Skandapurana 4.1

English (machine translation) 4.1

Language: English

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We venerate that great lord, the beloved child of Maheśāna,

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Gaṇeśa, whose face is like the leader of elephants, free from all affliction. (1)

Though standing on earth, it is not part of this world; though situated below, it is higher than heaven; / though bound to the earth, it grants liberation; and creatures who die in it become immortal.

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It is constantly served by the gods on the bank of the river that purifies the three worlds: / may that Kāśī, the royal city of Tripura's foe, protect the universe from calamity! (2)

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Homage to that Maheśa, on the pretext of the three twilights,

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before whom the lords of the three worlds constantly come and go. (3)

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The author of the eighteen Purāṇas, the son of Satyavatī,

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narrated this tale that removes sin before Sūta. (4)

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Glorious Vyāsa said:

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Once the illustrious Nārada, having bathed in the waters of the glorious Narmadā

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and worshiped the glorious Oṃkāra, who gives everything to all embodied beings, (5)

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as he walked, beheld before him the Vindhya mountain,

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which removes the distress of worldly existence and is adorned by the waters of the Revā, (6)

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making this earth—both in its stationary form and its moving form—

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truly merit its name of 'possessor of wealth' (vasumatī) by virtue of its abundant splendor: (7)

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an abode of sweetness with mango trees, dispelling sorrow with aśoka trees,

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adorned everywhere with palmyra, tamāla, hintāla, and sāla trees; (8)

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resembling an aerial city with its betel-nut trees, truly blessed with bilva fruits,

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endowed with great beauty by its agallochum trees, tawny like monkeys with monkey-fruit trees; (9)

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charming with lakuca fruits resembling the breasts of the forest's beauty,

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illuminated by plantain trees providing fruits sweet as nectar; (10)

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displaying beauty like a courtly pavilion with vibrant orange trees,

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abundantly filled with reeds, lemons, and pomegranates; (11)

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where the wind-swayed kaṅkola vines seemed to dance a hallīsaka dance,

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a veritable abode of playful dancing with the delicate grace of lavalī creepers; (12)

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as if beckoning weary travelers to rest

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by gestures of gently swaying leaves of camphor-banana plants; (13)

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as if, like an eminent man, with sprout-like fingers of punnāga branches

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gently touching the breast-like cluster of trembling jasmine flowers; (14)

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revealing its impassioned heart with split pomegranates,

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as if embracing the mādhavī creeper in the form of a husband in the woods; (15)

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with sky-reaching cluster fig trees garlanded with countless fruits,

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resembling the serpent Ananta bearing millions of cosmic eggs on every side; (16)

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covered with jackfruit trees resembling forest snouts, parrot-beaked trees, and palāśa trees,

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as if shedding their leaves out of sympathy for separated lovers starved of food; (17)

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as if bristling with goosebumps upon seeing the nīpa trees that rival the kadamba...

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shining on all sides with clusters of kadamba trees,

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adorned with nameru trees like the high peaks of Meru,

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and with rājādana and madana trees, as if with the dwellings of lovers,

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covered on every slope with lofty cloth-like tents formed by dense banyan trees,

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resplendent with clusters of kuṭaja blossoms, as if occupied by herons,

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with karamarda, karīra, karaja, and karambaka plants,

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shining like the thousand-rayed [sun] with its hands extended toward suppliants,

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as if lustrated with lamps by blazing campaka buds,

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and surpassing the beauty of lotus ponds with flowering silk-cotton trees,

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in some places with tall pīpal trees, in others with golden ketaka blossoms,

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and adorned here and there with kṛtamāla and naktamāla trees,

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beautified with karkandhu, bandhujīva, and putrajīva trees,

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with tinduka, ingudī, and karuṇa trees—an abode of compassion— / as if constantly worshipping Hara, who bears the form of the earth,

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with pearls dropped from his own hands in the form of falling madhūka blossoms,

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as if fanned by fans with sarja, arjuna, añjana, and bījaka trees,

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as if holding up an umbrella in the sky with coconut and date palms,

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with abundant neem trees, with mandāras and kovidāras,

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with pāṭalā, tamarind, ghoṇṭā, śākhoṭa, and karahāṭaka trees,

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with tall śehuṇḍas, castors, and guḍapuṣpas,

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and with bakula and tilaka trees, its summit marked as if with a sectarian mark,

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with akṣa, plakṣa, and śallakī trees, and with deodar and pine trees,

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resplendent with trees and creepers that are ever fruit-bearing and ever flowering,

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covered with groves of cardamom, cloves, black pepper, and kulañjana,

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extolled for its rose-apples, hog-plums, marking-nuts, śelu, and śrīparṇī trees,

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delightful with woods of teak and sandalwood, with white sandalwood and red sandalwood,

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adorned with groves of myrobalan, karṇikāra, and āmlakī,

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overspread with hundreds of grapevines, betel vines, and long-pepper creepers,

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fragrant with jasmine, yūthikā, kunda, and madayantī,

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adorned with mālatī flowers having swarms of bees hovering about,

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like Kṛṣṇa who came under the guise of a black bee to sport many times with the gopīs,

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crowded with various herds of wild beasts, resonant with diverse birds,

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surrounded everywhere by varied rivers, lakes, streams, and ponds,

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inhabited by hosts of various gods who, having abandoned the celestial realms of meager splendour,

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had come, as it were, out of a desire for all-around enjoyment,

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as if offering water of welcome on all sides with leaves and flowers,

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and greeting him from afar, as it were, with the cries of peacocks.

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Then, having seen Nārada, who possessed the splendor of a hundred suns / and illuminated the sky in the firmament,

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the mountain went forward from afar to meet him.

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The darkness in his caves was dispelled by the radiance of the son of Brahmā's body;

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seeing him approach, he cast away the darkness of his mind.

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His trepidation was born from Brahmā's radiance; he offered virtuous hospitality:

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though hard, he cast off [hardness] and truly assumed softness.

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Seeing his softness, despite his double nature, Nārada

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rejoiced exceedingly; the minds of the virtuous are won over by humble deference.

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Seeing one come to his home, whether a venerable elder or not an elder,

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he who, not being heavy, displays humility is truly great; the heavy one is not great.

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Toward him, though his peak was high, he lowered his neck,

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and the mountain, touching the earth with his head, bowed to the great sage.

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Raising him up with both hands and greeting him with blessings,

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[Nārada] sat upon the seat indicated by him, exalted even beyond the mind.

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With curd, honey, clarified butter, water, unbroken wet barley grains, and dūrvā grass,

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with sesamum, kuśa grass, and blossoms, he worshipped him with the eightfold offering of water.

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Having received the offering of water, seeing that he was tired, [and making him] relieved of fatigue / by massaging his feet and other services,

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the mountain, bowing low, then spoke:

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“Today, in an instant, the dust [of my passion] has been removed by the dust of your feet,

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and internal darkness too has been swiftly removed by the splendor clinging to your body.

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Today my prosperity has borne fruit, and today is an auspicious day for me, O sage;

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today fruit has been borne by the meritorious deeds performed and accumulated by me long ago.

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Today my status as a mountain will become respected by the wielder of the thunderbolt.”

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Hearing this, the sage then paused a little, drawing a deep breath.

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Again the best of mountains spoke, his mind seized by agitation:

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“O brahmin, skilled in every matter, tell me the cause of your sigh. / 49

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Is there anything desired in the three worlds that has not been seen by you?

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If you have compassion for me here, let it be told; I bow to you. / 4.1.1.50

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My difficult roaring [is quieted] by the masses of joy born of your arrival;

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it is not enough to speak repeatedly, yet I shall say one thing. / 51

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The capacity to bear the earth in Meru and the rest is praised by ancient men

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collectively; but I bear the earth all alone. / 52

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Himavān, because of Gaurī's fatherhood, because of being the lord of mountains,

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and through his kinship with Paśupati, is the only one respected by the good. / 53

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Meru is considered worthy of respect somewhere in my opinion, because he is filled with gold, or because his peaks are jewels,

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or even because he is the abode of the gods. / 54

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Are there not more than a hundred mountains whose sport is sustaining the earth?

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Here they are respected by the good, but they are respected only in their own lands. / 55

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Udaya is sustained merely by the mercy of the rising [sun], because of doubt concerning the bodies of the Mandehas;

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Niṣadha does not bear medicinal herbs, and Asta too has its light extinguished. / 56

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Nīla is a dwelling of indigo; Mandara has dim eyes;

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Malaya is filled with impurity, an abode of snakes; Raivata does not understand wealth. / 57

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Those beginning with Hemakūṭa and Trikūṭa have the word kūṭa ['falsehood' or 'peak'] at the end;

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those beginning with Kiṣkindha, Krauñca, and Sahya are unable to endure the burden of the earth. / 58 /”

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Hearing these words of Vindhya, Nārada thought in his heart:

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“Contact with enormous pride does not lead to greatness. / 59

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Are there not mountains here possessing spotless splendor, beginning with Śrīśaila,

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the mere sight of whose peaks leads to the liberation of the good? / 4.1.1.60

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Having reflected, 'Today his strength must be seen,' the sage said:

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“Indeed, what you have spoken is true as you disclose the strength of the mountains. / 61

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Yet among the mountains, Meru, the lord of mountains, despises you.

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It was this that I sighed about, and now it has been disclosed to you. / 62

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Or rather, what concern is this to great-souled persons like me?”

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Saying, “May it be well with you,” he went along the path of the sky. / 63

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When the sage had gone, with an exceedingly agitated mind he blamed himself;

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Vindhya, his desires rendered futile, fell into great anxiety. / 64

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Vindhya said:

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“Fie on the life of one devoid of the arts and sciences! Fie on the life of one devoid of exertion!

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Fie on the life of one defeated by a kinsman! Fie on the life of one whose desires are frustrated! / 65

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How does he eat by day, alas, how does he sleep at night?

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How can there be secret joy for him whose humiliation comes from an enemy? / 66

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Ah, the scorching heat of a forest fire does not torment me so

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as the continuous burning of anxiety torments my mind! / 67

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It was rightly said by the knowers of antiquity: the form of anxiety is very cruel;

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it is not alleviated by medicines, nor by fasting, nor by any other means. / 68

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The fever of anxiety steals away men's hunger, sleep, and strength,

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their beauty, enthusiasm, intellect, fortune, and life, without a doubt. / 69

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When six days have passed, a fever here is called a chronic fever;

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this fierce fever of anxiety becomes fresh day after day. / 4.1.1.70

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The blessed Dhanvantari is not here, nor does Caraka wander here;

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even the two Nāsatyas are not effective here against this fever of anxiety. / 71

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What shall I do? Where shall I go? How shall I conquer Meru?

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Shall I leap up and fall upon his head? I cannot fall [upon it] from here. / 72

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Formerly, when someone of our lineage angered Śakra,

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he was stripped of wings; fie on the exertion of one who is wingless! / 73

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Or else, how can that Meru rival me so proudly?

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Those who bear the burden of the earth generally become the grounds of delusion. / 74

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Or how could falsehood be imagined in Nārada,

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a celibate student, a knower of the Vedas, a resident of Satyaloka? / 75

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Is deliberation on what is proper and improper suitable for someone like me?

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The mind of those powerless in acts of valor plunges into deliberation. / 76

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Or rather, what is the use of these futile anxieties? To the Creator of the universe,

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the Lord of the Universe, I shall go for refuge; he will grant me wisdom. / 77

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For Viśvanātha is praised as the protector of all the lordless.

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Having reflected in his mind for a moment: "It must doubtlessly be so.

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I shall do just this; delay of time is not desirable.

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A rival and a disease that are growing must not be neglected by the wise.

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The sun circumambulates Meru daily indeed,

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together with the host of planets and lunar mansions, surely considering him superior in strength."

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Having so resolved, the Vindhya mountain, his sight set on battle, grew tall

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with peaks that seemed to reach the very end of the boundless sky.

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Hostility should never be engaged with anyone, by any person anywhere;

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but if it must be done, [it should be done] with effort, so that people do not mock.

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Having blocked the sun’s path, the king of mountains felt as though he had achieved his purpose;

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he remained at ease, for the future of living beings is subject to fate.

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[He thought:] "Whomsoever this creator of restraint curbs today, he will proceed southwards.

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He of noble birth, he of fortune, he who is great—he too is honored.

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As long as one, though capable, never displays his own power,

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so long can he be transgressed by all, like fire concealed in wood."

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Thus abandoning the great burden of worry, firm in his enterprise, he stood

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awaiting the rising of the sun, like a brahmin.

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Thus ends the first chapter, named 'The Growth of Vindhya', in the first half of the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skandapurāṇa, the Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses. // 1

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit