Skandapurana 4.49

English (machine translation) 4.49

Language: English

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O sage Vyāsa, son of Parāśara, when Kumāra spoke this story

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to the pitcher-born [Agastya], where was the daughter of Drupada then? // 1

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The Purāṇa compilation, O Sūta, recounts stories of past, present, and future;

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no doubt should be raised here, since everything is within its scope. // 2

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Listen, O sage! Formerly, the five-faced Hara himself,

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for the welfare of the world, manifested on earth by dividing into five forms. // 3

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Umā too, the maintainer of the world, as king Drupada

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was sacrificing, manifested from the fire altar as a beautiful woman. // 4

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All five sons of Pāṇḍu, bearing the very bodies of Rudra,

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descended here from heaven, bringing about the destruction of the wicked. // 5

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Nārāyaṇa too, attaining the state of Kṛṣṇa, accompanied them,

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quelling the conduct of the arrogant, establishing the ways of the virtuous. // 6

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Blazing upon the earth, those sons of Pṛthā wandered individually

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through the rise and fall of both good fortune and adversity. // 7

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Once, those great heroes, having met with great misfortune

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brought about by their cousins, became forest-dwellers. // 8

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Pāñcālī too, their slender-bodied wife, knowing righteousness, tormented by her husbands' plight,

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having arrived [there], worshipped the sun-god intensely. // 9

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Then Savitṛ, worshipped by that daughter of Drupada,

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gave her an inexhaustible cooking vessel, along with a ladle and lid. // 10

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And the sun-god, gracious at heart, said to the daughter of Drupada

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as she worshipped with devotion, pure in mind everywhere: // 11

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"O fortunate lady, by means of this vessel, as many people as desire food

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will attain satisfaction, as long as you yourself have not eaten. // 12

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Once you have eaten, it becomes empty; [otherwise] it will be full of boiled rice,

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a treasury of savoury dishes, granting food according to one's wish." // 13

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In this way the boon was obtained by her from the Sun in Kāśī, O sage;

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and another boon was given to her by the radiant god. // 14

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"To the south of Viśveśa, whoever worships me

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stationed before you—that person's affliction of hunger will be destroyed. // 15

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And another boon has been given to me, O faithful wife, by Viśveśa,

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delighted by my austerity; listen, I speak it to you: // 16

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'A person who, having first worshipped you, beholds me—

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dispel that person's darkness of sorrow with your rays!' // 17

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Therefore, O beloved of Dharma, having received this boon forever from Viśveśvara,

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I destroy the heap of sins of living beings dwelling in Kāśī. // 18

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Those mortals who worship me here, endowed with faith,

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as I hold out my hand to grant your boon—to them I will give what they desire. // 19

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Those who with devotion worship you, the faithful wife of Yudhiṣṭhira,

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standing near me, to the south of Viśveśa, in the vicinity of Daṇḍapāṇi,

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for them there will never be any fear born of separation from loved ones, // 21

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nor fear arising from disease anywhere, nor that caused by the defects of hunger and thirst,

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from beholding Draupadī in Kāśī, O sinless one, dear to Dharma!" // 22

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Having thus granted boons, the divine Sun, giver of all to the good,

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worshipped Śambhu, and Draupadī went to Dharma. // 23

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Whoever listens with devotion to this story of the Sun

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who was worshipped by Draupadī—that person's sin will perish. // 24

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The māhātmya of Draupadāditya has been related in brief by me;

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now listen, O pitcher-born one, to the māhātmya of Mayūkhāditya. // 25

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Formerly, at the sacred ford Pañcanada, renowned throughout the three worlds,

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the thousand-rayed Lord performed very severe austerity, // 26

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having installed a great liṅga named Gabhastīśvara.

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and [installing] Gaurī named Maṅgalā, who ever grants auspiciousness to her devotees,

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for a thousand divine years multiplied by a hundred, O sage,

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worshipping Śiva accompanied by Umā, who wears the crescent moon as his crest-jewel.

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By his very nature the sun is capable of scorching the three worlds;

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therefore, by his intense austerity, he blazed exceedingly, O sage.

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Then, by the rays of the sun capable of burning the three worlds,

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the entire intermediate space between heaven and earth was filled at that time.

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Passengers of aerial chariots abandoned their coming and going in the sky,

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as if out of fear of becoming moths before the fierce radiance of the sun.

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Only rays could be seen—slantwise, upward, and even downward—

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of the sun, and not the sun himself, as though resembling a blooming nīpa flower.

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From that mass of light, that mass of austerity, [and] those flames of austerity,

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the three worlds, with all that moves and is still, trembled from intense fear:

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“The sun is proclaimed in the Vedas as the soul of this world.

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If he himself becomes the burner, who will be our protector here?

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This sun is the eye of the world; this illuminator is the soul of the world,

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who awakens the world morning after morning when it is almost like dead.

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Rising day after day, [he rescues] the host of living beings

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fallen into the blind well of darkness, extending his hands all around.

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When he rises, we ever rise; when he sets, we meet our setting.

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Therefore the sun is our cause in rising and not rising.”

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Seeing the universe thus agitated, the Lord of the Universe himself,

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the protector of the universe, went to the hot-rayed [sun] to grant him a boon.

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Seeing the ray-garlanded [sun] completely motionless,

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having forgotten himself in deep meditation, Śambhu was astonished at his austerity.

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And gracious in soul, Śrīkaṇṭha, who removes the distress of the bowing, spoke:

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“Enough of practicing austerity! Ask for a boon, O jewel of the sky, O treasure of splendors!”

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Because his sensory faculties were restrained by meditative concentration,

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the sun did not take in the words of Śambhu, like one without ears, though addressed two or three times.

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Knowing him to have become like a log of wood, Śiva touched him with his hand,

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which showered the nectar [that relieves] the torment arisen from intense austerity.

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Then the eye of the world opened his eyes,

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like a cluster of lotuses at dawn having attained his sunrise.

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His torment completely gone by the touch of the all-pervading Lord, the sun

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shone forth, like the splendor of crops blighted by drought revived by a rain cloud.

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Making the three-eyed Lord visible before him as a guest to his eyes,

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Mitra bowed prostrate like a staff and praised the bearer of the Pināka aloud:

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“O God of gods, O Lord of the worlds, O omnipresent one, O Bharga, O Bhīma, O Bhava, O moon-adorned one,

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O Lord of beings, O remover of the fear of worldly existence! I bow to you, O granter of the wishes of those who bow!

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O moon-crested Mṛḍa, O Dhūrjaṭi, O Hara, O three-eyed one, O capable one, O destroyer of Indra's sacrifice,

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O calm, eternal one, O consort of Śivā, O Śiva! I bow to you, O granter of the wishes of those who bow!

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O blue-and-red one, O fulfiller of desired ends, […], O odd-eyed one, O varied-eyed one,

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O space-haired one, O destroyer of the fetters of individual souls! I bow to you, O granter of the wishes of those who bow!

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O Vāmadeva, O blue-necked one, O bearer of the trident, O moon-crested one, O serpent-king-adorned one,

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O creator of desire, O Lord of beasts, O Maheśvara! I bow to you, O granter of the wishes of those who bow!

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O Tryambaka, O Lord who destroyed Tripura, O protector, O three-eyed one, O embodiment of the three Vedas,

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O destroyer of Kālakūṭa poison, O destroyer of Antaka! I bow to you, O granter of the wishes of those who bow!

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O Śarva devoid of night, O all-pervading one, O granter of bliss on the path of heaven, O granter of liberation,

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O enemy of the demon Andhaka, O bearer of matted hair! I bow to you, O granter of the wishes of those who bow!

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O Śaṃkara, O fierce one, O consort of the daughter of the mountain, O Lord, O Viśvanātha, O one praised by Brahmā and Viṣṇu,

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O knower of what is to be known through the Vedas, O one who knows all intentions! I bow to you, O granter of the wishes of those who bow!

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O universal-formed one, O one devoid of an alien form, O one devoid of deception regarding Brahman, O granter of immortality,

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O one gone far, far beyond the range of speech and mind! I bow to you, O granter of the wishes of those who bow!”

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Having thus circumvented Mṛḍa the god, the sun,

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with a delighted soul, then praised Mṛḍānī, who occupies the left half of Śiva's body:

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“O goddess, whoever is skilled in bowing and bears on the surface of his forehead [dust] fair as the dust of your lotus feet,

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even in another birth, indeed, the lovely crescent of the moon makes that forehead exceedingly bright.

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O Śrīmaṅgalā, O birthplace of all auspiciousness! O Śrīmaṅgalā, O fire to the cotton of all sins!

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O auspicious Śrīmaṅgalā, destroyer of the pride of all the Dānavas! O Śrīmaṅgalā, protect this entire universe! 56

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O Sovereign of the Universe, you are the creator of all beings; / you are likewise the preserver, and the destroyer at the time of dissolution.

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The river of pure merit that leaps forth from the chanting of your name / uproots the trees on the riverbanks of sins. 57

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O Mother Bhavānī, you who take away the heavy burden of worldly suffering, / you are the sole refuge here; there is none other.

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They alone are fortunate in the worlds, they alone are worthy of honor, / upon whom your auspicious glance of compassion gleams. 58

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Those who constantly remember you, who are self-luminous, / residing in the city of Kāśī, the goddess of liberation bowing before you,

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those men of purified intellect, fit vessels expert in safeguarding liberation, / the Destroyer of Smara remembers in turn. 59

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O Mother, he in whose heart your spotless pair of feet resides, / holds the entire universe in the palm of his hand.

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He who continually remembers your splendor, O Maṅgalagaurī, / the eight supernatural perfections never leave his home. 60

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You are the mother of the Vedas, O goddess, having the form of the praṇava, / you are Gāyatrī, and indeed the wish-fulfilling cow of the twice-born.

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You are the triad of sacred utterances here for the success of all rites; / you are svāhā and svadhā, the cause of satisfaction for gods and ancestors. 61

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O Gaurī, you alone are with the moon-crested god; in Brahmā you are Sāvitrī; / in Viṣṇu you are lovely Lakṣmī;

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in Kāśī you are the goddess of liberation, of spotless form. / O Mother Maṅgalagaurī, you are my refuge here! 62

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Having thus praised with the great hymn of eight verses to Śrīmaṅgalā / her who adorns half of the body of the Destroyer of Smara,

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and having bowed repeatedly on all sides to the goddess and the god, / the sun became silent before the two Śivas. 63

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Arise, arise! Blessings be upon you! I am pleased, O high-minded one!

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As Mitra entering my eye, / look upon this moving and unmoving world constantly. 64

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You are my manifestation, O Sūrya; become omniscient and omnipresent,

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the mass of all splendors, knowing all actions of everyone. 65

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Dispel all the sorrows / of all devotees.

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By means of the eight verses of the sixty-four names uttered by you, 66

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praising me with this, a person will attain devotion to me.

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The eight-verse hymn of Maṅgalāgaurī named the Maṅgalāṣṭaka— 67

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by praising Maṅgalāgaurī with this, one will attain auspiciousness.

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The hymn of the eight verses of the sixty-four names and the Maṅgalāṣṭaka: 68

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this excellent, sacred pair of hymns destroys all sins.

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Even if residing in a distant region, an excellent man chanting [them] daily, 69

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at the three junctions of the day, with a thoroughly purified self, will attain hard-to-reach Kāśī.

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When this pair of hymns is chanted daily by men, 70

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the daily sin is surely washed away; there is no doubt about this.

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Never does guilt abide in the body of that embodied being. 71

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One should daily recite this auspicious pair of hymns at the three junctures of the day.

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What is the use of chanting many hymns that merely bestow flickering fortune upon men? 72

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This pair of hymns bestows the fortune of ultimate beatitude in Kāśī.

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Therefore, with every effort, by human beings desiring liberation, 73

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this pair of hymns should be chanted, abandoning numerous other hymns.

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This entire manifold world of moving and unmoving beings belongs to us two alone; 74

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therefore, through this praise of us two, a person becomes freed from worldly illusion.

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Having attained great prosperity endowed with sons and grandsons here, 75

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a man reciting this hymn attains liberation at the end.

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Moreover, listen, O seven-horsed one, king of planets, maker of the day! 76

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The liṅga consecrated by you, named Gabhastīśvara,

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served with the feeling of devotion, bestows all perfections. 77

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Because with garlands of rays having the luster of campaka and lotus,

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you worshiped the liṅga of Īśvara with all your being, O Bhāskara, 78

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therefore the liṅga will obtain the name Gabhastīśvara.

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Having bathed at Pañcanada and worshiped Gabhastīśa, a man, 79

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freed from sins, is never again born in a mother’s womb.

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And [worshiping] this Maṅgalāgaurī, whether a woman or a man, 80

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devoted to fasting on the third lunar day of the bright fortnight of Caitra,

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having worshiped with grand offerings of silk garments, ornaments, and the like, 81

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having kept vigil at night with songs, dances, sacred stories, and the like,

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and in the morning having worshiped twelve maidens with clothes and other gifts, 82

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having fed them with sweet milk-rice and the like, and having given sacrificial gifts to others as well,

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having performed the fire-offering according to the injunctions with the verse beginning with 'jātavedase,' 83

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with one hundred and eight oblations of sesame seeds and ghee in the morning,

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having given a pair of cows to a householder brahmin, 84

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having adorned a brahmin couple with ornaments with faith,

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and having fed [them] with highly sumptuous foods, should pray: 'May Maṅgalā and Īśvara be pleased!' 85

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Reciting this mantra and then breaking the fast in the morning,

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one never meets with misfortune, nor ever with poverty. // 86

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There is truly no cutting off of offspring, nor ever an interruption of worldly enjoyments;

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a woman never incurs widowhood, nor does a man suffer separation from his wife. // 87

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Sins dissolve away, and a heap of religious merit is obtained;

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even a barren woman would give birth having performed this Maṅgalā-vow. // 88

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From the performance of this vow, deformity of form never occurs;

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an unmarried maiden attains a husband endowed with excellent qualities and beauty. // 89

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A youth, too, having performed the vow, obtains an excellent wife.

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There are many vows that grant wealth and desired objects, // 90

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yet none of them can ever attain equality with the Maṅgalā-vow.

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And an annual pilgrimage should be performed on that lunar day in Madhu by men, // 91

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for the calming of all obstacles, always by residents of Kāśī.

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[Śiva said:] 'I tell you another thing, O Sun, jewel of the sky, as you perform austerity here: // 92

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Only your rays were seen in the sky, and your physical body was not seen;

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therefore, your name shall be Mayūkhāditya, O son of Diti! // 93

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From worshipping you, no disease whatever shall afflict men;

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poverty shall not befall them from gazing upon you on Sunday.' // 94 // / Having thus granted many boons to Mayūkhāditya, Śiva

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disappeared right there, and the Sun remained in that very spot. // 95

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Having heard this sacred narrative concerning Mayūkhāditya,

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along with Draupadāditya, a man would not go to hell. // 96

Thus ends the forty-ninth chapter, named 'Description of Draupadāditya and Mayūkhāditya', in the first half of the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, in the fourth [part of] the venerable Skandamahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses. // 49

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit