Skandapurana 3.3.5
English (machine translation) 3.3.5
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Sūta said:
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Śiva is the guru, Śiva is the god, Śiva is the kinsman of embodied beings.
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Śiva is the Self, Śiva is the individual soul; there is nothing other than Śiva.
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Whatever is given, whispered in prayer, offered into the fire, or performed with Śiva as the aim,
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is declared to yield boundless fruit; this is determined by all sacred traditions.
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A leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water offered with devotion to Śambhu,
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even if exceedingly small, leads to endless reward.
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Leaving aside all duties determined by all sacred traditions,
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whoever worships Śiva alone is freed from all bondage.
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Whatever affection one has for one's son, one's wife, or even for wealth,
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if directed towards the worship of Śiva, what wonder is there that it saves?
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Therefore, some great-souled persons abandon all worldly pleasures,
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and even their own body, though hard to abandon, for the sake of worshipping Śiva.
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That is a tongue which praises Śiva; that is a mind which meditates on Śiva;
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those are ears eager for his stories; those are hands that worship him;
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those are eyes that behold his worship; that is a head bowed down to Śiva;
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those are feet that constantly wander through a sacred field of Śiva with devotion.
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He whose senses are all engaged in deeds for Śiva,
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crosses over worldly existence and attains enjoyment and liberation.
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A mortal endowed with devotion to Śiva, even a cāṇḍāla or a pulkasa,
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a woman, a man, or a eunuch, is instantly freed from transmigratory existence.
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What is the use of noble birth? What of traditional observances? What of good character or virtue?
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One who possesses even a fraction of devotion to Śambhu is worthy of homage by all embodied beings.
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In Ujjayinī there was a king named Candrasena,
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born in human form like a second Indra.
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To Mahākāla, the supreme lord residing in that city,
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that Candrasena, the best of kings, rendered worship with devotion.
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That king had a friend, the foremost attendant of Śiva,
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named Maṇibhadra, who had conquered misfortune and was revered by all the worlds.
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Once, pleased with that ruler of the earth, the follower of Śaṃkara,
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the noble-minded Maṇibhadra gave him a divine wish-granting jewel.
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That jewel, blazing like the Kaustubha and resembling the sun,
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granted whatever was wished for to people when seen, heard of, or meditated upon.
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Touched by even a ray of its brilliance, bronze, copper, iron, tin,
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stone, or anything else, instantly turned to gold.
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Wearing that wish-granting jewel on his neck and seated upon the royal throne,
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the king shone like the sun itself in the midst of the gods.
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Hearing of that best of kings whose neck always bore the wish-granting jewel,
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all the kings, their greed inflamed, became agitated at heart.
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Some asked for it out of friendship, while some, blinded by pride, out of arrogance.
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The envious kings, unaware that the jewel was obtained from fate, (20)
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when the request of all the kings had been rendered futile by him,
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then the kings of all lands made preparations for battle. (21)
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The Saurāṣṭras, Kaikayas, Śālvas, Kaliṅgas, Śakas, Madrakas,
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Pāñcālas, Avantīs, Sauvīras, Māgadhas, Matsyas, and Sṛñjayas— (22)
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these and other kings, accompanied by horses, chariots, and elephants,
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made an effort with their might to conquer Candrasena in battle. (23)
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All of them, fiercely agitated and making the earth tremble,
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with numerous troops, blockaded the four gates of Ujjayinī. (24)
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Seeing his city besieged by the arrogant kings,
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Candrasena went to Mahākāla alone for refuge. (25)
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Free from doubts, without food, and firm of resolve,
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that king worshiped the lord of Gaurī day and night with undistracted mind. (26)
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Meanwhile, a certain cowherd woman living in that city,
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who had an only son, was without a husband, and was a long-time resident there, (27)
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that widow, carrying her five-year-old child,
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saw the great worship performed by the king for the husband of Girijā. (28)
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Having witnessed all that wondrous magnificence of the worship of Śiva,
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she bowed down and returned again to her own dwelling. (29)
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Having watched all this in its entirety, that cowherd's son,
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out of curiosity, performed a worship of Śiva that produces detachment. (30)
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Bringing an appealing stone into an empty, excellent tent
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not far from his own dwelling, he set up a Śiva-liṅga. (31)
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Whatever flowers were within reach of his hand,
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bringing them and bathing that liṅga, he worshiped it with devotion. (32)
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Fragrances, ornaments, garments, incense, lamps, unbroken rice, and the like—
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having arranged these with makeshift, wonderful [substitutes], he also offered food. (33)
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Having worshiped again and again with delightful leaves and flowers,
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and having performed various dances, he bowed down repeatedly. (34)
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While he was thus performing worship with a mind devoted solely to Śiva,
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the cowherd woman, out of affection, called her son for a meal. (35)
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Although called many times by his mother, his mind was attached to worship;
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the boy did not want food, and then the mother came herself. (36)
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Seeing him seated before Śiva with closed eyes,
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she dragged him by taking his hand and struck him in anger. (37)
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When her son did not come even though dragged or struck,
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she destroyed that worship, throwing the liṅga far away. (38)
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Reproaching her son who was crying out 'Alas, alas!',
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the cowherd woman, filled with wrath, entered her own house again. (39)
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Seeing the worship of the trident-bearing god destroyed by his mother,
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that boy cried out, 'O God of gods!', and fell down. (40)
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Having suddenly lost consciousness, flooded with a torrent of tears,
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he regained consciousness after a moment and opened his eyes. (41)
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Then, radiant with pillars of jewels, with golden doorways, door-leaves, and archways,
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having a dais of priceless sapphires and flawless diamonds—that very tent had become a temple of Śiva. (42)
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Charming with shining crystal palace floors, adorned with many colorful finials of refined gold,
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and delightful—in the middle of that splendid seat of Śiva's city, the boy beheld the liṅga together with jewels. (43)
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Seeing this and rising up suddenly, his mind was frightened and astonished,
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as if submerged out of satisfaction into an ocean of supreme bliss. (44)
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Recognizing through its power the māhātmya of the worship of Śiva,
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he bowed like a staff upon the ground for the pacification of his mother's sin: (45)
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“O God, forgive the transgression of my mother, O lord of Umā!
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Be gracious, O Śaṃkara, to the foolish woman who does not know you! (46)
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If there is in me any religious merit whatsoever arisen from devotion to you,
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through that too, O Śiva, may my mother attain your compassion!” (47)
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Having thus propitiated the mountain-dweller and bowed repeatedly,
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when the sun had set, the boy went out from the temple of Śiva. (48)
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Then he saw his own dwelling resembling the city of Purandara,
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instantly turned into gold, ablaze with wonderful opulence. (49)
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Entering inside the residence, rejoicing at the beginning of night, […]
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filled with heaps of great gems, radiant with piles of gold. (50)
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There he saw his mother, meditating, free from fear,
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resting upon a white bed on a couch of precious jewels; (51)
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her limbs shining with jewel ornaments, resplendent in celestial garments,
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endowed with divine marks, like an apsaras in bodily form. (52)
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With eyes wide with wonder, he quickly awakened her:
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"Mother, wake up! Blessings to you! Behold this great wonder!" (53)
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Thus awakened by her noble-minded son,
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smiling, radiant with a diadem, his mother then saw it. (54)
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Rising in astonishment, she looked all around.
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Looking upon herself as though unprecedented, and upon the boy as though unprecedented, (55)
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and seeing her own home transformed, she was overwhelmed with joy.
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Hearing from the son's mouth everything about the grace of Girijā's lord, (56)
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she reported it to the king, who constantly worshipped Śiva.
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The king, having completed his religious observances at night, arrived in haste; (57)
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he saw the marvelous power of the cowherd's son, born of Śiva's satisfaction:
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the golden temple of Śiva, and likewise the liṅga made of gems, (58)
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and the cowherd woman's home, shining with excellent rubies.
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Having seen everything, the king, together with his ministers and family priest, (59)
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his composure arrested in wonder for a moment, filled with supreme bliss,
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shed tears of love and embraced that boy. (60)
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Thus, through the narration of Śiva's glory in this exceedingly wondrous manner,
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and through the excitement of the citizens, that night passed like a single moment. (61)
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Then, at dawn, the kings who stood besieging the city for battle
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heard the supreme wonder from the mouths of their spies. (62)
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Immediately abandoning their enmity, greatly astonished,
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the kings laid down their weapons and entered, welcomed by Candrasena. (63)
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Entering that delightful city and bowing before Mahākāla,
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all the kings went to the house of that cowherd woman. (64)
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Going out to meet them, Candrasena honored them there;
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seated on costly seats, they rejoiced with affection, filled with wonder. (65)
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Beholding the temple of Śiva that had appeared for the grace of the cowherd's son,
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and the immense liṅga, they directed their highest devotion to Śiva. (66)
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Delighted, all those kings gave to that cowherd boy
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garments, gold, gems, wealth such as cows and buffaloes, (67)
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elephants, horses, golden chariots, parasols, vehicles, and attendants;
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seeking the grace of Śiva, they gave many male and female servants. (68)
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All the cowherds who lived in great numbers in all the regions—
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all the kings made him alone the king over them. (69)
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Then, in the meantime, worshipped by all the thirty gods,
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the radiant Hanūmān, lord of the monkeys, manifested himself. (70)
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Merely upon his arrival, the kings, struck with reverence,
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rose up and bowed down, their bodies bent low in devotion. (71)
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Seated in their midst and worshipped, the lord of the monkeys,
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embracing the cowherd's son, looked toward the kings and said: (72)
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"Listen, all of you—kings and whatever embodied beings are here! Blessings to you!
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There is no other refuge for embodied beings than the worship of Śiva. (73)
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By good fortune, on a Saturday at twilight (pradoṣa), this cowherd's son,
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even without mantras, having worshipped Śiva, attained auspiciousness (śiva). (74)
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This pradoṣa on a Saturday is rare to attain for all embodied beings;
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even rarer is it when it falls in the dark fortnight. (75)
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He is the most virtuous in the world, the enhancer of the cowherds' fame.
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In his lineage, the eighth descendant will be of great renown, named Nanda;
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Nārāyaṇa himself, Kṛṣṇa, will become his son. (76)
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From this day forward, in this world, this son of the cowherd
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shall attain lofty fame in the world by the name of Śrīkara. (77)"
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Sūta said:
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Having spoken thus, Añjanā's son [Hanūmān], having instructed that cowherd boy
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in the righteous conduct of Śiva, vanished right there. (78)
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And all those kings, delighted and mutually honored,
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took leave of Candrasena and departed whence they had come.
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Śrīkara too, of great splendor, instructed by Hanūmat,
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worshiped Śambhu together with brahmins knowledgeable in dharma.
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In the course of time, that Śrīkara and King Candrasena,
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having worshiped Śiva with devotion, attained the supreme abode.
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This supreme secret, purifying, bringing renown, holy, and increasing great prosperity,
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this narrative has been recounted, destroying heaps of sins and increasing devotion to the lotus feet of the Lord of Gaurī.
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Thus ends the fifth chapter, titled "The Description of the Deeds of the Cowherd Boy," in the Brahmottara section of the third [part] of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, in the collection of eighty-one thousand [verses].
Linked texts (1)
- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit