Skandapurana 7.4.52
English (machine translation) 7.4.52
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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.
Linked texts (1)
- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit