Skandapurana 4.55
English (machine translation) 4.55
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4.55.1
Skanda said:
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The other gaṇas who established liṅgas there in Kāśī—
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about them too I shall tell you, O pot-born one; listen!
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By the gaṇa named Piṅgala, the liṅga known as Piṅgaleśa
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of Śambhu was installed in the northern direction from Kapardīśa.
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By the mere darśana of it, destruction of sins occurs.
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Vīrabhadra, greatly cherished by the god of gods who holds the trident,
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even today unswervingly meditates upon the Vīrabhadreśvara liṅga.
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By the mere darśana of it, the accomplishment of a hero is produced.
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A man, having worshipped Vīrabhadreśvara
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to the west of Avimukteśvara, will never meet defeat in battle.
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Vīrabhadra himself, directly bearing the form of a hero, O sage,
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protects the assembly of brahmins dwelling in Avimukta.
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Accompanied by the auspicious Bhadrakālī, his auspicious wife,
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a man who worships Vīrabhadra obtains the fruit of living in Kāśī.
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The Kirāteśa liṅga was installed in Kāśī by Kirāta,
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in the southern direction from Kedāra, granting fearlessness to devotees.
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Near Vṛddhakāleśa, the glorious gaṇa Caturmukha
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even today unswervingly meditates upon the Caturmukheśvara liṅga.
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Devotees of Caturmukheśa, like the four-faced one [Brahmā] in heaven,
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are worshipped by hosts of gods, endowed with all enjoyments.
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Having beheld Nikumbheśvara, worshipped by the gaṇa Nikumbha,
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and having worshipped [it], one who goes to a village will obtain success in his undertaking;
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near Kubereśa, however, he is exalted in the world of Śiva.
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Having worshipped the great liṅga Pañcākṣeśa to the south of Mahādeva,
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a man in Kāśī obtains memory of previous births.
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Having meditated upon the Bhārabhūteśvara liṅga, worshipped by the gaṇa Bhārabhūta,
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at the northern gate of the Antargṛha, one shall dwell in the city of Śiva.
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Those by whom the Bhārabhūteśvara liṅga has not been seen in Kāśī
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have become a burden to the earth, like barren trees.
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The supreme Tryakṣeśvara liṅga [established] by the gaṇa named Tryakṣa
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in front of Trilocana is frequented even today, O pot-born one.
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Those who are devotees of that liṅga, upon the end of the body,
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verily become three-eyed; no doubt should be had in this matter.
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The leader of gaṇas named Kṣemaka, taking physical form himself in Kāśī,
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even today unswervingly meditates upon the all-pervading Viśveśvara.
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Whoever worships Kṣemaka, the great gaṇa in Vārāṇasī,
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his obstacles dissolve and well-being attends him at every step.
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With the desire for the return of one who has gone to another country,
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Kṣemaka should be worshipped here; he will quickly return in safety.
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Having beheld the Lāṅgalīśvara liṅga worshipped by Lāṅgalin,
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to the north of Viśveśa, a man shall not fall prey to disease.
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Worshipping Lāṅgalīśa once, [the merit] born of the gift of five ploughs
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a man attains in full, the supreme cause of all prosperity.
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Having worshipped Virādheśvara, who is worshipped by the gaṇa Virādha,
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even though loaded with all transgressions, one commits no fault anywhere.
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Whatever transgression is committed day by day by the residents of Kāśī,
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that is swiftly destroyed through the worship of Virādheśa.
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To the southwest of Daṇḍapāṇi, Virādheśa with devotion
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having bowed down to, one is freed from all transgressions; of this there is no doubt.
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The great liṅga Sumukheśa, worshipped by the gaṇa named Sumukha,
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which faces west—having seen that liṅga, one is freed from sins.
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Having bathed in the Pilipilā tīrtha and having beheld Sumukheśa,
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one will always see the King of Dharma with a gracious face, not with a wrathful face.
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The liṅga worshipped by Āṣāḍhin, known by the name Āṣāḍhīśvara,
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having seen [it] with devotion on the full moon of Āṣāḍha, a man is freed from all sins.
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Worshipping Āṣāḍhīśa to the north of Bhārabhūteśa,
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on the fifteenth day of the month of Āṣāḍha indeed, one is not tormented by sins.
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On the bright fourteenth day of Śuci or on the fifteenth day,
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having performed the annual pilgrimage, a man becomes free from sin.
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Skanda said:
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O sage, when these gaṇas had thus settled in Vārāṇasī,
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having installed liṅgas under their own names for the pleasure of Viśveśa,
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Viśveśa reflected concerning news of Kāśī once more:
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‘Whom, indeed, having sent as a benefactor today, may I attain supreme peace?
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The Yoginīs, the Sun, Vidhi, and the gaṇas headed by Śaṅkukarṇa,
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having turned away [from returning], have not come back from Kāśī, just as rivers [disappear into] the ocean.
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Indeed, those who have entered Kāśī have entered my belly;
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for them there is no coming out, just as oblations [do not return] from a blazing fire.
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Those whose dwelling is indeed in Kāśī, whose minds are devoted to worshipping the liṅga,
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they alone are my moving liṅgas; of this there is no doubt.
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The immobile and the mobile in Kāśī, the inanimate and the animate,
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all are indeed my liṅgas; evil-minded ones bear malice toward them.
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Those on whose tongues is “Vārāṇasī” and in whose hearing is the story of Viśveśvara,
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they themselves are the excellent liṅgas of Kāśī, to be worshipped like myself.
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“Vārāṇasī”, “Kāśī”, “the abode of Rudra”—clearly
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from whose mouth [these words] have issued, over them Yama cannot prevail.
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Having reached the Forest of Bliss, those who desire another joyless ground,
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even in their hearts, are always joyless here.
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Whether death comes today or after a long period,
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out of fear of the Kali age, Kāśī must never be abandoned by men.
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Inevitable occurrences will come to pass at every step;
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from where [would come the wisdom that] intellects abandon Kāśī, the abode of fortune?
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Better that a thousand obstacles be endured at every step
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in Kāśī; nowhere else should one desire even a kingdom without obstacles.
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How many fleeting moments of enjoyment are there in riches at every step?
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Supreme, of continuous joy both in the next world and in this one, what compares to Kāśī?
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I am indeed the lord Viśvanātha; Kāśī is the manifest radiance of liberation;
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the celestial Gaṅgā has waves of nectar: what does this triad not bestow?
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This city of mine, measuring five krośas, is my body,
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an unbroken abundance of authority, the cause of liberation for devotees.
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For those distressed by the burden of saṃsāra, constantly engaged in coming and going,
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my single city Kāśī is truly the resting ground.
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A bower of wish-fulfilling vines, filled to abundance with the fruits of desire,
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this place named Kāśikā has borne fruit always for those treading the path of saṃsāra.
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This is the wondrous parasol of an emperor, dispelling all distress;
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it is the king of liberation of Kāśī, like the tall shaft of my trident.
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Those virtuous ones who effortlessly desire the fortune of liberation,
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for the sake of obtaining uninterrupted joy, Kāśī must not be abandoned by those men.
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Those who are dwellers in my Forest of Bliss continually,
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they obtain here the delicious fruits that are the fortune of liberation.
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Which can captivate even me, free from mineness and free from delusion —
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by whom should that Kāśī, who captivates the universe, not be remembered?
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Her very name is sweet, revealing supreme bliss;
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by what merits is that Kāśī not chanted as 'Kāśī! Kāśī!'?
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Those who constantly drink the nectar of the name of Kāśī,
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their path becomes indeed a splendid abode made of the earth [liberated from sorrow].
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Though I am free from mineness, being the Self of all, certainly
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those alone are mine in the world who chant the name of Kāśī.
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Knowing this secret of Vārāṇasī, the lords of Gaṇas,
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along with Brahmā, the Yoginīs, and the Sun, have stayed right there, and not otherwise.
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Otherwise, how could those Yoginīs, along with the Sun and the Grandfather [Brahmā],
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and those Gaṇas, abandon me and dwell elsewhere?
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It has turned out exceedingly well indeed that they are staying in Kāśī;
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for even a single dissension may occur in a kingdom without another kingdom.
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Since all of them have gained entry, having my own nature,
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they will certainly strive to bring about my arrival.
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I shall send others as well who are by my side;
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when those excellent ones are stationed there, I too shall go thence."
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Having reflected thus, Mahādeva summoned Gajānana,
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and sent him, saying: "Go to Kāśī from here, my son!
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Stationed there, strive together with the Gaṇas for full success;
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make [things] free of obstacles for us, and create an obstacle for the king."
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Placing the command of Dhūrjaṭi upon his head, the lord of Gaṇas then,
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knowing proper order, swiftly departed for Kāśī for the sake of establishing [our] stay.
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Thus ends the fifty-fifth chapter, named 'The Description of Kāśī and the Dispatch of Gaṇeśa,' in the latter half of the Kāśīkhaṇḍa in the eighty-one-thousand-verse Compendium of the glorious Skandapurāṇa.
Linked texts (1)
- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit