Skandapurana 5.99

English (machine translation) 5.99

Language: English

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The seers said:
That which you have said: that Rāmeśvara was erected there / by Rāma, and likewise Sītā was fashioned there by him,

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and that an abode was erected by him for Lakṣmaṇa's sake— / this entire statement of yours appears to us greatly contradictory.

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Earlier you said, O Sūta, that Rāma, accompanied by Lakṣmaṇa / and together with Sītā, arrived at this sacred field as he departed for the forest;

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and having performed a śrāddha at Gayāśīrṣa, and quarreled with Lakṣmaṇa, / he set out again for the forest, filled with anger toward him.

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When you said that the Great Lord was erected here by him— / explain all of this doubt, O son of Sūta.

Sūta said:
In this matter I have no doubt, but one remains in you; / therefore I will explain it in full, listen, O best of the twice-born! / Furthermore, this sacred field is primeval and never undergoes destruction anywhere.

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It was on another day when that descendant of Raghu arrived, / when he fell into discord together with the son of Sumitrā.

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This, however, was another day, on which Rāmeśvara / was installed with devotion by the high-souled one himself when afflicted with grief.

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The seers said:
On what occasion did the best of the Raghus arrive / there on that other day? What sorrow arose for him? Recount that!

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Sūta said:
Having abandoned Sītā, the lotus-eyed Rāma, / terrified of public slander, then ruled the kingdom.

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Having made a golden image of Sītā as his wife for the successful completion of the sacrifice, / the illustrious one took no other wife in any way.

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For ten thousand years and ten hundred years, / in celibacy, he ruled the kingdom free of thorns.

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Then, when the thousand-year period ended and the eleventh [thousand] arrived, O twice-born, / a messenger of the gods arrived at Rāma's dwelling.

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By him it was said: "I have been sent into your presence by the king of the gods; / therefore hold counsel with me in private."

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Addressed thus at that time by that messenger, the descendant of Raghu, / having reached a secluded chamber, then held counsel after that.

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As the high-souled one sat thus in the council chamber, / because of the multitude of his beloved people, privacy could not be attained.

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Then the messenger, filled with anger, spoke politely, / laughing as he observed the mingling of people, even though they were situated in a secluded spot:

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"Just as a serpent whose fangs have fallen out, or an elephant devoid of rut, / so a king lacking in authority is held in contempt by men.

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I perceive, O best of the Raghus, that you have no such authority, / for you are not able to hear even Indra's conversation in private."

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Hearing his words, his eyes reddened with rage, / forming a three-creased frown on his brow, he then said to Lakṣmaṇa:

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"While I am seated here in conversation with him, / if any man comes here out of delusion, O Lakṣmaṇa, / I will slay him swiftly with my own hand, there is no doubt.

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If I do not kill anyone who enters and comes within the range of my sight here, / then may I not attain that supreme state which is attained by the righteous!

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Knowing this, you must definitely be watchful with effort / at the palace gate, so that no one is now killed by me."

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Having replied to him 'So be it', Lakṣmaṇa, endowed with auspicious marks, / stationed himself at the royal gate and then cleared it of people.

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The messenger of the gods then held counsel after that / with Rāma, as commanded by Indra and by the other dwellers of heaven.

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The messenger of the gods said:
"You descended to the surface of the earth for the destruction of Rāvaṇa; / and that wicked, evil thorn to the three worlds has been slain.

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All the work of the gods, O illustrious one, has now been done by you; / therefore let those gods, headed by Indra, have a protector!

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If it pleases your heart, not by coercion now, / do a favor to the gods: therefore come quickly / to the heavenly realm, abandoning this much-despised mortal world."

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Sūta said:
At that moment arrived the best of sages, Durvāsas; / seized with hunger, he then said: "Where is he, where is he, the best of the Raghus?"

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Lakṣmaṇa said: / That best of kings is occupied with some business of the gods. / Therefore, O chief of brahmins, wait right here for a single moment,

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while Rāma consoles the messenger sent by Śakra, / showing compassion to me who am bowed down in humility.

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Durvāsas said: / If that best of the Raghu lineage does not come within my sight at once, / I will utter a curse and consume his entire family without doubt.

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Lakṣmaṇa, there is no duty more weighty than seeing me, / yet you, fool, boast of something else!

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Hearing that, Lakṣmaṇa thought in his heart, sorrowful: / 'Better the death of me alone; let there not be the destruction of the family.'

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Having thus made up his mind, he then rushed toward Rāma; / prostrating like a staff upon the ground with joined palms, he said:

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"O lord, Durvāsas, a tiger among sages, stands at your door, / desiring to see you, overcome with hunger. What shall I do? Command me!"

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Hearing his words, he then said to that messenger: / "Go and say this to the lord of gods, without doubt, in my words: / 'I shall come into your presence at the end of the year.'"

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Having spoken thus and dismissed the messenger, he then said to Lakṣmaṇa: / "Dear boy, quickly usher in that sage Durvāsas!"

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Then, taking water for the respectful offering and water for washing feet, he went to meet him, / Lord Rāma, glad at heart, surrounded by his ministers.

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Offering him the water for respectful offering according to rule, bowing down repeatedly, / Lord Rāma then spoke in a voice choked with joy:

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"Welcome to you, O best of sages! Again, a hearty welcome to you! / This kingdom, these sons, and this wealth belong to you, O master!

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Favor me, O best of sages, and accept them! / Blessed am I, graced am I, that you have come to my home, / you who are worthy of worship even by the three worlds, a treasure of complete austerity!"

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The sage said: / "Having performed the vow of the four-month rainy season without food, O best of the Raghu lineage, / today I have come to your abode hungry for a meal.

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Therefore, give me food quickly, O delighter of the Raghu lineage! / A renunciant has no concern with anything else, such as wealth."

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Then he fed him with a heart purified by faith, / standing in front of him himself, with various wholesome sweet foods,

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with distinct kinds of dishes to be licked, sucked, chewed, and eaten, / according to that sage's desire, and likewise with diverse foods.

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Thus ends the ninety-ninth chapter, titled 'The Account of Durvāsas's Arrival before Śrī Rāma', in the context of the installation of Rāmeśvara, in the Māhātmya of the Sacred Field of Hāṭakeśvara, in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa, the sixth [section], in the Great Purāṇa of eighty-one thousand verses, the glorious Skandapurāṇa.

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit