Revākhaṇḍa ascribed to the Vāyupurāṇa (RKV) 67
English (machine translation) 67
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- English
Contents
- 67.109 — 2 parts
67.1
The venerable Mārkaṇḍeya said: / Immediately following that, my dear, situated in the midst of the water, / Known as Luṅkeśvara, bowed to by gods and Asuras.
67.2
This pilgrimage place is of great religious merit, with various wonders on the earth. / Hear the glorification and origin of this pilgrimage place, O descendant of Bharata.
67.3
Long ago there was a mighty Dānava arrogant with power, / Known as Kālapṛṣṭha, a son of the son of Brahmā.
67.4
Taking shelter on the bank of the Gaṅgā, he performed extensive austerities. / Standing even upside down, he inhaled smoke day and night.
67.5
And thereafter the god stood with Umā; / But seeing him situated in harsh austerities, Pārvatī [said]:
67.6
'Look, look, Mahādeva, a man stands consuming smoke! / Show favour to him today; grant him a boon quickly, O omnipresent lord!'
67.7
Īśvara said: / 'The word that you have spoken, O goddess, does not please me, my dear. / One should always consider one's own affairs, [and] abandon the affairs of others.
67.8
Whoever conforms to the will of fools, women, children, and enemies / Falls into terrible misfortune; this has been spoken as truth.'
67.9
The goddess said: / 'When entreated by his wife, a husband talks of many reasons; / That woman meets with humiliation—so it is read in the treatises.
67.10
I shall abandon my life if you do not heed me.' / Urged by Pārvatī, the god went towards the Dānava.
67.11
Īśvara said: / 'For what purpose do you drink smoke? For what purpose do you perform austerity? / What is your sorrow, or what is your distress? Tell your desired goal.
67.12
You still appear young, only twenty years [of age]. / Therefore declare all of that to me, the great reason for your austerity.'
67.13
The Dānava said: / 'May unswerving devotion to you, my steadfastness towards you, be granted! / Another thousand years have passed without obstacle for me, O omnipresent lord.
67.14
Two thousand days have been completed by me in your austerity.'
67.15
Īśvara said: / 'Ask for the desired objective; I am pleased with you, O you of good vows.' / Hearing the god's word, the Dānava reflected:
67.16
'Shall I ask for heaven today? Shall I ask for the entire earth today?' / Thus he reflected, afflicted by the arrow of desire.
67.17
The Dānava said: / 'If you are pleased with me, O god, [and] if you will grant me a boon, O lord: / I am not pleased with battles, [yet] there is no strength whatsoever [comparable].
67.18
Whosoever's head I touch with my hand, O god— / Be he god, Dānava, or Gandharva—may he turn to ashes instantly!'
67.19
Īśvara said: / 'Whatever you have thought in your mind, all that will bear fruit for you. / Arise, go quickly to your dwelling, O Dānava!'
67.20
The dānava said:
“Wait, O Lord of the gods of gods, until I test your boon!
I shall place my hand upon your head, so that I may be convinced.”
67.21
Immediately after that, the god Maheśvara reflected:
“Neither Skanda, nor Hari, nor Brahmā is capable in this matter now.”
67.22
And realizing the misfortune that had arrived, the god pleaded with the bull:
“Fight now for a moment with this wicked one!”
67.23
The daitya stretched out his hand, intending indeed to touch the god on the head.
Struck by the tail, the dejected daitya fell to the earth.
67.24
The god, however, went to the southern quarter together with Umā.
Terrified with fear, he looked around again and again, turning his neck.
67.25
And when the god had gone out of sight, he fought with the bull.
Both of them, the best among the strong, fought, endowed with great might,
67.26
with blows like thunderbolts, in anger, for three ghaṭikās,
so that he could indeed not touch the bull's head with both hands.
67.27
Having struck [him] with the blow of his tail, the bull then departed;
and that daitya too got up and went after the bull.
67.28
Reaching with the speed of the wind the place where the god Maheśvara was,
seeing the dānava approaching, the bull spoke [these] words:
67.29
“Mounting upon my back, O god, go quickly indeed!”
Mounting the bull, the god went together with Umā.
67.30
The god then reached heaven and went to the palace of Śakra;
but the dānava, arrogant with strength, did not leave the god's heels.
67.31
Abandoning the world of Indra, he then went to the world of Brahmā;
wherever the god went out of fear, together with the sky-dwellers,
67.32
right there he saw the dānava clinging to his back.
Having wandered through all the worlds, the god was filled with astonishment.
67.33
“There is no place whatever where one may rest for a moment.”
Learning of the very dreadful battle between the god and the dānava there,
67.34
the sage Nārada, delighted in heart, danced there for a long time:
“Blessed am I today! My birth and life are well-lived!”
67.35
And seeing the great strife, supreme contentment arose [in him].
Leaving the battle between the god and the dānava there, Nārada,
67.36
that brāhmaṇa, then came to where the god Maheśvara was.
Seeing that brāhmaṇa, the god then honored him and said this:
67.37
“O Nārada, best of sages, do you know where Keśava is anywhere?
Going there quickly, inform Keśava!”
67.38
Nārada said:
“The Lord of the gods certainly removes the misfortune of all—
of gods, dānavas, siddhas, gandharvas, serpents, and rākṣasas.
67.39
The unthinkable should not be spoken, nor should one ponder it even in mind.
I do not understand such a misfortune of yours, O Lord!”
67.40
Īśvara said:
“Go quickly, O Nārada, to where the god Janārdana is.
For all that has been done by the dānava is known to you.
67.41
Indeed, this dānava cannot be killed even by the Maruts with Indra.
Having gone, inform the god Keśava, O great sage!”
67.42
Nārada said:
“I will not go, O god! Keśava is happily asleep in the milk ocean.
Let an instruction be given, O Lord, to urge them on!”
67.43
“Neither a mother, a sister, a daughter, a king, nor a master,
nor a guru at the outset, should one wake when sleeping.”
67.44
Īśvara said:
“If a great fire breaks out anywhere in houses,
those residing there meet destruction if the wise do not wake them.”
67.45
Nārada said:
“Go quickly, O Mahādeva; protect yourself, O glorious Lord!
I am going, there is no doubt, to where the god Janārdana is.”
67.46
Then Nandin and Mahākāla, terrifying, with posts in hand,
struck the dānava there with weapons such as mallets.
67.47
All three were huge-bodied, measuring seven palm trees [in height].
No cessation came to them as they fought with one another.
67.48
And immediately after that, the brāhmaṇa went towards that Keśava.
He saw him asleep in the milk ocean, resting on the couch of Śeṣa,
67.49
his pair of feet taken by Lakṣmī and placed upon her thighs,
being sung to by apsarases; and bowing down to Keśava with devotion, [he said]:
67.50
“Today my birth is fruitful, and my life is well-lived!
Awaken the Lord of gods, O Lakṣmī, without hesitation!”
67.51
Hearing Nārada's words, she pressed his big toe:
“Nārada stands at the door; arise, O Madhusūdana!”
67.52
Seeing Nārada, the god also reached supreme delight:
“Welcome, O best of sages! The night has dawned auspiciously today!”
67.53
Nārada said:
“Today my morning has become fruitful from the sight of you, O god.
All is not well with the gods; arise quickly and let us go!”
67.54
Glorious Viṣṇu said:
“Brahmā, Indra, Rudra, and whatever other hosts of Maruts there are—
you ought to relate fully the cause of their misfortune!”
67.55
Nārada said:
“The dānava performed very intense and very severe asceticism,
and a boon was granted by Rudra: the reduction to ashes desired by his mind.
67.56
By the very power of the grant of the boon, he can kill the god.
Knowing such conduct, the god was led away together with the immortals.”
67.57
Hearing the words of Nārada, Hari went together with the sage.
The god saw that Īśāna going towards the northern direction.
67.58
Seeing the god, Rudra embraced him again and again;
and Madhusūdana, the Lord of the world, bowed down to the god.
67.59
Viṣṇu said:
“Tell me the cause of your fear, O god, O Maheśvara!
I can send [any] of gods, dānavas, or yakṣas to the abode of Yama.
67.60
Justice is set on your forehead, O Maheśvara, for you all,
after severing the head, limbs, and sense organs, without doubt.”
67.61
Īśvara said:
“There is no happiness among fools, and there is no happiness among the sick,
nor is there happiness for one dependent on another, and especially for one conquered by a woman.
67.62
Conquered by a woman, O Viṣṇu, a boon was granted by me to the dānava:
‘Upon whose head he places his hand, that one shall become like a heap of ashes.’
67.63
He was indeed declared by me to be invincible and immortal, O Keśava.
The wicked one wishes to kill me; an expedient is known to you.”
67.64
Viṣṇu said:
“Let all the immortals go together with you, O Śaṅkara.
Today I shall devise an expedient for the slaying of the dānava.”
67.65
"Stay on the bank of the Revā, O god, together with the immortals. / No delay should be made; go swiftly, O Lord!
67.66
Where there is the southern Gaṅgā and the great river Revā, / and wherever the eastward-flowing Sarasvatī is seen,
67.67
no great pilgrimage place equal to that is seen among mortals. / Those who take a sacred bath there and make gifts with devotion,
67.68
their sin committed in seven births is destroyed—there is no doubt about this. / This pilgrimage place yields great religious merit and destroys all sins.
67.69
Go there to Luṅkeśa, O lord of the gods, together with the immortals!" / At the very word of Viṣṇu, [Śiva] entered that excellent pool.
67.70
He made great delight there together with the hosts of Maruts. / Then immediately after that, the god [Viṣṇu], having fashioned illusions in many forms,
67.71
created the spring month adorned with park forests, / with Aśoka and Bakula trees and very splendid Brahma trees,
67.72
with Bilva trees, Kapittha trees, Śirīṣa trees, and royal Campakas, / with Śrīphalas and palmyra palms, and with Kadambas and Udumbaras,
67.73
with Aśvattha trees and many kinds of trees in great numbers, / resonant with bees and abundant in sweet-smelling diverse flowers.
67.74
In the middle of that was a great banyan tree, very splendid, / filled with many birds and echoing with the cries of the cuckoo.
67.75
And there Kṛṣṇa instantly assumed the form of a maiden. / There was no maiden equal to her in the three worlds, with all that moves and is still.
67.76
And seven other maidens, beautiful of form and with auspicious eyes, / all wearing divine appearances and adorned with divine ornaments,
67.77
longing for a man, if one were to desire women, / with pearls, precious gems, rubies, and very splendid cat's-eye stones,
67.78
and [with] bamboo poles and love-garlands, a swing was made and bound. / Mounted upon it, those great maidens were singing sweetly then.
67.79
A cool breeze was blowing, having touched the very splendid forest. / The fragrance wafted by the wind assailed the nostrils of the Dānava.
67.80
Then, from the fragrance of the flowers, he experienced the highest astonishment: / "Having smelled such a fragrant scent, never has [anything like it] been seen or heard of by me!"
67.81
While he was pondering somewhat in the forest, a very lovely sound of singing [arose]. / Hearing the sound of that song, he was enchanted by the illusion of Hari.
67.82
Just as deer fall into the great snare of a hunter, / so he, touched by death, fell towards Kṛṣṇa, O king.
67.83
Seeing that maiden, the Daitya fell to the ground in a swoon. / Having fallen, he saw one maiden standing at the foot of the banyan tree.
67.84
Seeing the face of those women, he was struck by desire once again; / taking hold of a golden pole, he wished to make her fall down.
67.85
The maiden said: / "Do not touch me, for I am an unmarried girl of high lineage! / Ah, let me go, let me go quickly, so that I may go home!"
67.86
The Dānava said: / "I desire marriage with you, O very lovely one! / You will certainly become the queen of the whole surface of the earth—there is no doubt."
67.87
The maiden said: / "The father protects in childhood, the husband protects in youth, / the son protects in old age; a woman does not deserve independence.
67.88
I have no independence at all; I was born in a great family. / My father, my brother, and my mother too must be asked."
67.89
The Dānava said: / "If you do not desire me today and do not resort to independence, / then I will surely be killed, O auspicious-eyed one!"
67.90
The maiden said: / "Confidence should never be placed in any ordinary man. / Men are deceptive toward women, lecherous and infatuated with desire.
67.91
Marry me first, and then enjoy pleasures with me! / Afterwards, ruin of life would happen [if you leave me], for neither you nor any other would belong to me.
67.92
Whether a Brāhmaṇa woman, a Kṣatriya woman, a Vaiśya woman, or even a Śūdra woman, / there cannot be a second husband in this life, [a woman must be] devoted to one alone."
67.93
The Dānava said: / "What you have spoken, that word I have kept in my heart. / Give me an oath today, whatever pleases your mind!"
67.94
The maiden said: / "Know me to be a cowherd's daughter, playing with my companions. / Whatever is the ordeal in our family, perform that according to the rule!
67.95
Poison is not the ordeal in our family, nor the sacred water, nor the balance; / in all lineages of cowherds, one's hand is placed upon one's head."
67.96
Blinded by desire, O best of kings, he placed his hand upon his head. / In that very instant he was reduced to ashes, like a heap of grass that has burned.
67.97
An auspicious shower of flowers was made by the gods upon Keśava. / Delighted, all the gods went to their own abode, freed from fever.
67.98
When Kālapṛṣṭha was struck down, Keśava went to the ocean of milk. / Whoever hears with devotion this story of the Dānava,
67.99
he becomes always victorious, according to the word of Śaṅkara. / For this reason, O king, it is celebrated as Liṅgeśvara,
67.100
because sin that has vanished is destroyed by a mere sacred bath. / The sin residing in skin, bone, blood, flesh, fat, sinew,
67.101
marrow, and semen, born of ten million births, is destroyed. / If one drinks water with devotion at Luṅkeśvara, O great king,
67.102
with just three handfuls, sin is scattered into a thousand pieces; / especially on the fourteenth day and on the eighth day in both fortnights.
67.103
Whatever man, having fasted, [offers water] with devotion for the ancestors, O son of Pāṇḍu, / by him all those ancestors who were in hell are delivered.
67.104
And whoever gives even a cowrie shell to a Brāhmaṇa who has mastered the Vedas, / by him the entire fruit of giving at Kurukṣetra and other places
67.105
is attained—not otherwise, O king; this Śaṅkara declares. / This touch-liṅga, O king, was fashioned by Śaṅkara.
67.106
By the mere touch of it, an abode with Rudra arises for men; / by it [one gains] the entire fruit of giving at Kurukṣetra and other places.
67.107
For this reason, O king, the guardians of the world are its protectors; / and auspicious Durgā, bearing four arms, was created for its protection.
67.108
The giver of wealth [Kubera], lord of the world-guardians, is the protector of the Lord; / and he always protects it over time in the form of the operations of the planets.
67.109
In forms resembling sons and brothers, and having forms related to the master, / Laṅkeśvara, O best of kings, is not abandoned by the gods even today."
67.109.p1
Thus ends the sixty-seventh chapter, named the Description of the Glorification of the Luṅkeśvara Pilgrimage Place, in the Revākhaṇḍa of the Avantyakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, a collection of eighty-one thousand verses.
67.109.p2
RKV Chapter 68
Linked texts (1)
- Revākhaṇḍa (Vāyupurāṇa) — Sanskrit