Skandapurana 6.3.237

English (machine translation) 6.3.237

Language: English

6.3.237.1

Sūta said: / Now I shall relate another [story]; listen, O best of sages! / There was a king named Tuṅgadhvaja, intent on protecting his subjects. / 1

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Having spurned the sacred food offering of Satyadeva, he incurred suffering. / Once he went to the forest, and having killed various animals, / 2

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he came to the base of a banyan tree and saw the worship of Satya, / which contented cowherds, endowed with devotion, were performing along with their kinsmen. / 3

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Yet the king, seeing it, out of arrogance neither went [there] nor bowed down. / Then all the cowherds, having placed the sacred food offering near the king, / 4

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and having returned, ate [it] according to their wish. / Then, having spurned the sacred food offering, the king incurred suffering. / 5

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Translation: Śrī Sūta said: "O excellent sages! Now after this I shall tell another story; please listen to it. There was a king named Tuṅgadhvaja, devoted to protecting his subjects. 1.

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He obtained suffering by forsaking the sacred food offering of Satyadeva (Satyanārāyaṇa). Once he went into the forest and, having killed many animals there, 2.

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came beneath a banyan tree; there he saw that the cowherds, contented along with their kinsmen, were worshipping Lord Satyadeva with devotion. 3.

Even upon seeing this, out of pride, the king neither went there nor did he bow to Lord Satyanārāyaṇa. Thereafter, all the cowherds placed the sacred food offering of Lord Satyanārāyaṇa near the king, 4.

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and having returned from there, they all partook of the Lord's sacred food offering according to their desire. Meanwhile, because he had abandoned the sacred food offering, great sorrow befell the king. 5.

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His hundred sons were destroyed, along with whatever wealth, grain, and other possessions [he had]. / "All that has surely been destroyed by Satyadeva for me; / 6

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therefore, I shall go to that very place where the worship of the deity takes place." / Having resolved thus in his mind, he went near the cowherds. / 7

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Then, accompanied by the company of cowherds, endowed with devotion and faith, / that king performed the worship of Satyadeva according to the rule. / 8

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By the grace of Satyadeva, he became endowed with wealth and sons. / Having enjoyed happiness in this world, at the end he went to the city of Satya. / 9

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Translation: All his wealth and grain and all his hundred sons were destroyed. The king resolved in his mind that surely Lord Satyanārāyaṇa had caused his ruin. 6.

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"Therefore, I should go to that very place where the worship of Śrī Satyanārāyaṇa was taking place." Having decided thus in his mind, the king went near the cowherds. 7.

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And together with the cowherds, filled with devotion and faith, he duly worshipped Lord Satyadeva. 8.

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By the grace of Lord Satyadeva, he was again endowed with wealth and sons, and having enjoyed all pleasures in this world, at the end he went to Satyapura (the world of Vaikuṇṭha). 9.

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Whoever undertakes this most rare vow of Satya, / and, endowed with devotion, listens to this sacred, fruit-granting story, / 10

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shall obtain wealth, grain, and the like by the grace of Satya; / a poor man obtains wealth, and a bound person is freed from bondage; / 11

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one who is frightened is liberated from fear—this is truly so, without doubt— / and having enjoyed his desired fruit, at the end he goes to the city of Satya. / 12

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Thus has the observance of Satyanārāyaṇa been told to you, O brahmins, / by performing which a human being is freed from all miseries. (13)

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"Translation:— Sūta says: Whichever person performs this most rare observance of Śrī Satyanārāyaṇa and, endowed with devotion, listens to the meritorious, fruit-bestowing tale… (10)

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by the grace of Lord Satyanārāyaṇa, he attains wealth, grain, and the like. Wealth comes to the house of the poor man, and he who is bound is freed from bondage. (11)

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The frightened person is freed from fear—this is the truth, there is no doubt about it. Having enjoyed all desired fruits [in this world], in the end he goes to Satyaloka (Vaikuṇṭhaloka). (12)

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O brahmins! Thus have I told you of the observance of Lord Satyanārāyaṇa, by performing which a person becomes free from all miseries. (13)

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Especially in the Kali age, the worship of Satya bestows fruits. / Some will speak of Time, [some of] Satya, and others indeed of Īśa; (14)

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some [call him] Satyanārāyaṇa, and others likewise Satyadeva. / Assuming various forms, he grants what is desired to all. (15)

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In the Kali age, the eternal Lord, having taken the form of the observance of Satya, will be present; / this form, assumed by Śrī Viṣṇu, grants what is desired to all. (16)

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Whoever recites this daily or hears it, O best of sages, / his sins are destroyed by the grace of Satyadeva. (17)

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Those by whom the observance of Satyanārāyaṇa was previously performed— / I shall tell you of their other births, O lords of sages! (18)

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"Translation:—In the Kali age, worship of Lord Satyadeva (Satyanārāyaṇa) especially grants fruits. Indeed, some people will call Lord Viṣṇu Kāla, some Satya, some Īśa, (14)

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and some Satyadeva, and other people will speak of him by the name Satyanārāyaṇa. Assuming multiple forms, Lord Satyanārāyaṇa fulfills everyone's desires. (15)

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In the Kali age, the eternal Lord Viṣṇu himself, having assumed the form of the Satya-observance, will fulfill the desires of all. (16)

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O excellent sages! Whichever person daily reads or hears this narrative of the observance of Lord Satyanārāyaṇa, all his sins are destroyed by the grace of Lord Satyanārāyaṇa. (17)

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O lords of sages! The account of the future births of those people who performed the observance of Lord Satyanārāyaṇa in earlier times, I shall tell; listen to it. (18)

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__________
"The greatly wise Śatānanda became the brahmin Sudāman; / in that birth, having meditated upon Śrī Kṛṣṇa, he attained liberation. (19)

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Word-meanings: śatānandaḥ = (nominative singular, agent-case). mahāprājñaḥ = one of great wisdom (prajñā = intellect endowed with discernment, by which one comprehends exceptionally). sudāmā brāhmaṇaḥ hi abhūt = indeed became the brahmin named Sudāmā. abhūt = verbal form of bhū — active voice (kartari prayoga), aorist (luṅ lakāra), parasmaipada, third person singular. tasmin + janmani = in that birth. śrīkṛṣṇaṃ = Śrī Kṛṣṇa. dhyātvā = root dhyai + ktvā suffix: having meditated upon. mokṣaṃ = liberation. avāpa = attained. ha = indeed.
"The wood-carrying Bhilla indeed became king Guha; / In that birth, having served Śrī Rāma, he surely attained liberation. 20.

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Word-meanings: kāṣṭhabhāravahaḥ = woodcutter. bhillaḥ guharājaḥ babhūva = the Bhilla became king Guha. ha = indeed. tasmin + janmani = in that birth. śrīrāmaṃ sevya = having served Śrī Rāma. mokṣaṃ jagāma vai = surely attained liberation. jagāma = root gam (in the sense of attaining and going), perfect tense (liṭ lakāra), active voice (kartari prayoga), parasmaipada, singular form of the nominative/agent.
"The great king Ulkāmukha became king Daśaratha; / Having worshipped Śrī Raṅganātha, he then went to glorious Vaikuṇṭha. 21.

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Word-meaning: Ulkāmukha, the great king, became King Daśaratha [in another birth]. Having properly worshipped Śrī Raṅganātha, he then went to Vaikuṇṭha.
“The righteous and true-to-his-promise Sādhu became [King] Moradhvaja. / Having cut his body in half with saws and given it away, he truly attained liberation. 22

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Word-meaning: dhārmikaḥ = performer of virtuous deeds; satyasandhaḥ = true to his promise; sādhuḥ = the merchant named Sādhu; moradhvajaḥ abhavat = became the king named Mayūradhvaja; dehārdham = half his body; krakacaiḥ chittvā = having sawn apart (cut) with saws; dattvā mokṣam avāpa ha = and having offered [it], he attained liberation.
“The great king Tuṅgadhvaja indeed became Svāyambhuva [Manu]. / Having made everyone devotees of the Lord, he then went to holy Vaikuṇṭha. 23

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Word-meaning: tuṅgadhvajo mahārājaḥ svāyambhuvo'bhavat kila = the great king Tuṅgadhvaja indeed became Svāyambhuva in the course of time; sarvān bhāgavatān kṛtvā = having made all devotees of the Lord; śrīvaikuṇṭhaṃ tadā'gamat = then he went to Vaikuṇṭha.
“And all those cowherds, having become dwellers in the circle of Vraja, / slew all the demons and then went to Goloka. 24”

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Word-meaning:
All those cowherds who performed the recitation of Satyanārāyaṇa in the forest, [having taken birth / having become] in the circle of Vraja,

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gopāḥ = cowherds; te sarve = all of them; vrajamaṇḍalavāsinaḥ = dwellers in the circle of Vraja;
nihatya = having slain; rākṣasān sarvān = all the demons;
golokaṃ tu tadā yayuḥ = then they went to Goloka.
The brahmin named Śatānanda, endowed with great wisdom, [by the efficacy of observing the vow of Satyanārāyaṇa] became the brahmin named Sudāmā in another birth, and having meditated upon Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa in that birth, he attained liberation. 19.

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The woodcutter became Guharāja, the king of the Bhillas, and in his next birth, having served Lord Śrī Rāma, he attained liberation. 20.

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The great king Ulkāmukha [in another birth] became King Daśaratha, who, having worshipped Śrī Raṅganātha (Viṣṇu), ultimately attained Vaikuṇṭha. 21.

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Likewise, the righteous and truth-observing Sādhu [by the power of the vow of truth from his past birth] became the king named Moradhvaja in another birth. Having sawn apart half the body of his son and offered it to Lord Viṣṇu, he attained liberation. 22.

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The great king Tuṅgadhvaja was Svāyambhuva Manu in his former birth, and having performed all duties dedicated to the Lord, he attained the world of Vaikuṇṭha. Those who were cowherds became cowherds dwelling in the circle of Vraja in another birth, and having slain all the demons, they too attained the eternal realm of the Lord—Goloka. 19–24.

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit