Skandapurana 6.2.3
English (machine translation) 6.2.3
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Glorious Rudra said:
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“Now the third is Ḍhuṇḍheśvara, who bestows the fruit of happiness and heaven,
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a liṅga that takes away all sins and destroys the wicked deeds of men.
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Long ago, O goddess, there was a troop-leader named Ḍhuṇḍha on Kailāsa;
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he was lustful, ill-behaved, with senses impaired by addiction.
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He went to the world of Śakra out of curiosity and at his own whim,
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where Rambhā was dancing before Śakra, displaying
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many kinds of charming moods, auspicious glances, hand-gestures, and the like, / body postures such as sūcīviddha, and hand positions such as patāka,
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a dance accompanied by movements of the hands and other limbs, following tempo and rhythm.
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Śakra too, along with the thirty gods, with eyes fixed upon her face,
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became delighted in mind, his bodily hairs bristling and face radiant.
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In the meantime, O goddess, Ḍhuṇḍha, by her graceful charm,
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under the sway of lust and passion, and deluded by destiny,
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struck Rambhā, who was engrossed in the dance performance, with a bunch of flowers.
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He was cursed by Vāsava, who saw the impropriety of that troop-member:
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‘Fall into the world of mortals! You have interrupted the stage-performance.’
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Having been cursed thus by Śakra of boundless splendor, O goddess,
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the troop-member fell into the world of mortals, unconscious, his senses bewildered.
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Disoriented, his spirit crushed, he lamented again and again.
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"Alas! I have reaped the fruit of unrighteousness, committed out of delusion.
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Therefore, a discerning man must act with moral conduct,
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resorting to the path of righteousness, whereby success may come to me."
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Having said this, he performed tapas on Mahendra, the best of mountains,
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on Śrīśaila, Malaya, Vindhya, Pāriyātra, [and] Yamālaya.
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When he achieved no success, O goddess, then the great bank of the Gaṅgā,
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the Yamunā, the Candrabhāgā, the Vitastā, the river Narmadā,
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the Godāvarī, the Bhīmarathī, the Kauśikī, the auspicious Śāradā,
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[and] the Carmaṇvatī—having reached [these] and bathed, he abandoned ritual action:
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"The sacred ford is useless, tapas is useless, as is the fruit of pilgrimage to sacred fords,
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since I, wandering through the realms of action, have not obtained what I desired."
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In the meantime, O goddess, a bodiless voice spoke,
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comforting the gaṇa leader: "Go to the abode of Mahākāla.
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Whatever sacred fords there are on earth, Prayāga and the others—
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Mahākāla is distinguished above them, constantly granting success.
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There exists a most meritorious liṅga, accomplishing all goals,
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in the presence of Piśāceśvara; worship it quickly!
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By the grace of that liṅga, you will go again to Śaṃkara's
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world, attainable by the radiant, [and] ever hard to attain for sinners."
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Having heard that voice in the sky, the gaṇa then,
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filled with joy, came to the supreme forest of Mahākāla.
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There he saw that auspicious liṅga, which produces all prosperity,
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[and] worshiped the Lord of the gods with supreme devotion.
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Then, O Daughter of the Mountain, a voice came forth from the middle of the liṅga:
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"Ah, my child, I am pleased with you! What wish shall I grant?"
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Ḍhuṇḍha said:
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"If you are pleased, O Lord of the gods, O you who are affectionate to those who seek refuge,
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may my devotion to your lotus feet always be unwavering.
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Grant this boon swiftly, if Maheśvara is pleased:
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those mortals who behold you, O God, O Supreme Lord—
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may they be immediately freed from sin on the face of the earth!"
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Having heard Ḍhuṇḍha's speech, the liṅga said, O glorious lady:
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"Those who will worship me again with supreme faith,
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they shall always be free from sins.
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They shall attain supreme desires [and] will become the best of gaṇas,
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worthy of worship in all worlds, adorned with every ornament."
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Having thus received a boon, Ḍhuṇḍha, with palms joined, spoke again:
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"May this liṅga be celebrated always in the world by my name!"
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"So be it," said the pleased liṅga, O Pārvatī.
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From then on, that supreme deity has been renowned as Ḍhuṇḍheśvara,
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by whose mere darśana men constantly attain success.
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Those who with devotion worship the supreme god Ḍhuṇḍheśvara,
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their sin accumulated since birth will vanish in that very instant.
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He alone is virtuous in the world, he alone is dear to me,
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the man who with devotion beholds the supreme liṅga Ḍhuṇḍheśvara.
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Whatever merit is gained through a hundred Rājasūya sacrifices,
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greater than that will be gained by seeing Ḍhuṇḍheśvara.
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Whatever [sin] has been committed through mind, speech, or body, born in secret,
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whether open or hidden, or even done through association—
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all that will quickly vanish by darśana of Ḍhuṇḍheśvara.
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Being addressed thus by me, O goddess, that Ḍhuṇḍha, the gaṇa leader,
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by the māhātmyā of the liṅga went to my world;
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and he shone alongside the gaṇa leaders, becoming most dear to me.
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This power that destroys sins has been told to you, O goddess;
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by hearing or reciting it, one is honored in my world.
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Thus ends the third chapter, named 'Description of the Māhātmya of Ḍhuṇḍheśvara', in the Māhātmya of the Eighty-Four Liṅgas in the Avantī Section, the fifth [section] of the Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, in the collection of eighty-one thousand verses.
Linked texts (1)
- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit