Skandapurana 5.80

English (machine translation) 5.80

Language: English

5.80.1

Now begins the māhātmya named Suparṇa.
The seers said:
“What was said by you, [namely] that endowed with splendor and strength,
Garuḍa was born from that sacrificial act of the sages; 1

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How was he born there? Tell us this in detail.
This scripture is heard: that he was born from Vinatā.” 2

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Sūta said:
“That pitcher which was consecrated with Atharvan mantras
by those Vālakhilyas filled with great indignation, 3

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and when the lord of birds was foretold, they were restrained by Dakṣa—
Kaśyapa, taking that pitcher, went to his home. 4

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Then, rejoiced, he said to his beloved Vinatā:
‘Drink this water, auspicious lady, which is purified by mantras and most eminent, 5

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whereby a son shall be born to you, mightier than the thousand-eyed [Indra],
splendid, renowned, and unconquerable by all the Dānavas.’ 6

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Hearing his word, that lady of beautiful hips drank that water
that very moment, and immediately thereafter conceived an embryo. 7

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Thus, through the drinking of that water, endowed with splendor and strength,
Garuḍa was born from Kaśyapa, inspiring terror in all serpents. 8

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By him, having overcome Puraṃdara through valor, the nectar was taken away
and, filled with devotion to his mother, offered to the serpents; 9

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who became the beloved [attendant] of Viṣṇu, having attained the status of his mount,
and who remains forever placed at the tip of the banner of his chariot; 10

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by whom, having formerly performed austerity in this very sacred field,
the three-eyed [Śiva] was pleased by that high-souled, wise one whose wings were lost; 11

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by whom an attainment of wings was regained, such [as before],
and then fashioned even more distinguished by the grace of the god of gods.” 12

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The sages said:
“How did the two wings of that high-souled Garuḍa depart?
How were they regained by him? How was Maheśvara pleased?
Tell us this in detail, O son of Sūta, exactly as it happened.” 13

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Sūta said:
“Formerly, O best of brahmins, a brahmin, an upholder of the lineage of the Bhṛgu race,
was a friend to Garuḍa from his very childhood, O lord. 14

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To him a daughter was formerly born, esteemed, named Mādhavī,
endowed with beauty and nobility, marked with all [auspicious] signs. 15

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No goddess, nor Gandharva maiden, nor Asura maiden, nor serpent maiden
possessed such beauty, O fortunate ones, as that slender-waisted lady. 16

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Then, for the sake of a bridegroom for her, bowing in modesty,
he spoke to Garuḍa, the lord of birds, his supreme friend: 17

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‘For this daughter of mine, O lord of birds,
seek out today a suitable bridegroom, so that I may give her to him.’ 18

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Garuḍa said:
‘Mounting upon my back, O best of brahmins,
roam the entire circle of the earth, taking this maiden. 19

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Then, for that young maiden,
yourself fetch a suitable husband endowed with virtues; such is my friendship.’ 20

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Sūta said:
Thus addressed, O best of brahmins, that brahmin at that moment,
along with his daughter, mounted upon Garuḍa’s back in search of a bridegroom. 21

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Whichever youth of youthful appearance that brahmin saw,
he did not at all meet the approval of his mind. 22

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Of someone, the beauty was excessive, but the lineage was not pure;
and if someone had lineage and beauty, he lacked a collection of virtues. 23

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Or if someone had an abundance of virtues, he lacked excellent beauty,
or impartiality, or wealth, or other characteristics of an excellent groom. 24

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Thus, at the end of a thousand years of wandering the surface of the earth
for the sake of a groom, O best of brahmins, for that brahmin and the lord of birds, 25

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once, weary from wandering here and there,
the two arrived at this very sacred field desiring to see Vāsudeva; 26

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having seen Śvetadvīpa, and likewise the auspicious Badarī,
and the Milk Ocean with Vaikuṇṭha, as well as his other abodes. 27

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Then the sage Nārada, born of Brahmā, was seen by the two;
he was asked then with gentle words concerning Viṣṇu, the eternal Brahman: 28

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‘Where is the lotus-eyed god at present, O sage?
All the places of Viṣṇu have been inspected on all sides
by the two of us, eager, yet that Keśava was not seen.’ 29

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Nārada said:
‘In the form of the one who sleeps upon the waters, for a period of four months,
he constantly resides in the sacred field arising from Hāṭakeśvara. 30

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Therefore, for the sake of his darśana, go there without delay,
so that the wielder of the discus may come into view for both of you. 31

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I too have set out for that very place for his darśana,
and having set out [along] with you on some business of the gods.’ 32

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Then the two, the lord of birds and the eminent brahmin, and the sage, the son of Brahmā—
all arrived where Janārdana, sleeping upon the waters, was present. 33

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Then, seeing that great Vaiṣṇava luster even from afar,
Garuḍa and Nārada, the lord of sages, said to the brahmin: 34

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‘Right here, O best of brahmins, remain together with your daughter, far from the luster
of Viṣṇu, which is like the fire of the end of the aeon. 35

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Otherwise, you will become ashes, like a moth approaching fire
at the onset of night, overtaken by foolishness. 36

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By us two, through his grace, this exceedingly unbearable [luster] is endured;
it does not cause bodily affliction or any other evil.’ 37

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Having thus left that brahmin there at a distance together with his daughter,
the two went there where Janārdana was asleep upon the water. 38

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Devoted to divine praise, holding their folded hands upon their heads,
their limbs bristling with hair, their faces bathed in tears of joy, 39

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circumambulating that god three times, they bowed down with eight limbs to Hari,
and they saw the daughter of the ocean seated at the end of his feet, 40

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intent on massaging his feet, with her eyes fixed on Viṣṇu’s face;
and then another woman, advanced in age, veiled in white cloth. 41

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sitting near Him, absorbed in perfect meditation, / possessing the brilliance of twelve suns, slender-limbed, and her hair standing on end with joy.

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Then the two were filled with joy by Viṣṇu in His delight; / they were addressed and asked for what purpose they had come.

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Śrī Nārada said: / “Indeed, I have arrived here in your presence on the business of the gods; / Garuḍa [has come] for the sake of a brahmin, about which you ask me, O Keśava.”

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The Blessed Lord said: / “Is all well, O best of sages, with all the dwellers of heaven? / Has Indra not incurred fear arising from the Dānavas?

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Have the gods with Indra received their share of the sacrifice? / Has no formidable Dānava arisen on the surface of the earth?”

Śrī Nārada said: / “Just now the Earth has arrived into the presence of the Four-faced One [Brahmā]; / weeping loudly, oppressed by her burden, and severely tormented by the Dānavas, / filled with great sorrow, she said to the Lotus-born One there:

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The Earth said: / ‘That Kālanemi who was slain by the all-powerful Viṣṇu / has been born as that great asura Kaṃsa, the son of Ugrasena.

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Ariṣṭa, Dhenuka, Keśin, and another named Pralamba, / as well as another most terrifying rākṣasī named Pūtanā—

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by these very Dānavas running here and there, / and by other cruel ones as well, useless suffering is caused to me.

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Moreover, the people in the mortal realm have now thrown up their arms [in despair]; / indeed, on account of their multiplicity, they can in no way fit upon me.

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O lord, if you do not quickly relieve my burden, / then I shall go to Rasātala; of this there is no doubt.’

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Having heard those words of hers, Brahmā, the creator of the worlds, / deliberated with the gods and sent me into your presence:

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‘The Blessed Lord Janārdana should be told by you in these words, / so that descending to the surface of the earth, He may destroy her burden.’

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Therefore, O all-pervading lord, taking birth yourself on the surface of the earth, / destroy the burden of the Earth. For this purpose I have come here.”

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The Blessed Lord said: / “So shall I do, O sage, after deliberating with Brahmā, / relieving the burden of the earth together with the gods led by Indra.”

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Having thus spoken to that Nārada, the best of sages, / Viṣṇu then said to Garuḍa: “For what purpose have you come here?”

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Thus ends the eightieth chapter, titled “Description of the Māhātmya of the Darśana of Viṣṇu” in the Suparṇākhyamāhātmya, in the Śrī-Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya, in the sixth Nāgarakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit