Skandapurana 4.32

English (machine translation) 4.32

Language: English

4.32.1

Agastya said:

4.32.2

O peacock-rider, explain the origin of Harikeśa.

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Who was he? Whose son was this illustrious one? Of what sort was his great austerity?

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And how did he attain dearness to the god of gods?

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Or how did he become a benefactor of the dwellers in Kāśī, and the Chief of the Rod?

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I wish to hear this; grant me your grace, O Lord!

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And how did this wise one attain the state of the giver of food?

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How are both Saṃbhrama and Vibhrama his followers,

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always causing delusion to men who are enemies of the sacred field?

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Skanda said:

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Properly have you asked, O jar-born one, O brahmin seer,

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the story of Daṇḍapāṇi, which brings welfare to the residents of Kāśī,

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hearing which, O wise one, a man attains without obstacle

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that fruit of dwelling in Kāśī, through the grace of the Sustainer of the Universe.

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On Mount Gandhamādana, there was of old a highly righteous yakṣa

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renowned as Ratnabhadra, possessed of the splendour of a hundred thousand virtuous deeds.

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Having obtained a son, Pūrṇabhadra, he was one whose wishes were fulfilled.

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Having reached the final stage of life and enjoyed numerous worldly pleasures,

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casting off the earthly body through Śāmbhava yoga,

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having calmed all objects of the senses, he attained the tranquil [abode of] Śiva.

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When his father had passed away, then the highly renowned Pūrṇabhadra,

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enjoying the worldly experiences and wealth acquired through good deeds,

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obtained all desires, except the sole means to heaven,

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the great, wholesome, ancestral ornament of the householder's stage of life—

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offspring, a spray of nectar for the limbs tormented by the heat of saṃsāra,

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a boat for those falling into the great ocean of many afflictions.

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Then Pūrṇabhadra, seeing his palace, beautiful in every way,

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destitute of auspiciousness because it lacked the tender prattle of a child,

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empty like the heart of a poor man, or like a decayed forest,

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like a wilderness to a traveller, was extremely distressed at being childless.

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Then, having summoned his wife, Kanakakuṇḍalā,

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that yakṣa Pūrṇabhadra spoke to that excellent yakṣiṇī, O jar-born one:

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"A palace does not give pleasure, O beloved, though beautiful like the surface of a mirror,

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charming with latticed windows of pearl, having a courtyard of moonstone,

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whose attics are adorned with the lustre of rubies and sapphires, echoing [with sounds],

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abounding in the beauty of coral pillars, possessing gleaming crystal walls,

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with a multitude of fluttering banners, garlanded with gems and rubies,

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delightful with the abundant fragrance of the great incense of black agallochum,

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furnished with priceless seats, adorned with lovely couches,

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endowed with charming bolted door-leaves, its pavilions covered with fine silk,

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rich in delightful pleasure-chambers, resplendent with rows of horses,

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crowded with hundreds of male and female servants, ringing with the sound of tinkling bells,

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filled with the calls of peacocks eager for the sound of anklets,

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with flocks of cooing pigeons, and excellent conversations of venerable maina birds,

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with sporting pairs of swans, possessing the splendour of jīvañjīvaka birds—

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resounding with the sweet humming of bees attracted by garlands,

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fanned by breezes kindred to the fragrance of camphor and musk,

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where pomegranates of ruby were seized by the fangs of pet monkeys,

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and pearls were snatched by the beaks of parrots mistaking them for pomegranate seeds,

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abounding in wealth and grain, like a second abode of Padmā,

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and filled with the fragrance of lotuses. Yet, O dear one, without an embodiment of our lineage,

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how can I look upon an infant's face, O Kanakakuṇḍalā?

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If there is any means, speak of it; fie upon the life of a sonless man!

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Bereft of an offspring, this house appears entirely empty.

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Fie upon the beauty of this mansion; fie upon this accumulation of wealth;

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and fie upon our life without an offspring, O dearest!

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To her beloved who was thus lamenting aloud, Kanakakuṇḍalā,

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that faithful yakṣiṇī wife, sighing inwardly, spoke:

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Kanakakuṇḍalā said:

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Why are you dejected, beloved, when you are a man of wisdom?

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There is indeed a means to obtain offspring here; listen with confidence.

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What is difficult to attain in the moving and unmoving world for men endowed with effort?

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For those whose intellect is dedicated to Īśvara, their desires manifest right before them.

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Cowards repeatedly proclaim fate to be the cause, O husband;

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that fate is nothing other than deeds performed by oneself in the past.

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Therefore, taking resort to human effort for the pacification of that past karma,

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one should take refuge in Īśvara, the cause of all causes.

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Offspring, wealth, wives, necklaces, mansions, horses, and elephants,

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pleasures, heaven, and liberation are not far off through devotion to Śiva.

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For one who practices devotion to Śambhu, O dear one, all desires

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and the eight supernatural powers attend at the door of his house; of this there is no doubt.

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Even the blessed lord Nārāyaṇa, the inner Self and protector of the universe,

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became the preserver of moving and unmoving beings through the worship of Śrīkaṇṭha.

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The role of creator was granted to Brahmā by that very Śambhu;

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Indra and the other world-guardians attained their stations through Śambhu's grace.

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Even the childless Śilāda obtained a death-conquering son;

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even Śvetaketu regained his life from the noose of Death.

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Upamanyu attained the sovereignty over the Ocean of Milk;

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even Andhaka became Bhṛṅgin, exalted to the rank of leader of the gaṇas.

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Dadhīca defeated the wielder of the Śārṅga bow in battle through the worship of Śambhu;

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Dakṣa attained the status of lord of creatures by propitiating Śaṃkara.

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Whatever is beyond the reach of desires and unapproachable by speech,

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Mṛḍa can bring that state within the realm of perception in an instant.

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Without worshipping the great Lord, the giver of everything to all embodied beings,

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no one anywhere can obtain anything in this world; this is certain.

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Therefore, with every effort, go for refuge to Śaṃkara,

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if you desire a dear son who is a benefactor to all people.

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Hearing this speech of his wife, Pūrṇabhadra, the king of yakṣas,

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skilled in music, worshipped glorious Mahādeva with the art of singing.

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In only a few days, his wish fully granted,

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firm in his vow, he obtained his longing for a son with that wife.

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Having worshipped Nādeśvara, by whom indeed has one's heart's desire not been obtained?

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Therefore, in Kāśī, Nādeśvara should be worshipped diligently by men.

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Then, pregnant in due time, his wife gave birth to a son.

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His father gave him the name Harikeśa, O twice-born one.

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Then, beholding the face of his son, he gave immense gifts out of affection.

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Pūrṇabhadra, O Agastya, and Kanakakuṇḍalā rejoiced.

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The child, whose face was like the full moon and who resembled the god of love,

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grew with every moment, like the moon, the king of stars, during the bright fortnight.

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When the child Harikeśa was about eight years of age,

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from that time onward he constantly thought only of Śiva.

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Even while absorbed in playing in the dust, he would fashion a liṅga of sand,

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and eagerly worship it with green, tender grass.

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He would call all his friends by names of Śiva:

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"Candraśekhara! Bhūteśa! Mṛtyuṃjaya! Mṛḍeśvara!"

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"O Dhūrjaṭi, O Khaṇḍaparaśu, O Lord of Mṛḍānī, O three-eyed one,

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O Bharga, O Śambhu, O Paśupati, O Pināka-bearer, O fierce one, O Śaṃkara,

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O Śrīkaṇṭha, O Nīlakaṇṭha, O Lord, O enemy of Smara, O Lord of Pārvatī,

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O bearer of the skull, O three-eyed one on the forehead, O spear-in-hand, O Maheśvara,

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O clad in skin, O space-clad, O hair wet with the celestial river,

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O Virūpākṣa, O clad in serpents!"—reciting this string of names,

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he constantly summoned his peers in this manner, fondling them.

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His two ears would receive no other name except Hara.

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His feet moved nowhere else except to the courtyard of Bhūteśvara;

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his two discerning eyes [refused] to look upon any other form.

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His tongue would savor only the nectar of the syllables of Hara's name;

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his nose would take delight in nothing other than the fragrance of Śiva's lotus feet.

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His two hands were occupied only in rites for Him; his mind thought of nothing else.

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All drinks, having been offered to Śiva, were drunk by him with pure intellect;

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all foods were eaten only after being presented before the three-eyed Lord.

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In all states and everywhere, he would see nothing without Śiva.

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Walking, singing, sleeping, standing, lying down, eating, and even drinking,

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he looked upon the three-eyed Lord all around; he recognized no other condition of being.

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Even while asleep at night, repeatedly saying, "Where are you going?

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O three-eyed Lord, wait a moment!", that boy would awaken.

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Seeing such obvious behavior of Harikeśa, his father

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then instructed his son: "Devote yourself to household duties!

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These horses, my child, are yours, and these colts;

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these are manifold garments and these fine silk cloths;

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these are jewels purified from the mine, of many diverse kinds;

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this is base metal of many varieties, and immense herds of cattle;

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these are precious vessels made of silver and bronze;

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these are trade goods produced in various lands;

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these are manifold fly-whisks, and fragrant substances of many kinds;

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these and many other things, and abundant heaps of grain:

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all this collection of wealth around us is yours.

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Learn all the arts of acquiring wealth, my son!

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Abandon these practices of beggars who are smeared with dust!

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Having learned all sciences and having enjoyed the finest pleasures,

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and then having reached that final stage of life, practice devotion!"

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Though repeatedly instructed in this way by his father, disregarding the elder's words,

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and once observing his father's angry gaze,

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the noble-minded Harikeśa left home in fear.

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Then he fell into deep anxiety, and even became disoriented in all directions:

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"Alas! Out of childish foolishness, why did I leave home?

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Where shall I go? Where remaining, O Śambhu, will my welfare be secured?

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I have been driven away by my father, and I know nothing at all."

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[Then he reflected:] "Thus was clearly heard by me previously, as I sat on my father's lap,

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from the speech of someone speaking before my father: