Skandapurana 4.12
English (machine translation) 4.12
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4.12.1
Śivaśarman said:
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"Tell in order of the worlds beginning with that of Nirṛti, O best of men,
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whose locks are grayed with pollen from the lotus feet of the Supreme Being!"
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The two attendants said:
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"Listen, O fortunate one, to the city beyond Saṃyaminī;
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it belongs to Nirṛti, regent of the direction, and is inhabited by holy beings and ogres.
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In it dwell rākṣasas who never harm others;
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they are ogres by birth alone, but holy folk by conduct.
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Treading the path of revelation taught by tradition, even among those born in lower castes,
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they never accept food or drink not prescribed by tradition.
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turned away from another's wife, another's wealth, and malice toward others,
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even though born in a degraded caste, pursuing merit;
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who maintain themselves with wealth gained through devotion to the twice-born,
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and whose limbs are always humbly drawn in when conversing with the twice-born and the like;
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who, when summoned, speak in the presence of the twice-born with their mouths covered by cloth,
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saying: "Hail! Long life, O lord! O master! O lord!"—
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always dedicated to ritual ablution at sacred fords, always devoted to God,
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always bowing before the twice-born after announcing their own names;
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self-control, charity, compassion, patience, purity, restraint of the senses,
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non-stealing, truth, and non-violence are the causes of righteousness for all.
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Wherever they are born, those who are always intent upon obligatory duties,
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endowed with all enjoyments, dwell here in the best of cities.
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Even barbarians who die at good sacred fords, not having killed themselves,
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excluding Kāśī, having attained nirvāṇa, end up as enjoyers here.
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Those people who take their own lives enter blinding darkness;
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having suffered a thousand hells, they become village pigs.
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Therefore, suicide should never be committed by a wise person;
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for suicides there is no good fortune, neither in this world nor in the next.
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Some teachers of ultimate truth speak of death at will
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at Prayāga, the king of all sacred fords, which grants every desire.
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Even those outcasts who follow the law of compassion
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and are devoted to helping others dwell here as the best of good people.
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We shall declare the nature of this guardian of the quarter; listen a moment:
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Formerly, in the middle of the Vindhya forest, there was a chief of people living in an encampment,
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a fierce chieftain of a tribal village, famed as Piṅgākṣa.
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He was a warrior on the bank of the Nirvindhyā, turned away from cruel deeds;
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even stationed afar, he would slay those who attacked wayfarers,
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and with effort he destroyed tigers and other harmful creatures.
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He lived by the hunter's way of life, yet even then he was full of compassion:
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he did not kill trusting birds or deer, nor those asleep, nor those mating,
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nor those thirsty for water, nor the young, nor those showing signs of pregnancy;
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he who knew righteousness, turning away from the [cruel] duty of his birth, did not slay them.
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To travelers exhausted by toil, he gave rest;
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he removed the hunger of the famished, and gave sandals to the unshod.
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He distributed very soft deer-skins to the naked;
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he escorted travelers along the road in the wilderness and the forest.
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He did not seek to take wealth from them, and he gave them safety, [saying:]
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"Until the Vindhya forest [is crossed], my name should be uttered to ward off the fear of evil men."
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He constantly looked upon all pilgrims as his own son;
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and at every sacred ford they truly blessed him.
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While Piṅgākṣa was thus stationed, that forest acted like a city;
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when he was on the road, no one with fear obstructed travelers.
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Once, by his paternal uncle who lived in a nearby village,
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a caravan of pilgrims with a great sound was heard, laden with goods.
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A greedy hunter, coveting their wealth, mean-spirited, set out to kill them;
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having gone ahead very secretly, he blocked the road.
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At that time, Piṅgākṣa, with all his attendants, had gone on a hunt;
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in that forest, he dwelt at night near their path.
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The desires of men who harm the lives of others can never succeed;
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this entire universe is skillfully protected by the Lord of the Universe.
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Therefore, a human being should never contemplate undesirable things,
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since only that which is ordained by destiny will happen; [wicked intention brings] only taint.
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Therefore, one who desires his own happiness should not dwell on the desirable or the undesirable;
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if one contemplates, then only the means to liberation should be contemplated, and nothing else.
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Then, when the night had dawned, a great tumult arose:
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"Strike! Strike down! Strip them bare quickly, O warriors!"
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"Do not kill! Protect [us], O warriors! We are pilgrims!
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Plunder without effort, and take whatever we have!
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We are helpless travelers, devoted to the Lord of the Universe!
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Protected are they—not far off, may another traveler provide protection!"
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"Relying upon Piṅgākṣa, we have no fear on this road;
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we always come and go, but he is far away from this forest." // 35
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Then, having heard what was said by the pilgrim, the warrior Piṅgākṣa,
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calling out from afar, "Fear not! Fear not!", arrived. // 36
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Drawn by the cords of his own karma, the Bhilla, who was dear to pilgrims,
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arrived there in an instant, as if [drawn by] the close of his lifespan. // 37
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"Who is this, who is this evil-doer who, while I, Piṅgākṣa, am alive,
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wishes to rob the travellers, who are as dear to me as the liṅga of my own life?" // 38
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Hearing this utterance of his, Tārākṣa, his paternal uncle,
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out of greed for wealth, sinful [as he was], plotted sin against Piṅgākṣa: // 39
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"Discarding the duty of the clan, this disgraced member of the family behaves [thus].
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I will without doubt slay him today, as I have long intended." // 40
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Having reflected thus, that evil-minded one angrily commanded his servants:
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"First slay him, and after that, these pilgrims!" // 41
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Then all those evil-doers fought with that single [warrior];
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and somehow he brought them near to his own dwelling. // 42
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"My bow and arrow are shattered indeed, and my armour is pierced by arrows;
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I would slay them if I were the master [of my body and weapons]." // 43
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Lamenting thus, he gave up his life for the sake of others;
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and those pilgrims reached his village, their fear departed. // 44
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Whatever one's state of mind may be at the time of death, the destiny corresponds to it;
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therefore, he attained the status of a guardian of the quarter, as the lord of the southwest (nairṛteśvara) in the southwest (nirṛti). // 45
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Thus his true nature has been declared to you by us two.
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To the north of this is this wondrous world of Varuṇa. // 46
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Makers of wells, step-wells, and ponds with pure wealth
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are honoured here in this world of Varuṇa, radiant as Varuṇa. // 47
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Those who give water in a waterless place, dispelling the distress of others,
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and who give variegated umbrellas and water-pots to supplicants; // 48
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those who set up water-booths provided with various utensils,
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and also give pots for merit filled with fragrant water; // 49
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those who water the sacred fig tree, planters of trees along the path,
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makers of rest houses, who dispel the weariness and burning heat of the fatigued; // 50
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those who dispel the heat of summer, and also fashioned from peacock feathers and the like,
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distribute variegated fans of palm-leaf at the onset of summer; // 51
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those who carefully bestow refreshing drinks, delicious, fragrant, and cool,
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during the summer seasons, for [their] satisfaction; // 52
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those who, having dedicated fields of sugarcane, give them to brahmins,
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and also various kinds of numerous sugarcane preparations; // 53
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givers of dairy products, and likewise givers of cows and she-buffaloes,
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makers of water-shower pavilions, and creators of shade pavilions; // 54
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those who donate water-dripping vessels with many streams in temples,
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or who abolish taxes at a sacred ford, or who sweep the path to a sacred ford; // 55
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those who grant fearlessness with raised hands to the terrified—
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they dwell fearless and shine in the world of Varuṇa. // 56
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Those virtuous ones who release from bonds those bound by the neck with nooses by evil-doers,
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dwell free from any fear in this world of the noose-handed [Varuṇa]. // 57
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Those who carry travellers across rivers and the like by means of boats and other means,
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carry them across the ocean of sorrow; there they become citizens [of that world], O twice-born. // 58
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Those who build bathing-stairs of stone and other materials on holy rivers and the like,
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for the sake of the ease and comfort of those seeking water, those men enjoy pleasures there. // 59
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Those virtuous persons who satisfy the thirsty with cool water,
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they indeed enjoy an uninterrupted stream of happiness here in the world of Varuṇa. // 60
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This Pracetas is the sole lord of all reservoirs of water,
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the master of aquatic creatures, and the witness to all deeds. // 61
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Hear the origin of this lord, the high-souled Varuṇa:
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There was an immeasurable-souled sage of the progenitor Kardama, // 62
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his son known as Śuciṣmān, adorned with modest conduct,
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beneficent, endowed with virtues such as steadfastness, gentleness, and courage. // 63
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He went to the Acchoda lake with [other] boys to bathe;
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and as he was absorbed in water sports, a crocodile seized him. // 64
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Then, when that sage's son had been carried off, announcing the disaster,
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those children came together and told it before his father.
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Seated in worship of Hara, his mind unwavering in absorption,
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even upon hearing of the boy's misfortune, his mind did not waver from Hara.
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All the more intensely he meditated upon the omniscient, three-eyed Lord,
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seeing in the presence of Śambhu the fourteen worlds,
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the manifold creatures that have come to be within the cosmic egg,
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the moon, sun, constellations, stars, mountains, rivers, and trees,
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oceans, islands, forests, and lakes,
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the various hosts of gods, and many cities of the celestials,
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step-wells, wells, ponds, canals, and numerous lotus pools.
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In a certain lake, [he saw] devoted to water-sports,
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many sons of sages, by plunging and surfacing,
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by spraying streams of water discharged with their hand-pumps,
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making the regions of the sky resound with the sound of water struck by hands—
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many boys thus engrossed in aquatic play.
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Among them, Kardama, remaining in deep absorption, then saw
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his own child, exceedingly distraught, being dragged away by a porpoise.
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Then, by a certain goddess of the waters, from that cruel aquatic beast,
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he saw him forcibly taken and delivered to the ocean.
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Having rebuked the lord of rivers, a certain figure bearing the form of Rudra,
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trident in hand, his face flushed red with wrath, said:
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"Why, O lord of waters, was the boy of a devotee of Śiva,
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[the child] of the wise and glorious Prajāpati Kardama,
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detained by you for long, unaware of the power of Śiva?"
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Terrified with fear upon hearing his words, that ocean,
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having adorned the boy with jewels and having bound that porpoise,
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brought him and surrendered him near Śambhu's lotus feet.
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Bowing down, he addressed Him: "I have not sinned, O omnipresent Lord,
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Lord of the universe, protector of the helpless, destroyer of distress for your devotees,
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O Śambhu, wish-fulfilling tree for devotees! By this wicked water-beast,
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and not by me, O Lord, was this child of your devotee brought here."
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Then, knowing the thought in Śambhu's mind, that attendant (gaṇa),
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having bound that water-beast with a cord, delivered it into the boy's hand.
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"Take this child of your own!" as the attendant said by the command of Śaṃkara,
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"Go to your own abode, child!"—that Kardama,
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the noble-minded one, hearing all this at the time of deep absorption,
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opened his eyes as soon as he released his contemplation,
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and as he looked around, he saw the child right before him,
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holding the porpoise, with adorned ear-ornaments at his side,
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the ends of his sidelocks wet with water, the corners of his eyes reddened,
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his skin slightly dry and irritated, his mind filled with agitation.
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Embracing him as he offered his salutation, smelling his lotus face,
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he thought of him as born anew, gazing at him again and again.
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Indeed, five hundred years passed for Kardama
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remaining in contemplation while worshipping Śambhu then.
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Yet Kardama perceived that span of time as having lasted only a moment,
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for Time has no power in the presence of Mahākāla.
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Then, having asked his father's permission and bowing down to him, the son
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went swiftly to the glorious city of Vārāṇasī for the sake of austerity.
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There, having performed fierce austerity and having installed a liṅga of Śambhu,
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he remained motionless as a stone for five thousand years.
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Then Mahādeva, pleased by his austerity, manifested Himself
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and said: "O son of Kardama, speak! What supreme boon shall I grant?"
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The son of Kardama said:
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"If, O Lord, You are pleased, You who are compassionate to devotees,
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grant me lordship over all waters and over aquatic creatures as well!"
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Having heard this, the great Lord, the master who grants whatever is desired,
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consecrated him there in the supreme status of Varuṇa,
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[lord] of jewels born of the ocean, of the oceans, and of the rivers.
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and of lakes, ponds, and the flowing waters of stepwells,
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and of all reservoirs of water, as well as of the western quarter,
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be the sovereign ruler, noose in hand, beloved of all the gods!
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I grant another boon as well, which will bring welfare to all:
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This liṅga installed by you shall be named after you;
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renowned as Varuṇeśa in Vārāṇasī, it will bestow great attainments.
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Situated in the south-western direction from the Maṇikarṇeśa liṅga,
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when worshipped, it continually destroys all dullness of men.
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Those who are devotees of Varuṇeśa have no fear of water anywhere,
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no fear of affliction, nor do they ever suffer an untimely death.
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Linked texts (1)
- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit