Skandapurana 6.3.28

English (machine translation) 6.3.28

Language: English

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Mārkaṇḍeya said: / Meanwhile Rudra, stationed on the bank of the Narmadā, / was sporting with Umā, and Nārada arrived there.

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Bowing to Śaṅkara, the lord of the gods, along with Umā, / he then informed the god of what had occurred in Tripura at that time.

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"By my Lord's command I went to that palace of Bāṇa. / Having seen Bāṇa according to custom, I entered the great inner chambers.

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Having seen there the thousands of wives of the wise Bāṇa, / properly and as I pleased, having agitated that city, I have returned."

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Hearing Nārada's words, praising him, saying, "Well done! Well done!", / the lord of the gods reflected indeed on the wandering of Tripura:

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"Just as the discus was released from the hand by the mighty Viṣṇu, / of great speed and great range, protected by my splendour;

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and Bāṇa, renowned in the world, is devoted in bhakti to me; / and speech was given by me, especially to the brahmins."

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Having thus reflected for a very long time, the god of gods, Maheśvara, / the lord of men, regarding the task of supreme cessation,

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the three-eyed lord then visualized Mandara for his bow, made the earth his bowstring, / and visualized the eternal god Viṣṇu as the arrow,

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the blazing, all-facing god Agni as the arrowhead, / Suparṇa between the two feathers, and fashioned Vāyu as its speed;

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having made a chariot consisting of the earth, he placed both the Aśvins on the yoke, / the god Indra on the axle, and Kubera on the front axle-pin;

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Yama on the right side, and the dread Kāla on the left, / the Sun and Moon as the two wheels, and the Gandharvas on the spokes and other parts;

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the eldest of the gods as the charioteer, having made the Vedas the excellent horses, / the Vedāṅgas on the bridle-bits and fittings, and the meters the reins;

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having made the syllable Oṃ the whip held in the hand, Maheśvara, / placing Dhātṛ in front and Vidhātṛ behind;

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the winds from all directions, and likewise in the upper machinery / the great serpents and Piśācas, as well as the Siddhas and Vidyādharas,

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and the gaṇas and multitudes of bhūtas, all in all the joints of its limbs; / Meru stood in the middle of the yoke, and the great mountain below the yoke;

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the dread serpents were placed in the mechanism, Varuṇa and Nirṛti in the yoke-pins, / and Gāyatrī and Sāvitrī were stationed in the fastening of the reins;

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truth on the chariot banner, purity and restraint as the protection on all sides— / having made the chariot composed of gods, the god of gods, Maheśvara,

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fully armed, wearing armor, bearing a sword, wearing the archer’s arm-guard and finger-guards, / tightly girding his loins and binding his matted hair,

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strung the divine bow, yoked the excellent chariot, / and standing in the center of the chariot, the god shone forth, O Yudhiṣṭhira!

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With the roaring sound of his bow he made the three worlds tremble; / assuming the vaiśākha posture, Hara stood motionless.

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Gazing for a long time, his eyes reddened with rage, / meditating upon that supreme mantra and restraining himself,

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he suddenly loosed the arrow, desiring the destruction of the city, / when the three [cities] had come together, positioned in mid-air.

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Then, seeing the unity of Tripura for half the wink of an eye, / he destroyed them with the three-jointed, three-pointed [arrow].

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Then the people in Tripura were terrified with fear, O best of Bharatas; / for the destruction of all the asuras, [portents] fearful as the form of Kāla [arose].

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Men, assuming miserable forms, then burst into bursts of loud laughter, / and they blinked constantly in their work of writing.

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Mortals had motionless eyes, as if painted in pictures; / the gods residing in temples cried out and laughed out loud, / and [people] saw themselves in dreams adorned with red garments,

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having red garlands on their heads, falling into a muddy pool; / indeed, they saw themselves with their heads anointed with oil;

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they saw themselves mounted upon a vehicle drawn by donkeys, O best of kings. / A great saṃvartaka wind arose, immense like the end of an era;

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it uprooted houses and trees of many species; / there were earthquakes accompanied by thunderclaps and thousands of falling meteors;

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the sky rained blood mixed with many gravel stones; / the fire properly offered in the fire-altars of the brahmins

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blazed enveloped in smoke, together with showers of sparks; / the elephants lost their rut, and the horses became bereft of strength;

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thousands of musical instruments were sounded without being played; / unblown banners fell, as did various umbrellas;

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trees blazed there, and leaves, and the assembly hall was covered; / everything became bewildered and filled with cries of woe;

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the gale shattered the splendid gardens; / driven by it, all blazing arrow-like flames [spread];

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trees, bushes, creepers, vines, and houses on all sides— / the fire spread across every quarter of the sky;

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everything was seen blazing with the hue of kiṃśuka leaves; / it was impossible to go from house to house due to the smoke;

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burned by the fire of Hara's wrath, the people in Tripura wailed; / ablaze in all directions, supreme Tripura was consumed;

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thousands of shattered mountain-peaks fell; / the fire, mingled with smoke, burning on all sides,

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dancing indeed, covering every quarter and region, rushed into the forests; / in all the temples, houses, and turrets,

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the fire broke out there in the city, impelled by Time; / stirred to fury by Hara's anger, it burned the people everywhere;

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it burned the populace of Tripura, including the young and the old, / with their city, with their doorways, with their vehicles and forests, O king!

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Some were clinging to food, and others were clinging to drink; / other courtesans were engaged in singing and dancing;

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embracing one another, tormented by the flames of fire, / being burned, O best of kings, they all became unconscious and perished.

Then other Dānavas were burned there, stupefied by the fire; / unable to go anywhere else, their faces were choked with smoke; / lotus pools crowded with geese and kāraṇḍava ducks, with golden lotuses [were destroyed]—

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Various reservoirs and wells burned there, O descendant of Bharata; / city gardens and oblong ponds, covered with unfading lotuses / extending for eight yojanas, were seen burned by the fire.

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Palaces there, resembling mountain peaks and adorned with jewels, / were seen scorched by the fire and shattered on the surface of the earth.

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As men, women, children, and the aged were burning on every side, / the fire blazed mercilessly, and a great wailing arose. / One [woman] had been sleeping pleasantly, another was heedless, O best of kings;

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an excellent woman, having sported, was lying on a very broad couch; / another, large-eyed and adorned with rows of necklaces, while asleep / was choked by smoke and, wretched, fell into the fire.

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A woman in that blazing city, clinging fondly through love for her son, / hugged her son tightly and was burned by the fire in Tripura.

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One of golden hue, adorned with sapphires, / seeing her husband fallen, fell upon him.

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Another, shining with the hue of the sun, asleep upon her beloved, / struck by the flames of fire, embraced his neck tightly, O king.

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Another woman, cloud-complexioned, with a jangling golden girdle / and an upper garment of white cloth, fell to the surface of the earth.

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One having the lustre of a jasmine and the moon, adorned with blue gems, / placing her joined hands upon her head, made a plea to the fire.

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The garment of one was burning, and the hair of another, O descendant of Bharata, / along with vessels of gold resembling blazing fire.

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An excellent woman, stricken with immense sorrow, lamented / upon seeing her husband turned to ashes, crying like an osprey.

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Embracing him tightly, she suddenly fell upon his head. / Another woman, deeply afflicted with sorrow, wailed in her own house,

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crying like an osprey upon seeing [it] reduced to ashes. / Another, seeing her mother and father lifeless,

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shook and fell to the ground, like an exhausted mare. / Here and there an excellent woman, burning,

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did not see the child in her lap, standing with her face turned away. / The house of Kumbhila burned and fell to the surface of the earth,

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and of Kūṣmāṇḍa, Dhūmra, Kuhaka, and Baka, / and indeed of Virūpanayana and Virūpākṣa,

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and Śumbha, Ḍimbha, Raudra, and Prahlāda, best of asuras, / Daṇḍapāṇi, Vipāṇi, and Siṃhavaktra, O sinless one,

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and Dundubha, Saṃhrāda, Ḍiṇḍi, and Muṇḍi, / and Bāṇa's brother, and Bāṇa, Kravyāda and Vyāghravaktra.

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Likewise in the house of those others—whatever Dānavas were arrogant with strength— / the fire blazed mercilessly, O king. / The women, burning, lamented in every house, O dear one.

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Uttering words of pity, destitute, they went to Śiva: / "Fire! If the enmity of the enemy of the gods is against men,

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what offense have the women committed—cuckoos in the cage of the home? / You are unmerciful and cruel! What is your anger against a woman?

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Have you not heard in the world that women are by all means not to be slain? / But you have the quality of burning, driven by the wind.

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You have no compassion at all, nor any courtesy toward a woman. / Even barbarians show mercy upon hearing the words of women.

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You are a barbarian even among barbarians, unrestrainable and mindless!" / While the women were thus lamenting right there, O descendant of Bharata,

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the fire, thick with masses of flames, blazed on. / Seeing this, Bāṇa, burning, spoke then:

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"Having disregarded Hara, I, an evil soul, am utterly ruined. / By me, an evil fool, the worlds were certainly destroyed;

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cows and brahmins were constantly killed in this world and the next; / food and drink, monasteries, gardens, and hermitages were destroyed,

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as well as the hermitages of seers, gardens of the gods, and dwellings of the gaṇas. / Through that sin comes the destruction of my austerity and strength.

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What shall I do with wealth, with the kingdom, or with the inner quarters?

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Rather, dull-witted, I go for refuge to Śaṅkara's feet. / There is neither mother, nor father, nor kinsman, nor any other person,

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apart from Maheśāna, the supreme remover of the distress of the afflicted. / The sin committed by oneself is experienced by oneself alone.

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Yet I burn together with all the virtuous ones." / Having spoken thus, placing the liṅga of Śiva upon his head,

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he went forth quickly from the house, enveloped by fire. / Distressed, his limbs sweating, stumbling repeatedly,

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praising Hara with a choked voice, he went for refuge: / "If, scorched by the fire of your wrath, I am to be slain, O Śaṅkara,

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by your grace, O Mahādeva, let not my liṅga perish! / It was worshipped by me, O best of gods, meditated upon with devotion, O all-pervading lord,

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dearer than my life, O God! Therefore, you ought to protect it. / Whether I am to be favored or to be slain by you, O best of the gods,

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let my devotion to you be unwavering in every birth, O Mahādeva! / Even among animals, insects, and birds, and among those born of animal wombs / through my own past deeds, O Mahādeva, let my devotion to you be unwavering!"

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Having spoken thus, the illustrious Bāṇa, foremost among devotees, / propitiated the Lord of the Gods with a hymn of praise, O descendant of Bharata.

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Bāṇa said: / "O Śiva, Śaṅkara, homage to the destroyer of all! Homage to the remover of the fear and distress of those afraid of worldly existence! / O causer of the destruction of the body of the flower-weaponed one, O god who fulfills the desires beloved of women, homage to you!

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Victory, O Lord of Pārvatī, essence of the supreme truth! Victory, O you who have fashioned a garland of terrible serpents! / Victory, O you whose limbs are smeared with spotless ashes! Victory, O root of mantras, sole vessel of the universe!

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Victory, O you with a mass of brown matted hair containing poisonous serpents! Victory, O you who hold the bow Pināka, terrible one! / Victory, O you with uneven eyes, free from attachment! Victory, O Śaṅkara, bearer of the waves of the Gaṅgā!"

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Victory to you of terrible form, skull-staff in hand, with the crescent moon on your crest! Victory to you, praised by the worlds! / Victory, lord of joy, essence of the realm of the gods! Victory, you who burnt entirely the essence of all!

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Victory to you who are worthy of praise, purifier of the worlds! Victory, bull-bannered one of manifold deeds! / Victory, you who fashioned a garland of human skeletons, death unto the skeleton of the demon Agha’s body!

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Victory, blue-throated one who rides an excellent bull! Victory, allayer of the misfortunes of all worlds! / Victory, you whose feet are bowed to by siddhas, gods, and asuras! Victory, Rudra who ferries across the terrible ocean of worldly existence!

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Victory, mountain-dweller revered by the lord of the gods! Victory, subtle-formed one worthy of contemplation! / Victory, destroyer of Tripura, inner being of the universe, ultimate reality of all scriptures!

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Victory, difficult to comprehend, redeemer from worldly existence, fierce savior across the great ocean of the defilements of the Kali age! / Victory, lord of the host of gods and asuras! Homage to you whose faces include the horse, monkey, lion, and lord of elephants!

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Extremely short, stout, and exceedingly tall—your perception cannot indeed be attained by the immortals. / Taintless one, I bow to your feet! Victory, you accompanied by Ambā, who steals the luster of beautiful eyes!

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Failing to reach you, what would not an exalted person destroy? / And then great, extremely dreadful tapas is severely tormenting.

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Neither sons, kinsmen, wives, nor all one's friends / approach to assist in distress as one goes alone on the path.

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Whatever karma alone, good or bad, has been done by him, / that alone becomes his companion as he goes forward.

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For the penniless wanderer alone there is no fear anywhere; / a wealthy man is never freed from fears. Therefore I renounce wealth.

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The greedy commit sins, but men of pure disposition do not, / having heard the essence of dharma, and having heard and comprehended it.

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You are Viṣṇu, you are the Lord of the Universe, the eternal form of Brahman. / You are Indra, O god of the lords of gods, lord of the celestials, homage to you!

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You are the earth and Varuṇa, you are the wind, and you are the fire. / You are the consecration, the sacrificer, space, and Soma.

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You are the sun, and you are the lord of wealth, you are Yama, and you are the guru. / By you the entire universe is pervaded, as the three worlds are by the sun.

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Having heard this hymn composed by Bāṇa, the divine Maheśvara, / relinquishing anger with a pleased heart, then spoke [these] words:

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Īśvara said: / Do not fear, do not fear from this day forward, O dānava! / Stay in the golden mansion or else by my side,

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with your sons, grandsons, great-grandsons, kinsmen, and wife. / From this day forward, dear child, you are invulnerable among all enemies.

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Mārkaṇḍeya said: / Further, a boon was granted to him by the god of gods, O descendant of Bharata, / worshipped in heaven, on earth, and in Pātāla by gods and asuras:

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Imperishable and unwaning, dwell as you please! / Then Rudra restrained the seven-flamed [fire].

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His third city was protected by the divine Śambhu, / while the other, engulfed in garlands of flames, fell onto the surface of the earth.

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Rising halfway upwards, its flames reached the heavens. / A great cry of woe was uttered there by the hosts of seers,

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and by the exalted deities, siddhas, vidyādharas, and others. / One northern section fell there on Śrīśaila;

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the second fell, O king, on Mount Amarakaṇṭaka. / Blazing, it fell there; therefore it is remembered as Jvāleśvara.

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Tripura having been burned, O king, and the upper section having fallen, / the divine Rudra remained there, turning back the garlands of flames,

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in order to protect the seers who were crying out in woe, / Maheśāna himself in bodily form, accompanied by Umā and the bull.

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Whoever recalls Amarakaṇṭaka with devotion even in mind / obtains merit greater than the Cāndrāyaṇa fast; of this there is no doubt.

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Because this best of mountains is extremely sacred, O best of the Bharatas, / for this reason, O king, it always destroys all sins.

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It is filled with various trees and creepers, adorned with various flowers, / covered with various bushes and plants, and surrounded by manifold climbing vines.

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It is teeming with lions and tigers, adorned with herds of deer; / and with the roar of wild beasts it was constantly delightful.

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By immortals in their thousands, headed by Brahmā, Indra, and Viṣṇu, / Śaṅkara, the lord of the gods of gods, is served there on that mountain.

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Whoever leaps down on this Mount Amarakaṇṭaka / sports, O king, through the fourteen worlds in succession:

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the realm of Indra, the realm of Agni, of Kubera, of Vāyu, and of Yama, / of Nirṛti, of Varuṇa, of Soma, and of Sūrya,

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and the unblemished abode of Brahmā, immediately after that the abode of Viṣṇu, / then, O illustrious one, the abode of Umā and Rudra, and next the abode of Īśvara.

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Into the supreme, peaceful, subtle Sadāśiva, the light beyond the senses, / the steadfast person attains dissolution according to the rule; of this there is no doubt.

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Yudhiṣṭhira said: / What rule has been prescribed here regarding the leap, O best of seers? / Relate all of this to me, O great sage; I have a doubt.

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Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya said: / Listen, son of Pāṇḍu, I will declare that rule, / having performed which initial rite one should leap down thereafter.

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Having first performed three Kṛcchra penances and recited [the mantra] one million times, / eating only herbs and barley gruel, pure and bathing at the three junctures of the day, O king,

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one should worship Īśa, the three-eyed god of gods, at the three times of the day. / One should have a fire offering made right there with one tenth [of the japa count], O best of kings.

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One should recite [the name of] the god a hundred thousand times and worship with perfumes and garlands. / At night, when one sees him in a dream standing in a vimāna, one should then throw oneself down.

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Whoever throws oneself down according to this very procedure, / having reached the celestial world, sports together with the gods.

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For thirty thousand years and likewise three hundred million [years], / having enjoyed delightful pleasures, he then goes down to the surface of the earth. // 28.127

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He rules the earth under a single umbrella, worshipped by the world; / freed from illness and sorrow, he lives for a hundred autumns. // 28.128

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The sacred ford Jvāleśvara is renowned in the three worlds; / there the Jvālā River, created by Śiva, flowed forth, O son of Pṛthā. // 28.129

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Having extinguished that city of Bāṇa, it joined with the Revā. / Having bathed there according to rule, accompanied by mantras, O great king, // 28.130

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one should gratify the ancestors and the deities with water mixed with sesame seeds, / and the ancestors with the offering of rice-balls; he obtains the fruit of a Pauṇḍarīka sacrifice. // 28.131

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Whoever undertakes fasting unto death at that sacred ford, O ruler of men, / is freed from all sins and goes to the world of Rudra. // 28.132

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Amareśvara is indeed served by hundreds of immortals / and likewise by hosts of seers; therefore it is the most sacred and great. // 28.133

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The sacred ford of Amarakaṇṭaka extends for a yojana all around; / it is equal to ten million Rudras, and therefore it is supremely sacred. // 28.134

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Whoever circumambulates that king of mountains, / by him the earth has been circumambulated; of this there is no doubt. // 28.135

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All the three kinds of sin—vocal, mental, / and bodily—are destroyed: so Śaṅkara said. // 28.136

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And beside Amareśvara is the sacred ford Śakreśvara, O king; / having performed austerity there in ancient times, it was established by Śakra. // 28.137

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The auspicious sacred ford named Kuśāvarta was made by Brahmā, / known as Brahmakuṇḍa, and another is Haṃsatīrtha. // 28.138

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And the sacred ford of Ambarīṣa, and likewise Mahākāleśvara; / and to the east of the Kāverī is the sacred ford Mātṛkeśvara. // 28.139

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These are on the southern bank of the Revā, O bull of the Bharatas; / through worship, bathing, and gifts, they destroy multitudes of sins. // 28.140

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On Bhṛgutuṅga, O great king, the well-known Bhairava is Śiva; / and in its southern part is the sacred ford Capaleśvara. // 28.141

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These two, destroyers of sorrow, stand on the northern bank of the Revā. / Having worshipped them and bowed down to them, the full fruit of pilgrimage is attained; / for unseen and unhonoured, they cause obstacles to men. // 28.142

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Thus ends the twenty-eighth chapter, named ‘Description of the Māhātmya of the Sacred Fords of Jvāleśvara and Amareśvara in the Destruction of Tripura’, in the Revākhaṇḍa of the fifth [part], Āvantyakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, a collection of eighty-one thousand verses.

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit