Skandapurana 4.54
English (machine translation) 4.54
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Skanda said:
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O pot-born one, I shall speak; listen attentively
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to the supreme and great māhātmya of the liṅga Kapardīśa.
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A leader of the gaṇas named Kapardin was extremely dear to Śambhu.
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Having installed a liṅga of Śambhu to the north of Pitrīśa,
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he dug a pool in front of it named Vimalodaka,
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by the touch of whose water a mortal becomes spotless.
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I shall narrate an ancient legend there from the Tretā age,
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as it happened, O pot-born one, which destroys sins upon hearing.
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There was an eminent Pāśupata named Vālmīki;
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that sage performed austerity, worshiping Kapardīśa.
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Once, during the cold season, in the month of Mārgaśīrṣa, that ascetic,
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having bathed at midday in that great tīrtha, Vimalodaka,
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took an ablution with ashes from the soles of his feet to his head.
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Having performed his midday rites to the south of the liṅga,
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having placed dust upon his head, remembering the spiritual twilight prayer,
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reciting the five-syllable mantra, meditating on the god Kapardin,
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having circumambulated duly in the reverse order [of dissolution],
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uttering loudly three times 'huḍuṃ', 'huḍuṃ', 'huḍuṃ',
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placing the Praṇava first, through modulations of notes beginning with ṣaḍja,
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offering song with joy, together with dance accompanied by hand gestures,
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captivating with graceful bodily movements, joined with gaits and circular motions,
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the great ascetic sat for a moment there on the shore of the lake.
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He beheld a dreadful rākṣasa of extremely deformed appearance:
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his temples, cheeks, and mouth were dried like conches, his reddish-brown eyes were sunken,
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the ends of his hair were dry and split, his neck was excessively long,
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his nose was extremely flat, his lips were dried up, and his teeth projected greatly,
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his head was very large, with his hair bristling upwards,
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his earlobes hung down long, and he was terrifying with a tawny beard,
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his drooping tongue lolled out, the nape of his neck was massive,
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the structure of his collarbones had thick bones, his pair of long shoulders was huge,
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the hollows of his armpits were sunken, his pair of arms was withered and short,
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the ends of his hands had sparse fingers, and his rows of nails were curved and thick,
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his dry lap was covered in dust, the skin of his belly clung to his back,
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he was monstrous in the region of his hips, the joints of his sacrum were devoid of flesh,
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he had a pair of drooping buttocks, shriveled testicles, and a small penis.
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having long, fleshless thighs, and a skeleton with massive knee bones,
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reduced to bones and skin alone, his body covered by a network of veins,
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veiny, with long shanks, terrifying with thick ankle bones,
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having very broad feet and long, crooked, emaciated toes,
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with a body reduced to bones and skin, beaten with veins,
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monstrous, of terrifying form, emaciated with hunger, excessively hairy,
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resembling a tree scorched by a forest fire, with extremely restless eyes,
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like terror embodied, causing fear to all living beings.
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Seeing that heart-trembling ghost, the aged ascetic,
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seeing him with a most wretched face, courageously asked: “Who are you?
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Whence have you arrived here? Why is your state such as this?
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Out of compassion, O rākṣasa, I ask: speak without fear.
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We who are ascetics have not the slightest fear of someone like you,
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for we have made armor of the thousand names of Śiva and sacred ash.”
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Having heard this spoken by the ascetic, that rākṣasa, filled with affection,
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with folded hands addressed that compassionate one rich in austerity.
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The rākṣasa said:
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“If you have compassion, O venerable best of ascetics,
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then I shall tell my own story; listen attentively for a moment.
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There is a land named Pratiṣṭhāna on the bank of the Godāvarī.
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There I was a brahmin eager to accept gifts at sacred fords.
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Through the ripening of that action, I have attained such a state as this,
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in a terrible desert tract devoid of trees and water.
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A very long time passed as I dwelt there, O sage,
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hungry, afflicted with thirst, and enduring cold and heat.
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Even when a great cloud rained downpours day and night
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in the rainy season, and the wind blew, I had no covering at all.
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Those who do not give gifts on sacred days, yet take gifts at sacred fords—
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they enter this womb that binds them to great suffering.
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After much time had passed in the desert, O sage,
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I once saw a descendant of a brahmin who had arrived there.
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Though sunrise had arrived, he neglected the rites of the twilight twilight devotions;
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having passed urine and feces, he omitted purification and sipping water;
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his loincloth was loose, he was impure, and abandoned the twilight rites.
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Seeing him, I entered into his body out of a desire for enjoyment.
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Because of my misfortune, that twice-born man, along with a merchant,
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out of greed for wealth reached this holy city, O sage.
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That twice-born man entered inside the city, O best of sages;
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but I was cast out of his body in an instant, together with his sins.
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For ghosts like us have no entry, O treasure of austerities,
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nor do great sins, into Vārāṇasī, by the command of Śiva.
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Even today, those sins remain strictly outside on the boundary
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due to fear of the Pramathas, waiting for his exit outside.
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‘Today, tomorrow, or the day after, he will come out’—
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with this hope we have waited until today, O you whose wealth is austerity.
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Even now he does not come out, nor does our hope fade away;
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thus we sit without support, bound by the cords of hope.
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I will tell you a wonder of today, O ascetic; listen to it!
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I think that very great good fortune is about to come right now.
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Every day we go hungry all the way to Prayāga,
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wishing for food somewhere, but we obtain nothing at all!
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Everywhere there are fruit-bearing trees in every forest,
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and bodies of clear water exist on the earth at every step;
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other foods as well are easily available to all, alas,
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and various drinks exist in abundance everywhere;
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yet as soon as they come into our sight, alas, they move far, far away!
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By chance, seeing a pilgrim coming today, O sage,
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I approached near him, tormented by hunger,
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hastening with the thought: ‘I will forcefully devour him!’
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Just as I wished to seize him, from his lotus-face
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from his lotus-like mouth came forth speech purified by the name of Śiva, dispelling obstacles.
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From the remembrance of Śiva's name, even my sin
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became weakened; therefore, by him, I gained entry.
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I was not immediately noticed by the Pramathas stationed at the boundary;
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for even Yama does not look upon those who hear the name of Śiva.
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Along with him I have now reached the threshold of the inner chamber;
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that pilgrim entered within, while I remained here.
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Seeing you now, O sage, I deem myself fortunate.
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Deliver me, O compassionate one, from this most dreadful womb!
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Hearing these words of the ghost, that compassionate ascetic
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reflected in his mind: 'Fie upon men whose efforts are only for themselves!
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All beings such as beasts, birds, and animals merely fill their own bellies;
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he alone is blessed in this world who is ever intent on the welfare of others.
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Today, by my own austerity, this ghost afflicted by sin,
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who has taken refuge in me alone, I shall surely deliver.'
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Reflecting thus in his mind, that best of men said to the piśāca:
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'Bathe in this lake of clear water to dispel your sin, O [ghost]!
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O piśāca, through the power of this sacred ford
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and by the sight of Kapardīśa, your state as a piśāca will be destroyed, dwindling away this very moment.'
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Hearing these words of the sage, the ghost bowed down to him
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with a joyful soul and joined palms, and spoke to the glad-minded [sage]:
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'O best of sages, I cannot even get water to drink; / what question is there of bathing, O protector? The water deities guard it.
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What mention can there be of drinking here? Even touching the water is hard to attain.'
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Hearing what the ghost said, he was filled with deep compassion
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and the ascetic, capable of delivering the world, said to him:
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'Take this sacred ash and place it upon your forehead.
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By virtue of the majesty of this sacred ash, no ghost anywhere
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causes any affliction to anyone, even to a great sinner!
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Seeing a forehead white with sacred ash, the servants of Yama
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flee from even a sinner, terrified by the Pāśupata weapon.
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Just as travelers go far away from a body of water upon seeing it marked with a banner of bones,
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so the servants of Yama keep far away from a forehead marked with ash.
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Even violent beings from all sides never approach the best of men
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who has made armor of ash with Śiva's mantras.
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He who with devotion wears ash purified by Śiva's mantras
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on his forehead, chest, and armpits—injurious beings do not harm him.
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Because it protects day and night from all evil creatures,
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it is therefore called rakṣā (protection); and it is called vibhūti because it creates prosperity (bhūti).
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It is called bhasma from shining (bhāsana) and rebuking [evil] (bhartsana); it is called pāṃsu because it bestows the nature of fine dust;
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and it is named kṣāra by the wise from dissolving (kṣāraṇa) sins.'
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Taking ash from his pouch, he placed it in the ghost's hand;
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he too took it reverently and applied it to the region of his forehead.
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Seeing the piśāca wearing sacred ash
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intent on plunging into the water, the water deities did not stop him.
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As soon as he bathed, drank, and came out of that lake, / his piśāca state vanished and he attained a divine body.
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Wearing divine garlands and garments, anointed with divine fragrances,
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he mounted a celestial vehicle and set out on the pure path. / Moving through the sky, he bowed to that ascetic
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and spoke aloud: 'O venerable one, I have been liberated by you, O sinless one!
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From that despicable and utterly censured birth
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I have attained a divine body by the majesty of this sacred ford!
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Beginning today, this sacred ford, by the name Piśācamocana,
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shall also remove the condition of a piśāca for others through ritual ablution.
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Whatever mortals shall bathe here in this most sacred ford
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and offer funeral cakes preceded by twilight devotion and libations,
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even if their fathers and grandfathers have through fate fallen into the state of a piśāca,
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they too will abandon the piśāca state and attain the supreme destination.
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Today, on the bright fourteenth day in the month of Mārgaśīrṣa, O treasure of austerity,
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ablutions and similar rites are to be performed here to bring complete release from the state of a piśāca.
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Whatever mortals undertake this annual pilgrimage,
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those men shall be freed from the sin of receiving gifts at a sacred ford.'
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Having bathed in Piśācamocana and worshipped Kapardīśa,
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and having given gifts of food there, men become fearless even elsewhere.
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On the fourteenth day of the bright fortnight of Mārgaśīrṣa, in the presence of Kapardīśvara,
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having bathed, even if dying elsewhere, they will not attain the state of a piśāca.
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Having spoken thus, the divine person, repeatedly bowing to that
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richly ascetic sage, attained a divine destination.
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The ascetic too, having seen that great marvel, O pot-born one,
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propitiated Kapardīśvara and in due course attained nirvāṇa.
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Beginning from that time, O great sage, the Piśācamocana tīrtha,
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destroyer of all sins, attained supreme fame in Vārāṇasī.
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Having fed a Śaiva yogin at the Paiśācamocana tīrtha,
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the fruit is truly equivalent to feeding ten million, one by one.
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Having heard this sacred chapter, a man of controlled mind
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is never overcome by bhūtas, pretas, and piśācas.
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Bringing pacification to children afflicted by childhood spirits,
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this supreme great narrative should be recited with diligence.
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A man going to another country, having heard this narrative,
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will not be overcome anywhere by thieves, tigers, piśācas, and the like.
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Thus ends the fifty-fourth chapter, titled 'The Declaration of the Greatness of Piśācamocana', in the second half of the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, in the fourth [part] of the eighty-one-thousand-verse collection of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa.
Linked texts (1)
- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit