Skandapurana 7.3

English (machine translation) 7.3

Language: English

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Having gone forth then, Nandin went to the best of rivers, / known as Bhuvanā, which brings welfare to all worlds.

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Entering it, the wise, radiant one stood one-pointed. / Afraid of death, collected in mind, he then murmured prayers to Rudra.

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As he was murmuring prayers right there, intent on that, desiring that blessing, / when one ten-million had been recited, then the god was pleased.

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Having immersed himself again, self-restrained in the very same way, / he murmured another ten-million [recitations], contemplating only Rudra.

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Then, when the second ten-million was completed, the bull-bannered [god] / approached him and said: "I am a granter of boons!"

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He said: "O Blessed One, Lord of Gods, I wish to recite / an additional third ten-million by your grace, O omnipresent one!"

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"So be it," the Blessed One replied once more. / [...] with the goddess, the high-minded one went to his own abode.

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Then he recited another third ten-million of the Rudra prayers; / thereupon the twice-born became radiant like the sun at the end of the world-age.

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When his three ten-millions were completed, O Vyāsa, the god of flaming splendor, / Śiva together with his gaṇas, approached that region.

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Taking him with his hand, from the water surrounding him, / and touching Nandin with the tips of his fingers, the slayer of Time said:

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"O son of Śilāda, I am a granter of boons to you, pleased by this austerity. / Well has it been recited by you, wise one! Tell what is in your heart."

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"May I recite yet another ten-million through your fiery power! / I choose this boon, O God, if you are pleased with me, O omnipresent one!"

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"O son of Śilāda, [...] I, together with Ambikā, am pleased with you. / Whatever desire you choose today, all that I grant to you.

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The state of Brahmā, or the state of Viṣṇu, or the state of Indra, or any other state— / become the sun or Rudra! Tell me, what shall I do for you?"

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He, thus addressed by the god, bowed his head at [his] feet / and praised the destroyer of the cities, of the body of Kāma, of the sacrifice, and of the mountain:

"Homage to the supreme God of gods! Homage indeed to Mahādeva! / Homage to the destroyer of the limbs of Kāma! Homage indeed to the blue-throated one! / Homage to the destroyer of Tuṣita, and to the subduer of the three worlds! / Homage to the foremost staff of Time, homage indeed to the terrible staff!"

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To him whose hands and feet are everywhere, whose eyes and faces are everywhere, / to him who rules over all, who abides encompassing everything.
Homage to you who are gold-hued and beyond the senses; / homage to the golden liṅga, homage indeed to the universal liṅga.

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Homage to him whose color is like the moon and sun, to the lord of yoga, the unconquered one, / to him whose hand holds the Pināka bow, and whose hands bear the trident and the club.

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To the quiver-bearer, the sword-bearer, and the bearer of the battle-axe, / to the charioteer, the shield-bearer, and indeed homage to Maheśa.
Homage to him whose hand holds the three-pronged spear, the bearer of the fierce staff; / homage to the lord of the gaṇas, homage to the lord of the Rudras.

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Homage to him with a thousand eyes, homage indeed to him with a hundred eyes; / to the lord of the Ādityas, homage to the lord of the Vasus.
Homage to the lord of the earth, homage to the lord of space;

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homage to the lord of the heavenly world, homage to the husband of Umā.
Homage to him who is reachable through yoga, the granter of all yoga, / who is meditated upon by meditators and praised by meditators.

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To Death, the staff of Time, to Yama, and to the Great Soul; / to the overlord of the gods, and to him of divine form.

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To the sacrifice, the giver of wealth, the bestower of heaven, and to victory; / to the sun among all the gods, to Dharma of multiform shapes;
to the immortal, the choice one, praised by all deities, / who severed the head of Brahmā and the head of the great sacrifice.

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[Critical notes:] 9. tidevāya - ms. gha. 10

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[Critical notes:] sukhāya - ms. gha. 11 prasavitre ca? 12 syānave gha, sthāsnave.. 13 vaṅgine - ms. gha. 14 caiva - ms. gha. 15

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[Critical notes:] ādityānaṣṭa... gha, . ādityapataye cāṣṭa? . 16 haṃtre - ms. gha. / 96

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To the destroyer of Tripura, the fierce one, the remover of all inauspiciousness; / to him whose half-body is the form of Umā, whose eye is on the forehead.

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To the slayer of Mahiṣa and Andhaka, the seer, Parameṣṭhin; / to the holy teacher, the generator of Brahmā;
to the teacher of Kumāra, the granter of boons to Kumāra;

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to the bearer of the plow, the crusher with the pestle, homage to him of great laughter.

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To him in whose hands is the snare of Death, whose sacred thread is Takṣaka; / to him accompanied by lightning, clouds, and wind, who likewise rides upon a bull.
To the dweller on the Himavat and the Vindhya, the dweller on the back of Meru, / the dweller on Kailāsa, and the companion of the Lord of Wealth.

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To him who yielded half his body to Viṣṇu, who gave boons to him; / to the lord of sacrifice of all beings, compassionate to all beings.

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To the primeval being within all beings, the giver of life to living creatures; / homage to you who think, and indeed to consciousness itself.
To the one who is known, the object of knowledge, the seer, homage to the eye; / homage to you who cause perception by touch, and likewise to taste.

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Homage to smell and the smeller, to the ear and the hearer; / to the hand-possessor and the hand, and likewise to the foot-possessor and the foot.
Homage to the maker of joy, and homage to you who are joy; / to speech and to the eloquent speaker, to the Great Soul who is the subtle elements.

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Homage to the subtle and to the gross, to sattva and to rajas; / homage continually to austerity, to the knower of the field, the unconquered one.
To Viṣṇu, the creator of the world, homage to the lord of creatures; / homage to the seven sages, to the one who is tormented and to the ascetic.

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[Critical notes:] 17 dṛṣṭe - ms. gha. 18 sarvabhūtāya - ms. gha. 19 ?tṛdvamānāya - ms. gha. 20 buddhyāya - ms. gha. 21 duṣṭo - ms. gha. 22 kṣetrajñāya - ms. gha.

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To him who is gracious to brahmins and […], homage likewise to Durvāsas; / to the craftsman, the lord of crafts, the wise Viśvakarman.

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Homage to you who are Atri, Bhṛgu, and Vasiṣṭha; / to the existent one, the lord of beings, homage to the lord of […]

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To him who stands, who runs, who sings, and who dances; / to the unrestrainable, the invulnerable, the ageless, and the immortal.

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To the imperishable, to the one into whom all dissolves, and to the unimpeded; / who cannot be possessed by anyone, whose nature is both the visible and the invisible.

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To the subtlest of the subtle, the lord of all, the Great Soul; / homage to you, O Lord, who are without eyes, homage to you, O Lord Śiva!

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Homage to you, O Lord of all the worlds, homage to the creator of the worlds! / I do not desire dominion over the gods, nor the status of Brahmā,

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nor the status of Viṣṇu, O Lord of gods, nor the status of Indra, O protector of beings! / I desire, O Īśāna, to be your attendant eternally and imperishably.
I desire always to see you, O Lord of gods, together with your attendants, with the Mother, gracious and accompanied by your retinue; / let this boon be granted to me!

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Having formerly granted me a refuge, O God, you [prevent] rebirth; / and you, O Lord, are my refuge; I see no other anywhere.

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For one abandoned by you, there is swift destruction; of this there is no doubt. / I see no other refuge; I will go near you who are auspicious.

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Devoted and loving, dedicated to you and taking refuge in you, / accept me always, O God; let this boon be granted to me!

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Sanatkumāra said:

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A person who rises in the morning and recites this with an undisturbed mind, / upon shedding his body, becomes equal to Nandīśvara.
[Critical notes:] 23 brahmaṇā - ms. gha. 24 takrāya (bhaktāya? tarkāya?) - ms. gha. 25... svāṃta - ms. gha. 26

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[Critical notes:] dṛśyadṛśyāya - ms. gha. 27 tena - ms. gha. 28 tvaṃ ca - ms. gha. 29.. śaṃ - ms. gha, vi . śān? . 30

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[Critical notes:] yāsyāmyantikaṃ - ms. gha. 31 laṃ - ms. gha. / 98

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And whoever hears this constantly, or causes it to be heard among the twice-born, / attains the fruit of an aśvamedha and is honored in the world of Rudra.

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Having heard even once this hymn that destroys sins, / wherever he may die, O Vyāsa, he will not come to a bad state.
He who, with restrained self, continually recites this foremost hymn and worships the deity— / what need has he of various sacrifices, gifts, sacred fords, or well-performed austerities?

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Thus ends the twenty-first chapter in the Skandapurāṇa.

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Sanatkumāra said:

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Then the lord of the gods, [seeing him] filled with supreme devotion, / eyes full of tears, distressed, bowing with his head at his feet...

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Taking him up with both gentle hands, the dispeller of supreme sorrow / raised him up, and Soma wiped his tear-filled eyes. // 2

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And pleased at heart, the Lord addressed him as if gratifying him with speech, / having looked at all the leaders of the gaṇas together with the Goddess. // 3

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The god of gods said:

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"I know your devotion to me, and I know your distress, O sinless one. / Hear the future outcome of all that, O son of Śilāda: // 4 // / You will be immortal, freed from old age, ever devoid of sorrow, / imperishable and undecaying, along with your father and friends. // 5

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You will be dear to me, a leader of the gaṇas, possessing my prowess and my valor, / ever beloved by me, and always remaining at my side. // 6

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You shall have a form like mine, endowed with the power of great yoga. / And I grant you residence upon the prosperous island in the Milk Ocean, a mine of nectar, / where you shall rejoice forever." / Then, taking off a garland of lotus flowers from himself, // 7–8

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the one of great splendor fastened it, of celestial form, upon Nandin. / Adorned with that garland clinging to his neck, Nandin shone forth // 9

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with three eyes and ten arms, glorious, like a second Śaṅkara. / Then, taking [his] hand with his own hand, the Blessed Lord Hara // 10

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said: "Speak, what excellent boon may I grant you today? / Furthermore, this hermitage has been exceedingly sanctified by your austerity. // 11

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It will be celebrated as Japyeśvara, my secret place; / an area of a yojana all around, celestial, surrounded by hosts of gods, // 12

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thronged with siddhas and cāraṇas, and attended by hosts of apsarases; / it will be a supreme, secret sacred field of perfections, without a doubt. // 13 // / Whatever a man does here in deed, mind, or speech, / whether auspicious or inauspicious, all that will turn out auspicious. // 14

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While muttering prayers here, he shall indeed become equal to the Rudras; / dying wherever, mortals will attain the same world as you." / Then, taking the water flowing over his matted hair, pure as a pearl necklace, / having said, "Become a river!", the one of great austerity released it. // 15–16

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Then that great river began to flow, with celestial waters, / sacred, with crystalline waters, auspicious, crowded with swans and kāraṇḍavas, adorned with cakravākas, // 17

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endowed with forests of lotuses and water lilies. / And having assumed the form of a woman, with folded hands, bowing her head, // 18
[Critical apparatus]

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100

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with eyes resembling the petals of a lotus, she approached the god. / Then the god spoke to that river who had approached in person: // 19

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"Because you have sprung from the water of my matted hair, O goddess, O fair-faced one, / therefore you shall be the best of rivers, named Jaṭodā. // 20 // / But whoever performs ritual ablution in you, purified and with restrained mind,

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having attained the fruit of an horse sacrifice, is glorified in the realm of Rudra." // 21 // / Sanatkumāra said:

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Then [the god] said to the Goddess [...] regarding the exceedingly radiant Nandīśvara: / "This is your son," and made him bow at her feet. // 22

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Smelling him upon his head and stroking him with her hands, / she bathed him out of maternal love with three streams born from her breasts. // 23

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With milk fair as a conch, as the Goddess gazed upon the God, / those three streams flowed from her, becoming the river Odhavatī. // 24

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Then Hara addressed that sacred, three-streamed river. / Having seen that three-streamed river, the bull was filled with supreme joy // 25 // / and roared; and from that roar, another river arose.

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Because that great river had issued forth from the roar of the bull, // 26

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therefore the one whose banner bears a bull addressed her as Ḍhiṅkārikā. / The god fastened on him his own wonderful, exceedingly marvelous crown / made of gold, and two ear-rings born of nectar. / Having seen him thus honored in the sky, a sun-like cloud, // 27–28

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the divine vehicle, showered down, roaring and accompanied by a multitude of lightnings. / As he was being anointed then, two streams flowed forth abundantly. // 29
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101

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And because one river issued forth from the golden ear-ring, / Mahādeva addressed her by the name Svarṇodakā. // 30 // / And because a second sacred river issued forth from the auspicious crown made of Jambū gold,

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he called her the river Jāmbūnadī. // 31

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This is known as the Pañcanada ('Five Rivers'), located near Japyeśvara; / the fruit of these, beginning with Jaṭodā, has been explained by the great-souled one. // 32 // / Having gone to that divine Pañcanada and to that god Japyeśvara, / fasting for three nights, having bathed and worshipped the wielder of the trident, // 33

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and having gratified the brahmins, a man dying wherever / shall become a follower of Nandīśvara and dwell in the Ocean of Milk. // 34

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And he who casts away his hard-to-abandon life-breaths at Japyeśvara, / whether by vow or otherwise, shall become my Gaṇa-leader. (35)

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Equal to Nandīśvara, eternal indeed, indestructible, imperishable, / and a companion by my side, beloved and truly esteemed. (36)

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Whatever human being arrives at Japyeśvara and that Pañcanada and gives up his body / shall always be my foremost Gaṇa-leader, equal to Tvaṣṭṛ, and constantly having a lovely form. (37) / Thus ends the twenty-second chapter in the Skandapurāṇa.

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42 yasmāt suvarṇānniḥ sṛtya - ka-, takuṇḍalādeko - gha. . 43 yataḥ sākṣātpravartita.. - gha . 44 jāmbūnadamayād gha? . 45 nmu.. - ka, ta t mū.?.. - gha. . 46 bhā ( t) - ka . 47 ūcuḥ - ka. . 48 jambū... - ka. . 49 nadīṃ ca tām - gha. . 50 meteṣāṃ - gha, metasya? . 51

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jaṭodayān - ka ., ?jaṭāvana - gha. . 52 tañca - gha. . 53 bhyarcaya - ka. . 54 januḥ - gha. . 55 prāṇān - gha . 56... thā - gha . 57 tiṣṭhate matpuredāra puradvāri?) yāvadābhūtasaṃplavam - gha. . 58 tvaṣṭā... - ka . 59 kānti.. - ka. . 60 yo māṃ naraḥ snāpayati paṃcanadyāṃ jahāti dehaṃ vidhivacca tāsu . ityuttarārdhatvena dattaḥ pāṭho ghapustake . 61.. .śatimo - ka. .

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102

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Sanatkumāra said:

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The Blessed One, the Lord of the lords of gods, the protector of all beings, Hara, / the master of speech, said to the goddess Umā, the daughter of the foremost mountain: (1)

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“O goddess, I shall consecrate the god Nandīśvara as the protector of beings; / I shall summon the Gaṇas. What do you think, O imperishable one?” (2)

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The goddess said:

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“The sovereignty over the seven worlds, and likewise over the Gaṇa-chiefs— / he deserves all, O Lord of gods; Nandī is my eldest son.” (3)

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Sanatkumāra said:

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Then that blessed god, the slayer of the foes of the gods, / facing the east, called upon the chiefs of the Gaṇas then. (4) / Thereupon, in thousands, the superintendents of the Gaṇas, endowed with joy, / the lords of all worlds, arrived in that very instant, O great sage. (5)

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The lords of all the worlds who arrived are the Rudras dwelling in heaven; / and there were other foremost Rudras, O Vyāsa, of whom there is no counting. (6) / And those who are the coverings of the cosmic egg, Ahirbudhnya and the rest, O sage, / Kapālins, Viśokas, having a hundred eyes, having a hundred faces, (7)

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and the other infinite Rudras with a hundred mouths and a hundred bellies, / with hands and feet everywhere, resting in all directions, (8) / endowed with virtues such as the ability to become minute, the causes of the manifestation of Brahmā— / all these lords of the worlds arrived; listen to them, O great sage! (9)

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Then [came one] with a dreadful mouth, his face adorned with a frown, / white as a conch, pearl garland, or water, with fangs, garlanded, three-eyed, (10)

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8.23.10 . . 1 devī - ka . 2 nāṃ - ka . 3 tra gha . 4 ume - gha . 5 mahā.. - ka. . 6 ttataḥ - gha. . 7 tacchṛṇuṣva - ka . 8 mahātmane - ka. . 9 ajabradhna - gha. . 10 sanātanāḥ - gha. . 11 ye śṛ... - gha. . 12 daśano - gha. . 13 bhrukuṭībhīṣaṇānanaḥ - gha. .

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103

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with a thousand topknots of matted locks raised high, hair of flames, large jaws, / eyes like burning embers, girded with a girdle of serpents, (11)

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with a tongue of lightning, a gigantic body, and likewise an erect phallus, / with a serpent as sacred thread, and holding a battle-axe, (12)

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with a waist-cord bound of snakes, and bracelets of serpents alone, / uttering roars resembling thunderclaps; (13) / known as Ḍiṇḍi, this Gaṇa-leader appeared, / surrounded by a hundred million of those resembling himself. (14)

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Among the Gaṇa-leaders, the rulers of gods, yogins of blazing splendour, / then another [appeared], having abundant hair, a gigantic body, an erect phallus, (15) / three-eyed, resembling a hundred fires, roaring like the crash of a thunderbolt, / dancing and singing, performing manifold theatrical dances, (16)

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with blazing fangs, a loud laugh, broad shoulders, holding a bow; / accompanied by twice a hundred million of noble-minded (17) / Gaṇas of varied forms, he appeared simultaneously, / having faces of lions, elephants, monkeys, leopards, and tigers. (18ab)

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A Gaṇa-leader named Oṣāḍhi arrived there, O Vyāsa. (18cd) / Sanatkumāra said:

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Then another [arrived], O Vyāsa, radiant as the sun at the end of the yuga, / with arms a hundred yojanas long, sky-clad, with an erect phallus, (19) / very tall, with an enormous penis, drooping brows, and a thick nose, / with a round mouth, huge eyes, and a face furrowed by a frown, (20)

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five yojanas wide and just as long, / bearing in his mouth four fangs white as a conch and the moon, (21)

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14 srār?dha - gha. . 15.. .śirā ka gha . 16 manā... - gha. . 17

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aṭṭahāsānasṛjam̐śca - gha. . 18 daṇḍi - gha. . 19 gaṇānāṃ ca - gha. . 20... ndyā - ka., dāna - gha. . 21... nāṃ śarabhānāṃ ca - gha. . 22 rakṣasām - gha. . 23 sasobhīnā... - gha. . 24... kṣaśca - gha. .

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performing the five-fire penance, with ears pointing upward, a noose in his hand, swift as thought; / he appeared surrounded by a thousand million of those like himself. (22) / Known as Bhārabhūti, endowed with the power of great yoga, / that Gaṇa-leader approached the Lord of gods. (23)

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Then [came one] shining like jasmine, the moon, and a conch, resembling a mass of snow or water, / shining like a lotus stalk or crystal, with ashes clinging to his armpits, (24) / having taken up thunderous laughter, three-legged, clad in rags, / with a hundred bellies, three heads, three eyes, and hair standing upright, (25)

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with fierce hair like a garland of flames, dressed in a tiger skin and black buckskin, / having the speed of the wind, a great laugh, and a girdle bound with serpents, (26)

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with a crest-ornament made of a great serpent, [with a phallus like a] peg, an erect phallus, / with ashes as his weapon, huge fangs, and huge jaws— (27) / that hero, the great Gaṇapati known as Jvara. (28ab)

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Surrounded by a hundred crores, he then saw that leader of the gaṇas. / Then another, of gentle form, with limbs smeared with ash, / carrying a trident in hand, sky-clad, endowed with the power of great yoga,

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assuming many guises, devoted to the yoga of meditation, / known as Somavarṇa, surrounded by a hundred crores, a lord, / the commander of such [beings], arrived when summoned by the god.

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His limbs covered with ashes from a thousand flames, having large eyes and an erect phallus.

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Then another, of huge body, trident in hand, exceedingly powerful, / resembling the fire at the end of the cosmic age, firm, endowed with enduring fame and strength, / with the moon on his crest, great hair, four arms, dark red, / accompanied by one-footed, huge-bodied, three-eyed trident-bearers

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[25. paṃcāṅgi- in ka, paṃcajihvo in gha. 26. yaḥ in dha. 27]

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[sadṛśāṃ sa- in ca. 28. tāvad- in gha. 29. dharmakarmā in gha. 30. sāśanipāśaṃ- in gha. 31. samodaraṃ- in gha. 32. mālyagra- in gha. 33. cinā (citā?) in gha. 34. karṇo in ka, kānto in gha. 35. -nanam in gha.]

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105

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surrounded by a hundred crores, Sthāṇu was present there. / He was a great attendant, Rudra, the destroyer of all asuras.

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Then another, Paṭṭasena, with short feet and belly, pure, / with a thousand arms and feet, thousand-eyed, splendid,

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with formidable teeth, clad in a black serpent garment, / three-eyed, with the moon as his crest, adorned with a necklace around his neck,

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known as Ugrasena, surrounded by a hundred crores; / summoned himself by the god, the lord came near. / Then another approached the god who bears the crescent moon: / four-faced, of great splendor, possessing twenty-four eyes, a master,

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thousand-armed, with blazing mouth, great eyes, erect phallus, / dreadful teeth, peg-shaped ears, and huge claws,

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sword in hand, of great majesty, with a hundred feet and a hundred bellies, / with lightning hair, loud laughter, moving both forward and backward, / known as Aja Ekapād, surrounded by a hundred crores,

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rich in gold, gems, and trees, like a mountain with clouds.

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Sanatkumāra said:

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Then came another exceedingly mighty gaṇa-leader, O Vyāsa, / with faces on all sides, wise, having hands and feet everywhere,

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with short arms, thighs, and feet, brandishing an auspicious thunderbolt, / surrounded by eight hundred crores of beings like himself,

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renowned as Nikumbha, with a hundred feet, bellies, and faces. / Then another also arrived, with lightning hair, of great strength, / wearing a fierce garland, laughing aloud and brandishing [weapons], / staff in hand, having a huge face, shining like a conch, kunda flower, or moon,

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[36. raudraḥ in gha. 37. paṭṭiśeno in gha. 38. stryakṣa in ka. 39. prabhuḥ in gha. 40. vadana in gha. 41. kāntākarṇo in gha. 42. varadaḥ in gha. 43. dhṛk in ka. 44. bāhuka in gha. 45. -bhām in gha. 46. vṛttyai in ka. 47. sahasraṃ in gha. 48. praticārayan in gha.]

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106

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surrounded by a hundred crores of gaṇas, the tormentor of supreme enemies. / Then another gaṇa-leader, surrounded by a thousand crores, / carrying a garland like an array of suns, arrived, performer of great austerities; / he was named Sūryāpyāyana, exceedingly dear to the god,

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bow in hand, of great majesty, renowned, of great splendor. / Likewise another, adorned with serpent-garlands, ornamented with discs,

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with the disc as weapon, of great splendor, with short feet, hips, and hands; / he was renowned in the world by name as Grahāpyāyana.

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He ran forth surrounded by six hundred crores of gaṇas. / And Śaṅkukarṇa, of great strength, approached with a crore of gaṇas; / and Nandika with ten [crores], and Piṅgākṣa with eight;

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Vināyaka, renowned by the name Kuṣmāṇḍa, with sixty-four [crores];

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Hiraṇyavarṇa with six, and Ekapād likewise; / Dhūmrakeśa with twelve, and Patākī with ten;

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Sahasraghaṇṭa with eighteen, and Tapas with five; / Sahasraśīrṣa with six, and Bhava surrounded by a crore;

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Vara arrived with ten, and Kumbhakarṇa with eight; / Viṣvaksena with a thousand, and Anada with a hundred;

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Āveśana likewise with eight, and Pravartana with seven; / Mahārava, leader of gaṇas, surrounded by a thousand gaṇas; / Caturmukha with twelve, and Bāhuprahāraka; / Mahākāla with a hundred, and the gaṇa Agniśikhara;

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Ādityamūrdhan with a crore, and Dhanāvaha likewise; / Sannābha with a hundred, and Kukkuṭa with eight;

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107

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Kunda with fifteen, and Saṅkoṭaka as another; / Amoghabhūti with a crore, and likewise Aghabhūtika;

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another, Ekapād, with sixty, and Āraṇa with seven; / Mahābala with nine, and renowned Apasmāra;

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lord of gods Nīla with ninety, and Pūrṇabhadra likewise; / and Nirṛti came along with seventy crores; / surrounded by twenty hundreds of thousands of crores,

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the afflicting plagues arrived there, endowed with the power of great yoga; / bhūtas by a thousand crores, pramathas by three crores; / Vīrabhadra with sixty-four, and Vṛṣabha of great strength;

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Megha, garlanded with lightning, arrived surrounded by ninety; / and Prabhākara with twenty, and Viṭpati of great strength; / Girika, Meghanāda, Udara, and Maṇi;

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divine-souled Kāṣṭhakarṇa, and renowned Viśvarūpa; / Śatamanyu likewise, and powerful Pañcākṣa; / Tālaketu, Shaṇḍa, Kapālī, Gajanāśana; / Saṃvartaka, Caitra, Trailokyadahana,

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Lokāntaka of blazing spirit, and Hemakuṇḍala.

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And Mṛtyu, and Yama, and Kāla, and Viṣahara,
Śatamāya, Mahāmāya, and Sarvatrāśaraṇa; (67)

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and the renowned Ekaśṛṅga, and also Bhṛṅgiriṭi—
these and other leaders of the gaṇas, the secret ones possessing great might. (68)

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All of them, wonder-working and thrice-battling, arrived there filled with joy,
singing, running, and dancing, endowed with great strength, (69)
[variants: 58 ṭyo? — gha; 59 rauaghabhūtikaḥ — gha, cānagha? ; 60.?.; ṇāḥ — ka; 61..; raśca — gha; 62.; ti — ka; 63]

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[variants: nivṛtti — gha; 64 dūtaya — gha; 65 manīmāno — gha, mālā — ka; 66 saṃbhṛto — gha; 67 vidyuti — gha; 68 viveko — gha; 69 vilvarūpaṃ — ka; 70 alaketuśca — gha; 71 kapālajagadāsanaḥ — gha; 72 sahana — gha; 73 pūrvanābharaṇa? — gha; 74 divyāstrayodhinaḥ — gha]

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108

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sounding musical instruments made of hollow mouths,
and went on chariots, elephants, horses, and riding monkeys. (70)

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With tigers, lions, wildcats, serpents, and birds,
and with many various small and auspicious wild beasts; (71)
mounted upon aerial chariots, and others upon men,
upon the Puṣpaka aerial chariot, and upon an elephant in rut; (72)

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pleasing in this way Śambhu, […] with kinnaras, serpents, and cāraṇas;

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and others equipped with supreme weapons, and yoked with swans; (73)
and there, millions of others mounted on various aerial chariots,
with kettledrums, horns, mṛdaṅgas, paṇavas, ānaka drums, and gomukha horns, (74)
with diverse instruments, drums, and single-faced drums, (75a)

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with the resonant sounds of kettledrums and karkaras, and with āḍambaras and ḍiṇḍimas, (75b)

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with maḍḍukas, flutes, and vīṇās, and with vivṛṣas and tuṇavas,
with dardaras, handclaps, kacchapas, and paṇavas; (76)

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while these were sounded, the great yogins approached the assembly of gods.
With a divine flock of swans, the lotus-born Grandfather [Brahmā], (77)
surrounded completely by all the sages perfected in yoga—
with the Ṛgveda on the right side, adorned with divine earrings; (78)

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and on the west the Sāmaveda, auspicious, assuming manifold forms;
and on the north the lordly Atharva, bearing eyes of fire; (79)
and to the east the Yajurveda, assuming the form of lightning; (80a)

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and the Itihāsas and Purāṇas, assuming various forms. (80b)

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They too proceeded there in front with blazing vehicles.
Janārdana, the devotee of Śiva, the great yogin, mounted upon Garuḍa, (81)
[variants: 75 ścaivā — ka, ścāpi — gha; 76 vāyuma.. — gha; 77 nathīnakai — gha; 78 manuṣyeṣu — ka; 79... ṇāḥ — gha; 80 śaṃkha — gha; 81 puṣpakaiḥ — gha; 82 muraja — gha; 83 maṃḍūkaiḥ — gha; 84 vividhaiḥ paṭahai. — gha; 85 darśa? — gha; 86 nasanści? — ka, gha; 87 mahābhogī — gha]

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109

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surrounded by all his own attendants, came there together with his companions,
surrounded by his peers, divine and auspicious, who bore the form of Viṣṇu. (82)
Seeing Nārāyaṇa arrived, Mahādeva spoke this;
Śambhu, with a deep voice, thus addressed the creator of the worlds: (83)

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“Hear my word, Viṣṇu; I will tell it, Janārdana:
bestow consecration upon Nandī, who is so dear to me.” (84)
Smiling at Śaṃkara, the god Nārāyaṇa replied again:
“Just as you say, O lord of gods, I shall do, O bull-bannered one! (85)

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You are the god even of the gods; you are the [supreme] Man, without doubt.”
Śakra, mounted on Airāvata, arrived near him, (86)
along with the Vasus, the Mothers, Yama, Varuṇa, and the lord of riches [Kubera], (87a)

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and covering the sky, stationed in individual aerial chariots. (87b)

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At the end of the dissolution and in creation, under the name […],
these who had reached the form of Brahmā and the rest arrived in the form of gaṇas. (88)

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They, radiant as a thousand suns, bowed to Viśvakarman, the laugher at enemies, the lord of the universe, the imperishable single syllable, and cried out aloud. (89)
Thus ends the twenty-third chapter, entitled “The Summoning of the Leaders of the Gaṇas,” in the Skandapurāṇa.

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Sanatkumāra said:

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Those lords of the gaṇas, beings of great strength, having bowed to the lord of the gods of all the gods,
and to the god of gods, spoke these words: (1)
“O Blessed One, destroyer of the enemies of the gods, god of gods, husband of Ambikā,
for what purpose have we been summoned? Command us, for it is as good as done! (2)
[variants: 88 saraiḥ — gha; 89 saṃvarā — gha; 90 sihā? — gha; 91 bhāskarā — gha]

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[variants: 1 gaṇeśāśca — gha; 2 sarve devāsṛreśvarāḥ — gha; 3 de tadevaṃ ca — gha; 4 gahat? — gha]

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[Variant readings: 1 'and Gaṇeśas' – ms. gha; 2 'all the gods and lords of asuras' – ms. gha; 3 'thus indeed' – ms. gha; 4 '…?' – ms. gha.]

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Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit