Skandapurana 5.64

English (machine translation) 5.64

Language: English

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Sūta said: / In ancient times, O best of brahmins, goddess Camatkārī was established right there, / formerly installed with faith by King Camatkāra, 1

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by whom previously that dānava Mahiṣa, who possessed a hundred thousand illusory forms, / was slain in battle when she observed the vow of maidenhood. 2

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When that city was built there by that great-souled one, / she was installed at that time, O brahmins, for its protection, 3

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for the protection of that city and of the inhabitants of that city, / [and] of all the eminent brahmins whose minds were steeped in devotion. 4

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Whoever properly worships her on the day of the Mahānavamī / never has any fear anywhere for an entire year, 5

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especially from bhūtas, pretas, and piśācas, or from enemies, / and from diseases, thieves, and other wicked beings. 6

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Whatever desire a pure man contemplates on the bright eighth [lunar day], / if he worships her with true devotion, he attains it without a doubt. 7

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One free of desire attains happiness and liberation, there is no doubt here; / by the grace of that goddess, this is the truth spoken by me. 8

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In the past, having propitiated her, the Supreme Goddess, / many kings, brahmins, and also other yogins attained perfection. 9

Whoever, endowed with faith, circumambulates her / every day for a year, shall not enter an animal womb. 10 / In her temple in former times there occurred a great wonder; / I shall relate it to you: listen attentively! 11

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Formerly there was an excellent king named Citraratha, / the famous lord of Daśārṇa, the slayer of all enemies. 12

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On the bright eighth [lunar day], endowed with faith, he always with devotion / performed circumambulation [around her temple] one hundred and eight times. 13

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Then, having bowed down to that goddess, he would return to his home, / surrounded on all sides by his fourfold army. 14

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Thus, while that lord of men was intent on circumambulation / and devoted to the worship of the goddess, a very long time passed. 15

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Then once upon a time, that king, having arrived there, / saw the best of brahmins gathered at the temple of the goddess. 16

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Then, having circumambulated that goddess, that ruler of the earth, 16

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collected in mind, bowed down to all those brahmins standing before him. 17

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Then, seated there together with them, he engaged in / auspicious tales of ancient royal seers and brahmin seers. 18

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Then, at the end of some conversation, he was questioned by those best of brahmins / filled with curiosity, as he stood bowed down with humility: 19

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“O King, we all ask you, being filled with curiosity; / therefore tell us, if it is not a secret kept by you. 20

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Month after month, always on the bright eighth [lunar day], having come from far away, / you perform circumambulation of the deity. 21

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Diligently abandoning all other rites such as worship, / surely you know the entire fruit that arises from circumambulation.” 22

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The king said: / “What has been spoken by your honors, O best of brahmins, is true; / even though it is a secret, it must now be told by me to you. 23

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Formerly I was a parrot in this auspicious temple, / taking shelter having made a nest on the western side of the goddess. 24

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There, constantly going out and entering, / circumambulation of the goddess happened every day, O best of brahmins. 25

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Then in time my death occurred right here in this temple; / by the power of that, I was born as a king here, remembering my past lives. 26

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For this reason, coming from afar, collected in mind, / I perform circumambulation of this deity, O best of brahmins. 27

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Formerly, dwelling in the nest devoid of devotion, / circumambulation of the goddess was performed by me; through that I became a king. 28

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Now that I perform circumambulation endowed with faith, / what greater good will be mine, that I do not know, O best of brahmins!” 29

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Sūta said: / Hearing that of his, those brahmins, their eyes wide open with wonder, / rejoiced and applauded that king, saying ‘Well done!’ 30

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Then, having bowed to all the best of brahmins and taken leave, / that ruler of the earth quickly departed for his home along with his soldiers. 31

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Whoever now performs circumambulation endowed with faith, / released from all sins, attains the desired fruit. 32

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From then on, all those brahmins, preceded by devotion, / and others as well, circumambulated her for the sake of liberation, 33

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and by her power they attained supreme, desired perfection, / hard to obtain even by the gods, both in this world and in the next. 34

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Therefore, by every effort, one should take refuge here in that goddess / situated in that sacred field, who grants all desires to mortals. 35

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Thus ends the sixty-fourth chapter, entitled “Description of the Māhātmya of Camatkārī Durgā,” in the Māhātmya of the Sacred Field of Śrī Hāṭakeśvara, in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa, the sixth [part] of the eighty-one-thousand-[verse] collection of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa. 64.

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit