Skandapurana 7.4
English (machine translation) 7.4
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7.4.p1
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7.4.p2
Chapters 31–40
7.4.52.1
Sanatkumāra said:
Meanwhile, the god said to the goddess, the daughter of the king of mountains:
“Let us go, O lovely lady, to bestow a boon upon the yakṣa, my devotee.
He is my devotee, O fair-hipped lady, whose sins have been consumed by austerity.
He is worthy, O mistress of the universe, to receive a boon from us.”
Having spoken thus, the lord of the world, together with the goddess,
went to where the yakṣa was sitting, emaciated and covered with veins.
And he granted him divine sight, by which he beheld Śaṃkara.
Sanatkumāra said:
Then the yakṣa, O Vyāsa, slowly opening his eyes,
beheld the god accompanied by his retinue, seated on the bull-bannered [vehicle].
The god of gods said:
“I grant you a boon first: darśana throughout the three worlds,
and solidity of body; behold me, free from torment.”
Sanatkumāra said:
Then, having obtained the boon and a body free from injury,
he bowed at his feet and stood with palms joined upon his head.
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128 māpurante - gha. 1 aho - gha. 2 labdhamasmatto - gha. 3 ttasmai - gha. 4 vṛṣaṃ śvetamapāśritam - gha. 5 dadāni - gha. 6 […]ṇekṣitena ca - gha.
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And he spoke then, urged by the lord saying, “I am the giver of boons”:
“O Lord, bestow upon me undistracted and undivided devotion toward you,
and the providing of food to the worlds, as well as imperishable leadership of the gaṇas,
so that I may always dwell in your abode, Avimukta.
O Lord of gods, I desire this supreme boon to be granted.”
The god of gods said:
“Freed from old age and death, completely devoid of all grief,
you will become the leader of the gaṇas, a granter of boons, worshipped by all,
unconquerable by all, endowed with the sovereign power of yoga,
and a provider of food to the worlds; you will become the guardian of the sacred field (Kṣetrapāla),
mighty, of great sattva, devoted to brahmins, and dear to me.
7.4.52.2
Also three-eyed, staff-in-hand (Daṇḍapāṇi), and a great yogin.
Udbhrama and Saṃbhrama shall be your two attendant gaṇas;
by your command, they will cause wandering and perplexity to the world.”
Sanatkumāra said:
Having thus made the yakṣa the lord of the gaṇas, O Vyāsa,
the divine Lord, the lord of gods, returned to his abode along with him.
Then, looking at the goddess, the god of gods whose emblem is the bull,
spoke in order to grant a boon to Mandara, who was performing austerity.
The god of gods said:
“O goddess with eyes like blossoming lotuses, O slender-waisted lady, I shall go
to Mandara, the foremost of mountains, wishing to confer the boon of grace.
Together with his wife, his sons, and his friends,
Mandara, the best of mountains, the foremost of ascetics, has taken refuge in me.
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7 tadā tena - gha. 8 […]tvayi nāthe - gha. 9 sonapatyaṃ - gha. 10 paśyeyaṃ - gha. 11 […]dicchāmi - gha. 12 lokavivājitaḥ - gha. 13 arthadaścāpi - gha. 14 mama ca - gha. 15 vāmadeveśa - ka. gha. 16 nareśvaraḥ - gha. 17 prasanna - ka. 18 tapasāṃ - gha., tapatāṃ? .
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For five thousand divine years up to today, O Pārvatī,
the best of ascetics has practiced austerity toward me with his whole being.”
The goddess said:
“Take me too, O Lord of gods, to Mandara with its beautiful caves.
O god, without you, O Lord of the whole world, I shall find no delight.”
Then the god, the Supreme Lord, laughed and said to her:
“Avimukta must not be abandoned; how do you wish to go?”
The goddess said:
“I shall dwell right here and I shall also go to Mandara;
thus this abode, O god, will remain unabandoned (Avimukta).”
The god of gods said:
“It is just so, O fair-hipped lady, as you say, O Pārvatī.”
7.4.52.3
"Indeed, through divine power you go everywhere, O goddess, just as I do in all directions."
Sanatkumāra said:
Then the blessed god Hara, mounting his bull that goes everywhere,
went to Mandara along with Umā, with Nandī, and with his retinue.
Having gone there, the Lord of the universe saw Mandara
performing supreme austerities, and having seen him, said:
"I am the giver of boons, O lord of mountains; I am exceedingly pleased with your tapas.
Choose whatever boon you desire; I grant all that to you."
Sanatkumāra said:
Addressed thus by Śarva, having seen the Lord of the three worlds
accompanied by Umā and Nandī, and having bowed to him whose mount is the bull,
having gazed again and again upon Hara, and again and again upon the Goddess,
he bowed again and again to the retinue and to Nandī.
Seeing him so overwhelmed, his eyes blurred with tears born of joy,
Hara once more gratified the mountain with a boon.
The God of gods said:
"Choose a boon; may it be well with you! O mountain, I am your granter of boons.
I wish to grant whatever you desire; choose a boon, O support of the earth!"
Mandara said:
"O Blessed One, if you are pleased, O God of gods, O Lord of the universe,
I desire your dwelling upon me, together with Umā and along with your retinue.
I desire, O Lord of the gods of gods, by the touch of your feet always,
7.4.52.4
that myself be purified together with Umā and along with your retinue.
I desire no other boon from you here, O God, teacher of the universe!
Let this very boon be granted to me, O Lord of the universe!"
Sanatkumāra said:
"May it be so," the giver of boons then said to Mandara.
"With Nandī and together with the Goddess, I shall dwell always upon you.
And you, best of mountains, free from old age and death,
and impenetrable even to the thunderbolt, shall become so by my grace;
and charming to all living beings, adorned with gold and jewels,
thronged with hosts of apsarases, frequented by gods and siddhas."
Sanatkumāra said:
Then he created a great mansion there, made of Jāmbūnada gold,
surpassing thought in excellence, O Vyāsa; nowhere is there anything equal to it.
Even Brahmā has nothing like it, how much less anyone else!
Renowned by the name of Vṛṣa for its splendor, stature, and beauty.
Vyāsa said:
"O Blessed One, son of Brahmā, lord of all masters of yoga,
there is no satiety in me as the deeds of the God of gods are recounted by you.
How did that mighty bull, so beloved of great-souled Maheśa,
resounding loudly, attain the status of his mount?
Whose son was he? Whose grandson? And how was he born?
What was his tapas, and what its fruit? This I desire to know.
Formerly, a cloud was the mount beloved of Rudra;
7.4.52.5
having abandoned that, why did he set his mind on a bull?"
Sanatkumāra said:
"Long ago, the Veda was born as the first wondrous son of Brahmā,
and Yajña was born as the second, and they employed him in the world.
He, making the world flourish, employed by Brahmā himself
who wished to increase offspring, did not cause them to increase completely.
[…]
Yajña said:
'O Blessed One, I was employed by the Self-born for the welfare of the world,
but I do not possess such vigor; I seek another […] of yours.'
The God of gods said:
'Become a cloud of the worlds; your success will be achieved.
Then you will nurture the worlds with nectar-like waters.'
Yajña said:
'If being a cloud brings auspicious welfare to the world,
may I bear you, the abode of lightning, upon my back.'
[…]
[…]
Then, realizing that he was not exceedingly radiant, Yajña, unswerving,
performed very great and exceedingly severe tapas, O Vyāsa.
Then the god Śarva, pleased with Yajña, O faithful one,
said, 'I am the giver of boons'; he chose a boon from the boon-giver:
'Just as I bear you through the nature of sacrifice, O Lord of great splendor,'
7.4.52.6
"In the same manner, even in the state of being a cloud, I shall bear you, the imperishable one." / Sanatkumāra said: / Saying "So be it," the Lord appointed as his mount, / O Vyāsa, the cloud, which was the sacrifice incarnate and exceedingly brilliant. / But when, O Vyāsa, of the noble-souled Dakṣa performing sacrifice, / the head of that sacrifice of immeasurable splendour was severed swiftly with an arrow, / then, because it had become headless, he dismissed that sacrifice from being his mount.
7.4.52_3
Vyāsa said: / Why did the Lord strike Dakṣa's auspicious sacrifice? / And what was the cause here, O brahmin, by which the Lord destroyed it? / Sanatkumāra said: / The curse was previously narrated, which was the cause, O best of sages. / And listen to this ancient account from me once more in detail: / Long ago, indeed, as Brahmā sneezed, there came forth from his mouth / [a man] with arm-guards and finger-protectors bound on, bearing arrows, a quiver, and a bow,
7.4.52_4
wielding a sword, adorned with a crown and garlands, wearing earrings and armour, / broad-chested, of great fortitude, a man with the brilliance of gold.
7.4.52_5
Brahmā himself addressed him by the very name of Kṣupa. / Indra chose him as a king on earth, a world-protector. / He said: "If you give me your own weapon, the thunderbolt, / then I might be king on earth; otherwise it does not please me." / Indra said: / "As soon as it is thought of, this thunderbolt will come to your hand, not otherwise. / So be it; bless you! Become a king devoted to the welfare of your subjects." / Sanatkumāra said: / Thus addressed, that radiant one became a king on earth. / And Cyāvana's son Dadhīca then became his friend.
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Having met with him, seated comfortably on an excellent throne, / he, delighted, repeatedly engaged in discourses on diverse subjects.
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Then, O Vyāsa, there arose between the two of them a passion born of caste: / "Is the warrior caste superior or not? Is the priestly caste superior or not?"
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Kṣupa said, "The warrior caste," while Dadhīca said, "The priestly caste." / Then both of them stated their arguments, and neither would yield. / Then, through sharp temper, superior austerity, / the pre-eminence of brahminhood, and by the power of fate, / enraged, O Vyāsa, Dadhīca struck him on the head with his left hand, / and of great splendour, he struck back with the thunderbolt.
7.4.52_9
Severed into two pieces by the thunderbolt, that imperishable one invoked Śakra. / He said: "You possess great yoga; you are capable of uniting yourself."
7.4.52_10
By his yogic power Dadhīca rejoined his own body that had become so, / and went to Śarva for refuge. / Having propitiated the Lord of gods, he obtained supreme invulnerability, / bones as hard as a thunderbolt, impenetrability, and freedom from old age from Śaṅkara, / compassion for all beings, and great yogic power. / He returned to see Kṣupa, and friendship arose between the two again. / And the passion born of caste arose just as before: / that Kṣupa struck him with his left foot. / And taking the thunderbolt again, he struck him then. / But that thunderbolt caused him neither distress nor pain, O sage. / Then, realizing the invulnerability of that great-souled one, / Kṣupa approached Nārāyaṇa and propitiated him for a boon.
7.4.52_11
Addressed by the pleased Viṣṇu, who said, “I grant boons,” / that high-minded king bowed to Viṣṇu and spoke these words, O Vyāsa: / Kṣupa said: / “The brahmin seer named Dadhīca is invulnerable and imperishable. / He is my friend, O Hṛṣīkeśa, and he always says to me: / ‘I do not fear any god, rākṣasa, or asura, / piśāca, yakṣa, bird, or mortal.’ / You should act in such a way that he might say, ‘I am afraid.’ ” / Addressed in this way by the ruler of men, Viṣṇu, the creator of the worlds, / said to him, “So be it,” and went to Dadhīca's hermitage. / Having entered the hermitage, O Vyāsa, being honoured by Dadhīca,
7.4.52_12
having bowed and placed his hands palm to palm, he said this to Dadhīca: / “O venerable one, best of brahmins, radiant as the Grandfather [Brahmā]! / I ask for one boon; you should grant that to me. / I have been propitiated, O prince of brahmins, by Kṣupa of auspicious deeds.
7.4.52_13
Told by me, ‘I grant boons,’ he chose a boon, O great sage: / ‘Let it be spoken by you, “I am afraid”; say that out of grace toward me.’
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Freedom from fear of all beings belongs to a brahmin, without a doubt; / and endowed with the power of great yoga, he is invulnerable to all.
7.4.52_15
You are fearless, yet today speak that for my sake, O lord!” / And Dadhīca, though addressed sweetly by Viṣṇu then,
7.4.52_16
said again and again to Janārdana, “I am not afraid! / I will not say, ‘I am afraid’; it has not been said, nor will it be said by me.” / Sanatkumāra said: / Addressed thus, the discus-wielder [Viṣṇu], overwhelmed by anger toward Cyāvana's son, / raised his discus, striking fear into him, and said: / “Indeed, those must be treated thus who, having become stronger, / speak out of affection to a weak person as if they were not their master!
7.4.52_17
If you do not say, ‘I am afraid,’ then this discus / shall take your well-nosed head and cast it to the earth!”
7.4.52_18
Dadhīci said: / “Why do you, lifting your discus in vain, O Viṣṇu, seek trouble? / I am not accessible to your discus, by the grace of Tryambaka.
7.4.52_19
Yet, out of curiosity, I go to seek refuge with the guardians of the world. / Finding them powerless to act, I shall then go to Śaṃkara.”
7.4.52_20
Having spoken thus, the son of Cyavana ran toward Varuṇa; / and when he took refuge in him, the powerful lord granted him freedom from fear.
7.4.52_21
There, a terrible and frightful battle took place / between the god Viṣṇu and the wise Varuṇa for many years.
7.4.52_22
When Varuṇa was defeated, the son of Cyavana approached Yama. / He too granted him freedom from fear, [but] was defeated in battle by Viṣṇu.
7.4.52_23
Then he approached Agni, O Vyāsa; he too was utterly vanquished by him. / Then, taking a handful of kuśa grass, that son of Cyavana,
7.4.52_24
returned to his hermitage and cried out, “Stand! Stand! / For the sake of inquiry, I went for refuge to the guardians of the world.
7.4.52_25
They are all powerless; supreme strength resides in me alone! / Today your pride, arrogance, and whatever wondrous power you possess— / I will destroy all that! Stand now, O Janārdana!”
7.4.52_26
Sanatkumāra said: / Then a tumultuous, hair-raising battle took place / between Nārāyaṇa and the great-souled son of Cyavana, O Vyāsa.
7.4.52_27
Whatever weapons and arrows were discharged from Nārāyaṇa's hand, / that Dadhīca placed into a fistful of kuśa grass by his yoga. / Then, by the power of Viṣṇu's yoga, from his limbs were born / the gods, all armored, who fought alongside Viṣṇu. / All of them without exception, along with their weapons and mounts, / he, deeply enraged, put into the fistful of kuśa grass, sparing Viṣṇu.
7.4.52_28
Then, O Vyāsa, after all the immortals had been placed into the fistful of kuśa grass / by the high-souled Dadhīca through his yoga and fiery energy,
7.4.52_29
Brahmā himself came there and spoke these words / to Viṣṇu, who was distressed and bewildered by the onset of fury: / 'Govinda, what is gained by this effort of yours against this true twice-born, / made against Dadhīca, who has obtained a boon from Śarva? / Do you not know that, by the supreme Lord's grace, / invulnerability, supreme yoga, the sovereignty of virtues, / and adamantine bone strength were obtained by him from Īśvara himself? / Persons of your stature, O god, do not act with hostility against brahmins. / Therefore withdraw at once and appease this best of the twice-born.' / Then, hearing Brahmā's words, Viṣṇu, the fashioner of the worlds,
7.4.52_30
and realizing by yoga the power of the high-souled Dadhīca, / pacified the lord of vipras and went back to his own dwelling. / Brahmā too, the lord of the three worlds, consoled that seer and honored him, / and then, O Vyāsa, vanished together with all the immortals.
7.4.52_31
Dadhīca too, endowed with great fiery energy, performed austerity in his own hermitage, / terrible [tapas] consuming only air and water to win Mahādeva's favor. / Then, as he who had the brilliance of the sun was engaged in austerity, / the three-eyed Lord was pleased, and, being pleased, spoke thus: / The God of gods said: / 'O Cyāvana, O observer of vows, I am pleased by this austerity of yours. / Speak what you desire; it is already accomplished by me.' / Dadhīca said: / 'O Lord, if you are pleased and if a boon is to be given to me, / I wish for all the gods along with Viṣṇu to be conquered by you.' / Sanatkumāra said: / Then Hara, who dispels the distress of the bowed, the giver of boons, laughed / and said to Dadhīca, the best of seers: 'So be it.' / When that auspicious boon was granted by the three-eyed Lord, / the seer considered the enmity with Kṣupa to be ended.
7.4.52_32
Seeing him thus contemplating, the Lord whose banner bears the bull / said: 'Speak another boon, O vipra, and I will grant it to you.'
7.4.52_33
Dadhīca said: / 'Since this enmity has ended because of your granting of a boon, O Lord, / therefore let your place here be known by this name, O unborn one.'
7.4.52_34
The God of gods said: / 'This excellent place shall be renowned by the name Sthāneśvara, / extending for a krośa and filled with various flowers and creepers. / Whoever worships me here, having undertaken the supreme vow, / having fasted for three nights and properly bathed in the river, / and, endowed with righteousness, having fed a brahmin with oblation rice, / shall be freed from all sins and attain my world.
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And this shall also be the Sthāṇutīrtha, destroying sin; / having bathed here, one obtains the abundant fruit of an Aśvamedha sacrifice. / And also this glorious banyan tree, where I am now standing / to grant the boon, bearing my name, shall be the great tree named Sthāṇuvaṭa.'
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[This] will come to pass, of that there is no doubt; hear also from me the fruit of this.
Whoever should stay here day and night, self-controlled and eating regulated food,
by him the unsurpassed vow of Sthāṇu will have been personally observed.
Freed from all sin, he will become an attendant-chief of mine,
named Akampana, mighty and endowed with the power of great yoga.
And whatever human being, practicing self-restraint or indeed disciplined,
7.4.52_37
should abandon his vital breaths [here], great is his fruit of merit:
freed from all sin and released from all fetters,
he becomes a lord of attendants equal to Nandin, capable of going everywhere.
Moreover, whoever, having stayed here at Sthāneśvara for one night, should consume [his sins] without remainder,
his mind completely freed from all sin, he shall become a most terrifying lord of attendants of mine.”
Thus ends the thirty-first chapter, named “The Dispute between Kṣupa and Dadhīca,” in the Skandapurāṇa.
7.4.52_38.1
Sanatkumāra said:
“At that very time, O Vyāsa, King Dakṣa Prajāpati,
the son of the Pracetases, performed a horse sacrifice.
There, impelled by mantras, the fire carrying the offerings
was then conveying the portions everywhere for the hosts of gods.
And the goddess, the daughter of the best of mountains, saw him conveying [them],
remembering that enmity and the cause of the curse.
And the mountain-born [goddess], prompting the ancient one, spoke to him
fittingly in sweet words, accompanied by reason:
‘You are the god of all the gods, their refuge and their shelter.
Without you, how does a sacrifice proceed, O protector of all gods?
This fire, O Bhava, is conveying the portions of the gods;
he is not [conveying] yours, O Maheśāna of great splendor! What is the reason?
An aim is not achieved through conciliation without prowess, O Lord!
This king, the son of the Pracetases, is foolish and arrogant;
remembering previous enmity, he will never give [your share] unless he is chastised.
Moreover, a boon was given by you to Dadhīca at that time, O Lord;
the time for that has come—let [action] be taken for that purpose!’”
7.4.52_38.2
Sanatkumāra said:
“Addressed thus, O Vyāsa, the blessed Lord who bears the bull upon his banner
smiled and spoke to the goddess: ‘O lady of bright smiles, your father
in a previous birth, O fair-hipped, auspicious one, was the son of Prajāpati.
Testing my disposition, O goddess, do you speak [thus]?
For no passionate woman wishes sorrow upon her father in this world.’
Spoken to thus at that time, O Vyāsa, by the pure-souled god,
the goddess of wide eyes then knit her brows upon her forehead,
and in anger the brightly smiling one rubbed the tip of her nose with her hand.
As that nose was being rubbed, a woman of great radiance
was born, with a frown on her face, four fangs, and three eyes,
wearing armguards of leather and finger-protectors, clad in armor, wearing a girded belt,
having a sword, a bow, quivers, and a banner,
twelve-faced, ten-armed, slender-waisted, dark as gloom,
with firm breasts, broad hips, thighs like elephant trunks, imperishable.
The goddess with a lovely face addressed that goddess as Bhadrakālī.
Then she spoke to the god: ‘She has been created by me, O Lord;
you also create another suitable attendant. Homage be to you!’
Then the god looked upon his own radiant shoulder;
from it was born a divine man, as if burning up the three worlds,
his face adorned with knitted brows, equipped with leather armguards and finger-protectors,”
7.4.52_38.3
Armored, with quiver bound, holding arrows, sword, and bow, / three-eyed and four-armed, a youth of adamantine frame— / having been created, he bowed down, the troop-lord named Hari, / and with cupped hands addressed the God of gods together with Umā: / “Command, O Lord of gods, what I am to do, O pervasive Lord.” / Then the Blessed One spoke to Hari, the commander of the troops: / “Go, destroy this sacrifice of the son of Pracētas. / Together with Bhadrakālī, swiftly carry out this deed, O lord of the troops.” / Then the blessed god, wise, created lords of troops / of multifaceted shapes from his own limbs, able to assume any form at will. / He touched his arm properly, and from it were born mighty ones. / There were ninety hundred crores [of them] born of the Lord. / The Blessed One said to them: “O sinless ones, destroy the sacrifice!” / Sanatkumāra said:
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Then the two, surrounded by that vast army, / went forth with roars like the ocean and rumblings like clouds and thunderbolts. / And the god, together with Pārvatī, staying near the hermitage of Raibhya, / watched that work of destroying the sacrifice by the troop-lords. / Sanatkumāra said: / The trees of Kanakhala stood near the gate of the Gaṅgā, / and there was a mountain with golden peaks resembling Mount Meru. / In that region, Dakṣa's sacrifice was taking place. / And the formidable army of the troop-lords arrived, led by Kālī. / Having arrived, all those exalted ones, radiant as blazing fire, / spoke to the patron of the sacrifice, the officiating priests, the sages, and the gods: / “We are indeed all followers of Śarva, the Supreme Self. / We have come here desiring shares; bestow the desired shares! / By austerity, by strength, or by restraint are [people] worthy of sacrificial shares, / or by majesty, or by yoga—by whatever means before you. / All of that is indeed in us as well; we too are share-takers. / If the gods are masters, and therefore have attained worthiness of shares— / in mastery, strength or austerity is the cause, no doubt of this; / both of those reside in us alone, and therefore our mastery is superior. / But if this is someone's command, O best of sages and gods: / ‘A share must be given to you [gods], but not to us,’ let it be stated! / Tell us who commands this, and then we will know.”
7.4.52_38.5
Thus addressed by Hari, all of them, led by the gods, / said: “The mantras are the authority regarding your share, O troop-lords.” / And the mantras said to the gods: “Your minds are overpowered by darkness, / since you did not offer sacrifice to Maheśvara, who is worthy of the first share.” / When, even though being addressed by the mantras, they still did not give shares, / the mantras then departed from there to the eternal realm of Brahmā. / Then the gods, Śakra and others, said to the troop-lords: / “[…] / having advanced, we will strike down in battle all of you who have come!” / Hearing their arrogant words, Hari, the vanquisher of foes, / laughing, spoke to all of them these forceful words: / “The mantras have not been accepted as authority by you who are arrogant with power; / because you acted violently, today I will destroy you who roar [in pride]. / Prompted together with the sacrifice, the officiating priests, and the shares, / and whatever power you possess, all of that will I destroy.” / Having spoken thus, the radiant, glorious Haribhadra / and the furious Bhadrakālī rushed against the gods. / And the enraged troop-lords, tearing up the sacrificial posts, hurled them away. / The troop-lords, all angered, seized the *hotṛ* priest along with the *prasthātṛ*, / and the horse, and hurled them into the current of the Gaṅgā; / and having bound the patron of the sacrifice with a snare, they led him away at their pleasure. / Others [seized] the altar, others the *kuśa* grass, others the ladles, and others the cups.
7.4.52_38.6
They destroyed and threw down [the vessels], and set fire to the other sheds. / Then Haribhadra, blazing in spirit and undaunted, / paralysed Indra's arm as he raised it, and did likewise to the other gods. / His face furious, he struck Bhaga's eyes and Pūṣan's teeth / with the tip of his bow and knocked them out while [all] were watching. / And Viṣṇu's terrible discus, which had the radiance of the sun at the end of an age, / he paralysed with undaunted spirit; stationed in [Viṣṇu's] hand, it did not even stir. / And the Tuṣita gods, ready and longing for battle, / he struck down with a Vāyavya weapon and felled them to the earth. / And that flawless god bewildered all the other gods / arrayed for battle with his supreme weapon, the Mohana. / And whatever kings had arrived there desiring to see [the sacrifice], / he drove them all forcibly to their own homes by the power of his weapon. / Seeing the jars smashed, the sacrificial posts and arches broken, / and the great sheds set ablaze, the Sacrifice fled. / As it was running towards the sky in the form of a deer, / Hari fitted an arrow and decapitated it. / Then the valiant Vīrabhadra took another arrow / and pursued that Sacrifice as it fled in the form of a deer; / he reached it, bound and struck down, so that it attained equality with the constellations. / Sanatkumāra said: / Thus humiliated, O Vyāsa, by the gaṇas, by Kālī, / and by the god Hari, they all took refuge.
[…]
7.4.52_38.7
[Critical notes]
[…]
Then to all those gods who had surrendered, along with the sages and world-protectors, / Hari, together with Kālī, said: 'Go to the unswerving Soma. / Propitiate the Lord of the Gods, and peace will come to you.' / Sanatkumāra said: / Thus addressed by Hari, they went, overcome with anger [and grief], / composed, afflicted with suffering and sorrow, to propitiate the god. / Then, not far off, those great-souled ones, / their minds entirely focused on him, saw Īśvara accompanied by Ambā and his retinue. / Having seen him, bowing low, placing Brahmā at their head, / they praised the one of blazing splendour with sacrificial words. / The gods said: / 'Obeisance to you, slayer of the enemies of the gods, crusher of the gods' sacrifice, / O great sacrifice, O great being, praised by hundreds of great sacrifices! / Obeisance to the destroyer of the sacrifice, and the giver of the all of the Veda; / to the maker of the Śipiviṣṭa [form], the slayer of Viṣṇu's Narasiṃha [incarnation]; / to the dweller on Mount Mandara, the giver of every auspicious thing; / to him who travels in a great aerial chariot, the causer of hindrance to the seasons; / to the performer of the end of mantras, to the observer of mantra vows; / to the destroyer of Pūṣan's teeth, to the taker of Bhaga's eyes;
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to the paralyser of Śakra, and indeed of Viṣṇu's discus; / obeisance to the leader of the sacrifice, and the bringer of the sacrifice's origin; / to him who is reached by bestowing boons, to the father of Brahmā; / to you who wear the tiger-skin, clad in a black antelope skin;
[Critical notes]
[…]
obeisance to the wearer of the foremost garland, and likewise the father of man; / to the progenitor of Viṣṇu, to Jaya and Vijaya; / obeisance to the destroyer of wrath, to him whose progeny is Vīrabhadra; / obeisance to joy, to anger, obeisance to the creator of the lords of gaṇas; / obeisance to the repentance of the gods, and to the shooter of the arrow at the deer. / Obeisance to you, O Lord, O God; obeisance to you, O Lord Śiva! / Obeisance to you, O Lord of all worlds; obeisance to you, O creator of the world! / By you this universe was created, as well as the sacrifice and the gods, O destroyer of the sacrifice! / Be gracious! Do not be angry with us; do not destroy us!' / Sanatkumāra said: / Whoever, restrained and risen at dawn, always recites this [praise], / obstacles never arise for him. / Sanatkumāra said: / Thus addressed at that time, the Lord of Gods [looked upon] those standing praising him—
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Smiling, the Self of all, the creator of all, spoke words:
The God of gods said:
"I am not angry; you are forever very dear to me. / If I were angry, in the next moment there would be no life for you."
Sanatkumāra said:
Having spoken thus, the god then, wishing the welfare of the gods, / caused all those gods to enter through yogamāyā,
into his own body, Mahādeva, in order to astonish them with his power. / Then they entered the body of the noble Īśvara.
They saw a wondrous universe endowed with seven worlds. / Having wandered through all those worlds, all filled with fear,
having gathered there, they saw the heroic Gaṇapa Pañcākṣa. / By him all those tigers among gods, unwearied, were cast upwards,
and having arrived in another world in an instant, / those fortunate ones saw a city resembling the sun,
surrounded by a vast rampart of crystal, / and with varied, wonderful crests shining brightly with jewels and gold.
Then, above that, those best of gods saw in its midst / an auspicious city of seventy million yojanas all around,
divine, surrounded by a silver rampart having the luster of the moon. / In the middle of it, further above, was a city extending for sixty million [yojanas],
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completely surrounded by a rampart made entirely of Jāmbūnada gold. / In its middle, then, was another, measuring fifty million [yojanas],
surrounded by a rampart of sapphire. / In the middle of it, those gods, O best of sages, saw [a city]
of forty million yojanas, equal in extent and length, / surrounded by a rampart of lapis lazuli.
And in its middle was an auspicious city of thirty million yojanas, / surrounded by a rampart adorned with every kind of gem.
In their midst were provinces free from all sorrow, / endowed with noble folk and all having perpetual youth,
freed from hunger and thirst, devoid of disease and grief, / immortal, abandoned by old age, with minds ever joyful,
adorned with various elongated ponds and stepped wells, / and with diverse, wondrous trees always bearing flowers and fruits.
Other auspicious trees there produce all kinds of foods; / and others ornaments, and others all varieties of garments;
others all kinds of flowers, and indeed all kinds of fruits;
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and others all kinds of pleasures, as well as auspicious honey made without bees.
Other trees there, O Vyāsa, are milky and full of great splendor; / all continuously flow with cow-like milk.
The entire ground is gem-studded with auspicious golden sands; / there are water springs and mountain cascades.
Among them there is no anger or greed, no fighting, hatred, or malice; / no delusion, no arrogance, nor are there other faults there.
In its middle was another auspicious city, extending twenty million [yojanas], / adorned with a rampart made of ruby.
Having passed by such cities, then the gods [saw a city] / extending ten million yojanas, encircled all around by fire,
having the appearance of the cosmic fire at the end of an aeon, terrible to look upon, a vast city; / without a gateway, divine, and boundless, those foremost gods beheld it.
Having seen it, they were seized with great wonder and fear. / To those lords of gods, whose faces were terrified and who were trembling, O Vyāsa,
the Gaṇapa Pañcākṣa said: "Let there be no fear in you, O gods!
This very vast, dreadful city surrounded by terrible fire / is to be seen by you, noble ones, for the sake of which you have come here."
Sanatkumāra said:
Having spoken thus, that Pañcākṣa, with a trident blazing like fire,
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While the hosts of gods watched, the exceedingly powerful one made an entrance. / The great-souled gods entered, accompanied by Pañcākṣa. / They saw that divine, vast city filled with lions, / resembling Mount Meru and Mount Mandara, equipped with claws and fangs, / terrifying, fire-colored, enraged, and of immense splendor. / Then one powerful lion among them snapped his bond / and charged forward in fury, his great mane trailing down. / At the terrifying roar of that lion, the gods, / their faces downcast, all took refuge with Pañcākṣa. / Pañcākṣa said: / "Do not fear, O gods! I will now show you the God." / Sanatkumāra said: / Having been told this, they suddenly beheld Śarva together with Umā; / and [they saw] neither that city, O Vyāsa, nor the lion, nor anything at all. / Trembling with fear, they approached the Lord for refuge. / Laughing then, the Blessed Lord, the refuge [of all], spoke to them, / addressing all the gods terrified by fear, the Lord of gods [said]: / "Indeed, you have seen my angers in the terrifying form of lions! / By just one fierce one among them, you all were terrified. / If ever out of anger I were to unleash them all, / - - - -- - -- - ---- - -- -- -- - -- - --
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[Footnotes to text: 154 nāgatāstviha - ka. kha. . 155 paṃcāsyaḥ - gha . 156 mahānadaḥ - gha. . 157 pūrvaṃ - kha. . 158... taṃ - ka. kha. . 159... ktvā - ka. kha. gha. . 160 sarve yūyaṃ - ka kha. gha . 161 taissahomayā - ka. . 162 siṃho - gha, siṃhāṃ ( n) - kha. . 163 bhayārtān- - kha. gha . 164 sarvaṃ - ka. . 165 bhayā ( t) - ka., bhayārtāstān - kha. gha. . 166 dṛṣṭvā - ka., dṛṣṭa - kha. . 167 sarve yūyaṃ - ka. kha . 168 vinirjitāḥ - ka. . 166 krodhān? krodhe - gha. . 170 kathaṃcana - ka kha. gha .] / - - - -- - -- - ---- - -- -- -- - -- - -- / you all would cease to exist within an instant, without a doubt. / But this Goddess, the daughter of the mountain, is angry with you. / Propitiate her; I am not angry with you, O gods." / Sanatkumāra said: / When the Master had spoken thus, the enraged Goddess with red-copper eyes / produced from her mouth a terrifying goddess who increases dread, / having a mouth dreadful with fangs, and numerous feet, hands, and fingers, / bearing a bow, an axe, a fierce sword, a discus, a trident, and arrows, / having the brilliance of a thousand blazing suns, possessing a cosmic form. / The measurement of her body was ten thousand yojanas. / Overwhelmed by her and being struck down on every side, / the gods were not able to stand before her, like herds of deer before a tiger. / Then, their minds distressed from the fear of Kālakarṇī, the gods / entered out of fear into a heap of ashes standing beside the God. / Seeing those gods who had sought refuge enter the heap of ashes, / their limbs smeared with ashes, the Goddess restrained the [other] goddess. / The Goddess said: / "Kālakarṇī, turn back! Do not kill the foremost of the gods! / Having become Pāśupatas, their bodies are smeared with ashes.
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This is the Pāśupata observance formerly proclaimed by Paśupati, / namely, that ritual ablution with holy ashes is the highest of all ritual ablutions. / These foremost of the gods are surely to be favored by the Blessed Lord. / Since they have entered into the ashes, do not destroy them! / - - - -- - -- - ---- - -- -- -- - -- - -- / [Footnotes to text: 171 bhaveyurasandehaḥ - ka. kha. . 172 kṣaṇepica - kha. . 173 vā - ka. . 174 yuddhavātamralocanā - ka. kha. . 175... daśanāṃ - kha. . 176 gatiṃ - gha . 177... grāṃ - ka. . 178 ... lāsidhāriṇīm - ka. . 179.. .sāṃ - kha. . 180 sāhasrāṃ - kha. . 181 dehaṃ prakīrtitam - ka. . 182 vardhamānāśca - gha. . 183 tatyajuḥ - gha. . 184 kālakarṇabhayāt - ka, nyā - kha,, kalpa - gha. . 185 purā - gha. . 186 devāste - gha. . 187 devo - ka., devīṃ - kha . 188 devī - ka. kha. . 189 mā dhāva - gha. . 190 pāśupatā- ka. gha. . 191 nirdagdhamūrtayaḥ- gha. . 192 vaśyā - ka. . 193... gṛhyā - kha. . 194... ste - ka. .] / - - - -- - -- - ---- - -- -- -- - -- - -- / For, by their entering into the ashes, these creatures of Rudra now / have all become leaders of the gaṇas, O Sovereign Lady; they must not be slain by you. / Death has no power over those whose minds are offered to Śaṅkara. / Indeed, this observance sacred to Śarva, which fulfills all desires, was performed by me." / Having been addressed thus by the Goddess, Kālakarṇī of terrifying form / turned back from the gods and abandoned the anger that had arisen. / Having seen that Kālakarṇī had turned back / and that the fierce danger had ceased, the gods praised the daughter of the Himavat. / The gods said: / "To the supreme queen of Hara, the wife of Mahādeva, / the beloved of Tryambaka, Ambikā, the monosyllabic speech, / the agent of the cosmic destruction of the world, Umā, / the auspicious wife of the God of gods, who [shines like] a conch and kunda [flower]—
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[We take refuge in her] whose terrible fangs are white as the moon, a necklace, or water; who is victorious in battle; / who is hard to gaze upon, whose terrible glance is beyond thought; wide-eyed, wearing yellow silk garments; / whose staff bears a great trident, a bell, and a flag; who loves divine fragrance, ghee, and incense; / whose fierce hand holds the staff of death, a sword, and a shield; whose vessel is filled with omentum, blood, entrails, and fat; / who faces the southern quarter; who wears a charming golden fillet; whose eyes resemble the fire at the end of an aeon; who emits loud laughter; / who acts according to her own will; who is unpierced by the weapons of the bodiless god [Kāma]; who has a army of heroes; who is the famous river; / who dwells eternally on Mount Mandara; who abides in heaven; we take refuge in her, the longed-for one (?), / who tore apart the demon Mahiṣa; who tore apart Dundubhi; who slew Sunda; / who was death to Niśumbha; who creates a radiance shining like the moon, the sun, and fire; who bestows what is desired; / who removes grief, sorrow, and pain; sorrowless; fierce; dense; who brings an end to Death; / the vital strength of the sage, son of Jamadagni; and the queen of the king of kings; / charming, dreadful, the night, the science of governance; stability, desired perfection, the auspicious Kālarātrī; / Aparṇā, meditative absorption, the refuge; who loves dwelling on the king of mountains; who eternally abides in the Ocean of Milk; auspicious; / adorned with large tinkling bells; whose hair is dishevelled and stands upright; whose splendor has the hue of kindled fire and evening clouds; / wearing a finger-guard made of monitor-lizard skin; three-eyed; adorned with a garland interwoven with reddish lotuses in her matted locks; free from grief; / born from the spark of the eye of the foe of the bodiless god [Kāma]; adorned with a garland woven of golden wreaths; wearing a long, lovely braid; / endowed with renown and glory; having a multi-colored banner fastened with peacock plumes; passionate; the bringer of peace;
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I ever take refuge in that one alone, who wears bracelets made of a hundred serpents; / who is drunk on the life-breath of great Daityas; whose limbs and hair are rough with the ashes of funeral pyres; whose great knees hang down and belly is swollen; / wearing a serpent as a sacrificial thread; whose ornaments are wet hands, half a face, raised eyes, and half a foot; / wearing a garland of various flowers hanging down from a great girdle-cord; / who delights in dancing to the fierce music of large drums that sound like great thunderclouds; / who loves songs, laughter, chatter, and joy; who transcends dwelling, living abroad, and residing through recitation, oblation, and fasting; / whose fierce essence accords with the essence known through great yoga; / firmness itself; whose bowstring and bell sound with fierce noise; / whose roar is sharp and terrible, resembling a great thundercloud, the fall of a thunderbolt, and the ocean; / the ritual act, and the initiation of the initiated; the wife of the uneven-eyed god; dwelling in half of Hara’s body; / I take refuge in the primordial, supreme Goddess, Pārvatī, born from the spark of his mouth; / the presiding deity of all branches of knowledge; the refuge; the embodiment of restraint, observance, and self-control; / the auspicious daughter of the ancestors, the daughter of the king of mountains; who brought an end to Dakṣa’s sacrifice; / who knocked out the teeth of the Sun when residing in half of Bhava's body; / who paralyzed the raised arm of Indra; who took away the hair of Viṣṇu; / whose great conveyance is harnessed to a great lion; Mahābhairavā; terrifying; the fire-stick [that brought forth] Skanda and the moon; / the foremost mother of the elephant-faced god; the fire-stick for the birth of Viśākha; / the producer of Nandin and Naigameṣa;
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and the primordial fire-stick of all the worlds; the venerable mother; the yoginī meditated upon by yogins; the firmness / unapproachable through great yoga and logic by gods and brahmins; / who resides among the distinguished, the desirable, and the refined; Lakṣmī; / the woman (?); the fire-stick for the glorious worlds of earth, atmosphere, heaven, Mahar, Janas, Satya, and Vairāja; the cause of the sense-faculties; / the creator of the 'I-maker' and the subtle elements; the activity of darkness, purity, and passion, and the supreme activity; / the power of the great lord Maheśa, and consciousness, to be contemplated through all supreme knowledge; we take refuge in the Goddess, / Umā, the mother: bestow happiness upon us, O Mother, being pleased! / The auspicious wife of Mahādeva, whom we contemplate, meditating with focused consciousness: / and also destroy today, O Mother, being pleased, all the harsh [harm] done by us, / just as [frost is destroyed] by the body of the great sun; and all that was done by us previously in thousands of crores of births, / that which we shall do, and that which we are doing; and give to us / all wealth along with desire, as well as health, strength, / prosperity, knowledge, wisdom, retentive memory, concentration, deliberation, reasoning, refutation, firmness, noble character, / and a divine path, as well as eternal righteousness, and whatever other virtues there may be in addition to these—partake of them all today, O Goddess; / obeisance to you! (123–144)
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Sanatkumāra said:
Praised thus by the gods with joyful hearts,
and through Tryambaka's grace, the pleased Goddess spoke this to the gods: / 145
The Goddess said:
Go forth, all of you, freed from anguish; I am pleased with you, without a doubt.
Do not act in this way again, O gods, lest destruction befall you. / 146
Sanatkumāra said:
Then that god, the smiling, matted-haired, blue-and-red one,
the slayer of the gods' enemies, restored all the gods to their natural state. / 147
And the Lord of Gods said to them: "Go forth, freed from anguish;
and when a sacrifice is to be performed, then this [sacrifice] will indeed belong to you. / 148
Joined together with its head, O sons of Diti, by this mantra."
Then the God gave the Atharvan hymn and imperishable joining mantra,
and spoke this in a melodious voice: / 149
The God of Gods said:
Let this sacrifice attain parity with the constellations, O best of gods!
And let this god Hari, pursuing the deer, become its [protector]. / 150
Bhadrakālī, Hari, and these mighty attendants,
all of them will forever bring good fortune to you, O immortals! / 151
Sanatkumāra said:
Addressed thus by the Lord, those gods, together with Brahmā,
all bowed their heads and spoke these words to Śarva: / 152
"Let this best of sacrifices belong only to you, O Lord;
everything, O God, Lord of Gods, imperishable one, is worshipped... / 153
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Of the shares in all sacrifices, we give everything to you."
Addressed thus by all the gods, the Lord of Gods, the sovereign of deities, / 154
assumed a supreme, auspicious form consisting of all the gods.
Then, in the Great Lord, the gods saw their own selves: / 155
in his head, arms, thighs, and feet, in his bladder, hands, belly, and other limbs,
they saw the great-souled sages rich in austerity abiding. / 156
Having assumed that form, Śaṃkara then said to the gods:
"All of you great-souled ones are born from my body. / 157
Look at your bodies, which consist of me!"
Then, O Vyāsa, those deities saw the entire universe consisting of Rudra / 158
and also saw themselves, their minds struck with amazement.
Having thus revealed his power to them, the Lord of Gods / 159
said to the tigers among gods: "You have seen these manifestations.
Whichever form one worships endowed with supreme devotion, / 160
having taken that form, I receive his worship, O gods.
I have no need for sacrificial shares; the sacrificial shares are yours, O gods.
I grant them all [to you] today; go forth, all of you, freed from anguish!" / 161
The gods said:
"This supreme secret has been revealed by you to us, O God.
The mortal who understands this shall attain imperishable worlds. / 162
And this place, O Blessed One, known as Bhadreśvara,
shall be the best in the universe, the most holy of holy [places]. / 163
All around, for a yojana, is this eternal Rudrakṣetra.
One who dies here, O God, shall become a leader of your attendants, beloved to you. / 164
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And whoever recites this daily, rising early at dawn, O slayer of the sacrifice,
and recites it to brahmins, is freed from all sins. / 165
And having bathed in this Bhadrakarṇahrada, whoever worships Hara,
having prepared an oblation of boiled rice, and, pure, feeds brahmins, / 166
that man, liberated from all sins, wherever he dies,
rejoices among the apsarases in heaven, like another god. / 167
And where it was spoken by you, O God, while standing [here], O Blessed One, O Lord,
let this holy [ford] be named Harabhadra by your grace, O unborn one! / 168
Whatever merit comes from a horse-sacrifice properly performed, O slayer of the sacrifice,
let that accrue here, O God, to a man who constantly worships. / 169
And whatever best of men shall abandon his life-breaths here,
he shall become a mighty attendant of Haribhadra." / 170
Sanatkumāra said:
Having said "So be it," the Blessed Lord Śarva, with Soma,
surrounded by hundreds of attendants, went to the lovely cave of Mandara. / 171
The gods, along with their king, also remained at that place in comfort,
while Brahmā and Viṣṇu went behind the God. / 172
Having gone a short distance with both of them, the Lord,
not very far away, then said: "Halt, O mighty Viṣṇu!" / 173
Then, bowing down to the feet of Hara, that best of men...
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He stood leaning on a mango tree, and he became crooked (kubja). / Because Hari stood in that place leaning on a mango tree, / gazing at the Lord of gods, therefore that place became [known] / as Kubjāmraka, the prosperous sacred field of Viṣṇu, / holy, yielding the fruit of a thousand cows upon a nivartana [of land] of Viṣṇu. / Having gone not very far from there, the Lord again said to the Grandfather: / “Turn back,” O Vyāsa, and entered the sky. / When that god had ascended into the sky, Brahmā, with folded hands and upturned face, / having circumambulated [and] bowed, then departed. / Since there, while making circumambulation around Hara, / a turning (āvarta) of his own body was performed by that [god] of holy deeds, / therefore that lovely place became renowned as Brahmāvarta. / A man who bathes there attains the fruit of an aśvamedha sacrifice. / Having prepared the sacrificial caru here and fed the twice-born, / and then relinquishing his life-breaths, he would attain the world of Brahmā. / Then Brahmā, having approached along with the gods preceded by Viṣṇu, / performed the glorification of Paśupati at Bhadreśvara. / Having installed a liṅga there and performed a very splendid worship,
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and having bathed in the Bhadrakarṇa pool, he went to heaven together with the gods. / Then Dakṣa spoke this to Brahmā as he was departing: / “O God, tell me who am asking, what ought to be done by me?” / The Grandfather said: / “Propitiate Śarva, the wielder of the great bow, the fierce one with matted hair. / Then you will attain the completion of the sacrifice and imperishable worlds.” / Sanatkumāra said: / Having been thus addressed in truth by the god Brahmā, O Vyāsa, / he set up a liṅga at Kanakhala and then worshipped Rudra. / When a divine hundred years of that Prajāpati were completed, / Mahādeva, smiling on the mountain summit, said to the Mountain's daughter: / “The son of Pracetas, O goddess, stands restrained in austerity. / Behold him, O ruler, established with mind focused on me!” / Then, having seen him subsisting on air, / worshipping Maheśvara in the liṅga with supreme devotion, / the delighted goddess, with joined palms, O Vyāsa, / said to the god, her husband, the Lord of all gods who is worshipped by all deities: / The goddess said: / “This fellow is low, wicked-minded, arrogant, proud, and evil-natured. / Fortunately, humbled by you, he has resorted to you alone for refuge. / Therefore, O Maheśvara, you ought to forgive this devotee of wicked disposition who has surrendered; / I propitiate you for his sake.” / The God of gods said:
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“O goddess, you yourself grant him the desired boons as you please. / Permitted by me, O fair-browed one, bestow the boon upon him yourself.” / Sanatkumāra said: / Then those two rulers of the gods, united and surrounded by their own gaṇas, / said: “Behold us two, O Dakṣa, who are pleased, with divine vision! / O son of Pracetas, O highly fortunate one of great austerity, we two are givers of boons! / [...] / For the pacification of the curse, I grant you this desired boon: / That sacrifice of yours which was destroyed by the gaṇas—attain its fruit! / Assuming forms at will, glorious, become a gaṇeśa for me; / imperishable and immortal, free from sorrow and grief, / you will be, O highly fortunate one, close beside me.” / The goddess said: / “Listen again: what else should Maheśvara bestow? / Even if it is very difficult to grant, he will bestow the boon requested by you.” / Sanatkumāra said: / Having been thus addressed then by that daughter of the Himavat, / the wise Dakṣa, with folded hands, having bowed down, said this: / Dakṣa said: / “The god who is the maker of the origin and destruction of the three worlds, whom the foolish do not know, the single, unmanifest one, / the remover of inauspiciousness for devotees, holding the Pināka bow in hand—to that god we, together with our wife, have gone for refuge! / Who out of ignorance, due to demonic nature, and through excessive pride and delusion, was not indeed worshipped by us along with the Daughter of the Mountain—”
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- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit