesan Mahānandā, deeply grieving, in view of her vow of wifeliness for three nights, placed foremost the duty of a faithful wife, bestowed all her possessions upon the devotees of Śiva, circumambulated that fire three times, remembered Śiva, and prepared to enter that fire in order to follow her husband in death. At that moment, the Blessed Lord Śaṃkara manifested there in visible form, restrained her, declared that he had come in the form of a vaiśya to test her devotion, and led that courtesan Mahānandā, along with all the members of her household, to the world of Śiva. Of those remaining among the members of her household, that rooster and monkey who had been released from bondage at the time of the burning of the house and had fled far away, died in due course of time, and the monkey has now attained the state of the prince, while the rooster has attained the state of the minister's son—thus Parāśara related the account of the previous lives of the prince and the minister's son. ... 210

3.3.23.22

21. Now, when King Bhadrasena questioned the sage Parāśara regarding the future destiny of the prince, the sage Parāśara foretold the future, stating that on the seventh day from today, death would befall the prince named Sudharma; hearing this, [Parāśara] consoled the deeply grieved King Bhadrasena with words of wisdom and prescribed the performance of the recitation of the Rudrādhyāya to avert the death of that prince named Sudharma; then, at the king's request, as daily ceremonial baths were performed for the prince by that sage Parāśara together with brahmins endowed with vows, austerities, and virtuous conduct, accompanied by the recitation of the Rudrādhyāya, on the seventh day he suddenly fell into a swoon for a mere moment and then immediately regained consciousness; then that prince narrated the arrival of Death and of a messenger of Śiva during his state of swoon, and the defeat of Death wrought by Śiva's messenger; then Parāśara and all the other seers, bestowing blessings upon the prince, gave assurance of safety to his father, the king; then the king honoured all the brahmins by providing abundant food and other offerings; then, while King Bhadrasena was seated delightfully upon his throne together with his son and the great seers headed by the teacher Parāśara, the great yogin, the revered sage Nārada, arrived in his presence; then Nārada, having been honoured and worshipped by King Bhadrasena, described to the king: 'When Yama came here to take your son, Yama was chastised by Vīrabhadra, who was sent by Śaṃkara', along with the account of Yama's bowing, praising, and subsequent release by Vīrabhadra; and giving the blessing, 'By the power of the ceremonial bath accompanied by the recitation of the Rudrādhyāya, your son's fear of death has been dispelled; he will attain a lifespan of ten thousand years and all happiness,' Nārada departed; and the great seers headed by Parāśara, bestowing blessings upon the king and his son, departed to their respective hermitages; thus is described the efficacy of the Rudrādhyāya. ... 21

3.3.23.23

22. Now, the description of the rules and fruits of reciting and hearing the meritorious Purāṇic tales that establish the greatness of devotion to Śiva; in connection with describing the greatness of hearing the Purāṇa, the account of the vile brahmin named Vidura and his wife named Bindulā, who were engaged in adultery, is related: there, that vile brahmin named Vidura, addicted to a prostitute through adulterous deeds, one day saw his adulterous wife passionately engaged in lovemaking with a paramour—though she consorted daily with paramours—and struck her, saying, 'Give pleasure to lovers, take money from them, and give it to me to provide money for the courtesan; through that, I shall enjoy the courtesan, and you may enjoy lovers'; by this agreement, both vile persons engaged in misconduct daily; thus, after some time, upon the death of that vile brahmin, that woman named Bindulā, whose youth was somewhat past, went on a certain auspicious festive occasion with her sons born of paramours and her relatives on a pilgrimage to the sacred field of Gokarṇa; having gone there, while the Purāṇa was being recited by a Purāṇa reciter in a temple, Bindulā heard from the mouth of that Purāṇa reciter the account of the tortures of Yama: 'The servants of Yama thrust red-hot iron bars into the private parts of women addicted to lovers'; her heart burning with constant recollection of her own adulterous misdeeds, Bindulā approached that brahmin reciter of the Purāṇa in secret and inquired about the means to expiate her evil deeds; then that reciter of the Purāṇa, having consoled Bindulā—who was terrified of the fierce tortures of Yama merely by hearing the Purāṇa and remembering her grave sin of adultery—instructed her to hear the Purāṇic narratives establishing devotion to Śiva, accompanied by devotion to Śiva and the chanting of the name and mantras of Śiva; then Bindulā listened from that very Purāṇa reciter, her true guru, to the Purāṇic tales that increase devotion to Śiva; through the power of hearing the Purāṇa, when the impurities of rajas and tamas were gradually destroyed in Bindulā, the revered Śaṃkara entered her heart; then, following the path instructed by her guru, she practiced devotion to the revered Śaṃkara daily; through the power of devotion to the revered Śiva, having severed all bondage of karma, she went at the end of her life to the realm of Śiva; there in the realm of Śiva, when she approached the revered Pārvatī, Mother of the Universe, she was honoured by Pārvatī; then, having heard from Pārvatī of her husband's attainment of the state of a piśāca, she made a supplication to the gandharva named Tumburu to recite the Purāṇa to her husband who dwelt on the Vindhya mountain, for the sake of his liberation from the womb of a piśāca; Tumburu, besought by her, went to the Vindhya mountain and recited the story of the Lord of Gaurī to that piśāca, whereupon the description is given of how Bindulā's husband, who had become a piśāca, attained liberation from the state of a piśāca and, mounting an aerial chariot, went to the realm of Śiva; then is described how the couple attained absolute liberation through singing the auspicious virtues of the revered Maheśvara; and the conclusion of the Brāhmottarakhaṇḍa is narrated, accompanied by the description of the majesty of the holy legend of the Brāhmottarakhaṇḍa that establishes devotion to the revered Śiva. ... 22

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Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit