Skandapurana 3.3.23.6

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