Revākhaṇḍa ascribed to the Vāyupurāṇa (RKV) 90
English (machine translation) 90
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- English
Contents
- 90.116 — 2 parts
90.1
The venerable Mārkaṇḍeya said: / On the north bank of the Revā is an excellent Vaiṣṇava pilgrimage place, / renowned across the earth by the name Jalaśāyin.
90.2
Having slain the Dānavas, Janārdana slept there. / The discus was washed there by the god of gods, the discus-wielder, / and Sudarśana was rendered free of sin from resorting to the waters of the Revā.
90.3
Yudhiṣṭhira said: / Tell of Cakra pilgrimage place, praised by the hosts of sages, / of the incomparable power of Viṣṇu, and of the fruit [accorded] by the Revā.
90.4
The venerable Mārkaṇḍeya said: / Well said! Well said, O wise one! You are detached [from worldly things], O Yudhiṣṭhira! / The pilgrimage place, more secret than the secret, was fashioned by the discus-wielder himself.
90.5
I shall relate that sin-destroying story to you. / Long ago there was a great Daitya known as Tālamegha.
90.6
By him all the gods were conquered and stripped of their kingdoms, O ruler of men. / He personally consumed the sacrificial portions, [saying,] 'I am Viṣṇu, without a doubt!'
90.7
The mind of Dhanada was stolen, and the elephant of Śakra was seized; / the wicked one coveted Indrāṇī, and also the jewel of a horse belonging to Ravi.
90.8
Out of fear of Tālamegha, O Pārtha, the sun, the Rudras along with Indra, / Yama, Skanda, the lord of waters [Varuṇa], Agni, the wind god [Vāyu], and the lord of wealth [Kubera],
90.9
Together with Bṛhaspati and Maheśa, their minds distracted, the gods went to the Grandfather, / to the world of Brahmā. Having seen the Grandfather there,
90.10
The gods headed by Bṛhaspati praised him with various hymns— / him who, for the distribution of the three qualities, subsequently attained differentiated forms.
90.11
Seeing the gods dispirited and pale, O king, / the god [Brahmā], inclined to show grace, spoke to the celestials:
90.12
Brahmā said: / Welcome to the assembly of gods! Your former splendor is lost; / your faces are like heavenly lights afflicted by the power of frost.
90.13
Because its flames are extinguished, this divine weapon has not been unleashed; / the thunderbolt of Vṛtra's slayer appears as though its radiance were blunted.
90.14
And why has this noose in Varuṇa's hand, irresistible to enemies, / assumed the wretched state of a serpent whose vigor is destroyed by a mantra?
90.15
Kubera's mental torment proclaims, as it were, his defeat; / Vāyu moves about erratically like a tree whose branches are broken.
90.16
Even Yama, scratching the ground with his staff whose radiance has set, / though never failing, treats it as trivial as an extinguished firebrand.
90.17
And how is it that these suns, chilled by the loss of their blazing heat, / have become as easily gazed upon as if painted in a picture?
90.18
Therefore tell me, children, for what purpose have you come together here? / What is the reason for your arrival? Speak without hesitation, O gods!
90.19
For the creation of the worlds rests in me, but their preservation resides in you. / Then, with his thousand eyes radiant like a bed of lotuses shaken by a gentle breeze,
90.20
The slayer of Vṛtra [Indra] prompted the preceptor [Bṛhaspati]; / he, with two eyes, surpassed the thousand-eyed gaze of Indra.
90.21
With folded hands, Bṛhaspati spoke this to the lotus-seated [Brahmā]: / O father, born in your lineage is the exceedingly powerful Tālamegha.
90.22
He torments the gods, risen up like a comet; / by that Dānava all the hosts of gods are afflicted with sorrow.
90.23
Tālamegha, the lord of the Daityas, is mighty and harasses us all; / therefore we have sought refuge in you. O Creator, be our refuge!
90.24
Then the blessed Creator, pleased, spoke these words to them:
90.25
Brahmā said: / O gods, is there anyone among you as strong as Tālamegha? / Without the god Mādhava, that Dānava cannot be subdued by me.
90.26
Then all the hosts of gods headed by Viriñci, O king, / set out for the ocean of milk, all of them grieved by that enemy.
90.27
Hastening forward with the desire to see Keśava, the gods / reached the ocean of milk and praised him who reclines upon the waters:
90.28
The gods said: / You are the beginning of the world, yet without beginning; the end of the world, yet endless; / the embodiment of the world, yet formless! Victory to you, who are worshipped by the gods!
90.29
Victory to you who recline on the ocean of milk! Victory to you who are ever attended by Lakṣmī! / Victory to you for the destruction of the Dānavas! Victory to the son of Devakī!
90.30
Victory to you who hold the conch and mace in hand! Victory, O Lord who bear the discus! / Hearing this praise of the gods, he who reclines upon the waters then awoke,
90.31
And spoke sweet words with a sound deep as a thundercloud: / For what purpose have I been awakened by you, O Brahmā, along with the capable gods and asuras?
90.32
Brahmā said: / Out of fear of Tālamegha, O Kṛṣṇa, we have come to your abode. / That wicked Tālamegha cannot be slain by anyone, O Janārdana.
90.33
You alone must slay that wicked one; he will meet death in no other way.
90.34
Lord Kṛṣṇa said: / Go to your respective places, O gods; take back your subjects! / I shall slay that evil-minded, mighty Tālamegha.
90.35
Let the gods tell me the place where that Dānava dwells.
90.36
The gods said: / In a cave of the Himālaya that lord of Dānavas dwells, / surrounded by twenty-four thousand maidens.
90.37
His horses and chariots, O Kṛṣṇa, are beyond count; / and various kinds of dancers are there, O Hari, possessed of countless talents.
90.38
There are elephants shaped like mountains, and horses resembling elephants; / there lives that mighty one who strikes terror into the gods.
90.39
Hearing the words of those distressed gods, the Lord / thought of Garuḍa, the destroyer of hosts of enemies.
90.40
Taking the discus in hand, the Lord who holds the mace and discus, / taking also the Śārṅga bow, the pestle, and the plow in his hands, Janārdana
90.41
Mounted the king of birds for the slaying of the Dānava; / and in the city of the Dānava portents of dreadful form descended.
90.42
A jackal entered among vultures together with pigeons; / and without any wind his flagpole fell.
90.43
A fight broke out between a snake and a mouse, and likewise between a lion and an elephant; / overflowing rivers there flowed mingled with blood; / out-of-season tree blossoms were seen on every side.
90.44
Then the Lord of the Universe reached the king of mountains, the Himavat; / and he suddenly blew the Pāñcajanya conch near the city.
90.45
Aroused by that tremendous sound, the lord of the Dānavas, / the mighty Tālamegha, then spoke these words:
90.46
Tālamegha said: / Who is this that has fallen into the power of death, not knowing my prowess? / Dhundhumāra, by my order, go swiftly surrounded by your army,
90.47
And bring that man of great strength bound by force before me!
90.48
Dhundhumāra said: / I shall bring him without doubt, whether he be a god, a yakṣa, or a kinnara, / equipped with floods of chariots along with elephants, horses, and foot-soldiers.
90.49
Then the mighty Origin of the Universe, seated on Garuḍa, rejoiced. / 'Seize him! Seize him!'—thus ordered by him, the servants
90.50
Ran in the four directions, hither and thither on every side; / but they were burnt by Garuḍa in the form of fire, like moths.
90.51
Dhundhumāra too was struck by Kṛṣṇa with a blow of an arrow; / struck in the chest, the wicked one lay in a dying state upon his chariot.
90.52
Then all the Dānavas raised a lamentation in distress. / Thereupon Tālamegha, enraged, mounted his chariot and went forth; / he beheld Keśava, O Pārtha, holding the conch, discus, and mace.
90.53
Tālamegha said: / Those were other Dānavas, O Kṛṣṇa, who were slain by you in battle; / those unmanly ones like Hiraṇyakaśipu, O Acyuta!
90.54
Having spoken thus, O Pārtha, the Dānava showered him with arrows; / Keśava cut down the arrows shot by the Dānava.
90.55
Garuḍa struck the army that was invulnerable to gods and asuras; / and Kṛṣṇa dispatched twice as many of his own arrows against him.
90.56
The dānava doubled and doubled [the arrows] again and sent them; / but Kṛṣṇa covered them as well with arrows eight times as many.
90.57
Then the enraged daitya indeed [discharged] the supreme fire weapon;
90.58
[Kṛṣṇa] sent the water weapon, and the fire [weapon] was thereby quenched. / With the water weapon [countered], Tālamegha unleashed the wind weapon.
90.59
And Hṛṣīkeśa sent the serpent weapon for calming the wind weapon; / the man-lion also sent the Nārasiṃha weapon, O Pāṇḍava.
90.60
Then, seeing the Nārasiṃha weapon, the mighty Tālamegha / swiftly stepped down from his chariot, took sword and shield,
90.61
[and shouted:] "Kṛṣṇa, I will send you to the terrifying path of Yama!" / Having spoken thus, O Pāṇḍava, the dānava rushed toward Keśava.
90.62
The daitya struck with his sword Janārdana, who held a mace in his hand; / then, taking a curved sword, Keśava, delighted in mind,
90.63
struck Tālamegha on the chest, O Pāṇḍava, in that great battle. / Then Janārdana struck the daitya, and the daitya struck Hari in combat.
90.64
Then Janārdana, enraged at Tālamegha, O Bhārata, / took his unfailing discus and hurled it at his head.
90.65
His head fell down, and the mountains trembled; / the oceans were agitated, O Pāṇḍava, and the rivers flowed out of their courses.
90.66
Then the gods released a shower of flowers upon Keśava, [saying:] / "He who was unslayable by the hosts of gods has been slain by you, O Keśava!"
90.67
And then the gods became at ease once Tālamegha had been felled. / Janārdana also, O son of Kuntī, resorted to the bank of the Narmadā.
90.68
Considering the Narmadā to be the Ocean of Milk, upon the serpent Ananta, / accompanied by Lakṣmī, Kṛṣṇa reposed on the northern bank.
90.69
The discus, terrifying to mortals and surrounded by wreaths of flames, / fell into the waters of the Narmadā near the Lord sleeping on the waters.
90.70
It became cleansed of stain by contact with the water of the Narmadā. / Whatever sin was generated by the slaying of Tālamegha, O prince,
90.71
that entire discharge was immediately washed away in the water of the Narmadā, O Bhārata. / From that time forward in this world, O lord of the earth, [He is known as] Jalaśāyin.
90.72
Others call it Cakratīrtha, and some [call it] Kālāghanāśana; / it is renowned in the land of Bhārata on the Narmadā, O king.
90.73
Hear the power of that tīrtha, O ruler of the earth: / just as Ananta is foremost among serpents, and Janārdana among the gods,
90.74
just as Mārgaśīrṣa is among months, and the Narmadā among rivers— / in the month of Mārgaśīrṣa, O Pāṇḍava, on the eleventh day of the bright fortnight,
90.75
whichever person goes with devotion, free from desire and anger, / and, cultivating a Vaiṣṇava mindset, approaches the Lord in the water,
90.76
and performs eating only once a day, eating only at night, or eating only unasked food, O king, / or fasting, gift-giving, and the feeding of brāhmaṇas,
90.77
O best of the Kurus, he does not go to the abode of Yama. / Those people who are terrified of the fear of Yama's realm, O son of Pāṇḍu,
90.78
let them look upon the beloved of Śrī, reclining on the serpent-couch, / surrounded by the cowherd women, resting in yogic sleep, / the universal-formed Lord of the universe, who destroys the fear of worldly existence.
90.79
With supreme devotion, one should bathe with honey, milk, ghee, / and sugar mixed with water, Janārdana, the source of the universe.
90.80
And those people free from jealousy who behold him being bathed / go to the supreme realm revered by gods and asuras.
90.81
One should kindle a lamp filled with ghee or filled with oil, / and having kept a night vigil before the deity, free from malice,
90.82
those who listen with devotion to a Vaiṣṇava tale, O best of kings, / their sins such as brāhmaṇa-murder are destroyed; of this there is no doubt.
90.83
Those mortals who circumambulate the teacher of the universe sleeping on the water, / by them the seven-islanded earth has indeed been circumambulated.
90.84
Then, at pure dawn, one should satisfy the ancestors with water, / and men should perform a śrāddha there with worthy brāhmaṇas, O Pāṇḍava,
90.85
who are devoted to their own wives, peaceful, avoiding the wives of others, / devoted to Vedic study, engaged in their own duties, auspicious,
90.86
ever devoted to sacrifice, and observing the three daily twilight prayers. / With faith one should have the śrāddha performed, if one desires one's own welfare.
90.87
They are blessed in the human realm, indeed worthy of praise on earth— / those men who dwell at all times taking refuge at Hari's lotus feet,
90.88
and behold before their eyes the leader of the gods sleeping on the water. / A fast for a fortnight, the Parāka vow, the auspicious Cāndrāyaṇa,
90.89
the severe one-month fast, the vow of eating at the sixth mealtime, or the fifth— / whoever performs these at that pilgrimage place attains an imperishable state.
90.90
Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya said: / Hereafter I shall declare the fruit of the sesamum-cow: / how, to whom, and when it should be given, and the auspicious fruit of gifting it.
90.91
This is another sacred story, heard previously from the sage Dvaipāyana / in many ways in the sacred Naimiṣa by Nārada and others.
90.92
This brings supreme longevity, is auspicious, and increases renown; / reciting it to brāhmaṇas, a wise man attains endless fruit.
90.93
A cow, a house, a bed, and women must not be given to many; / for when the priestly gift is divided, these do not benefit the giver.
90.94
This should be given to one, not to many, O Yudhiṣṭhira; / if she is sold, she burns the family up to the seventh generation.
90.95
According to the means of all, a cow is traditionally made of four droṇas [of sesamum]; / the calf should be made of one droṇa, or according to desire for many.
90.96
Whatever measure is customary in a particular region or district, / making it according to that measure, one enjoys an imperishable fruit.
90.97
Comfortably on clean ground, with flowers, incense, and unbroken grains, / two jewels should be given for the ears, and two lamps for the two eyes.
90.98
Sandalwood paste should be placed on her chest, and gold on both [ears]; / honey and ghee should be placed above, and one should make mustard seeds her hair.
90.99
One should place a woollen blanket as her blanket, and likewise honey and ghee on her hips; / one should give barley-fodder and pāyasa, along with ghee and honey.
90.100
Having golden horns, silver hooves, and a tail of gold, / she should be given with a back of gems, milked into a bell-metal vessel.
90.101
Whatever sin was committed in childhood, or committed unwittingly, / committed by speech, committed by deed, or contemplated by the mind,
90.102
spitting into water, stepping over a pestle, / having intercourse with an outcaste woman, or consorting with a guru's wife—
90.103
Violating a maiden, stealing gold, / drinking liquor, and other [evils]—the sesame-cow indeed purifies [one of these].
90.104
One should ritually dismiss it after fasting for a day and a night. / That river known as Vaitaraṇī in the terrible city of Yama,
90.105
having sand and stony ground, where the evildoer is tormented, / where the Avīci hell is, where the twin mountains are,
90.106
where there are iron-beaked crows, where there are terrifying dogs, / and the forest of sword-leaved trees, where that Kūṭaśālmalī tree is—
90.107
having passed beyond these with ease, he goes to the abode of Dharmarāja. / Seeing him, Dharmarāja speaks kind words, O Bhārata:
90.108
‘Here is an excellent, fitting aerial chariot adorned with jewels and gems; / having mounted this, best of men, go to the supreme state!’
90.109
Do not give [it] to a flatterer or a mercenary soldier; do not give [it] to a household priest; / nor to one who is one-eyed, deformed, missing a limb, nor to a temple priest,
90.110
nor to a Brahmin who does not know the Vedas, nor to one who sells everything, / nor to a slayer of a friend, nor to an ungrateful person, nor likewise to one devoid of mantras.
90.111
It should be given to one who has mastered the Vedānta, a learned Brahmin who is a householder; / it should be given to the son of a master of the Vedānta, a learned Brahmin who maintains a household,
90.112
to a Brahmin charming in all his limbs, of good conduct, and speaking kindly, / on the full moon of Māgha or of Kārttika, O Bhārata,
90.113
or on that of Vaiśākha, Mārgaśīrṣa, Āṣāḍha, or Caitra, / at a solstice, at an equinox, and always at a vyatīpāta,
90.114
at the auspicious ṣaḍaśītimukha, or during the shadow of an elephant. / This procedure of the sesame-cow has been told to you by me, O sinless one.
90.115
Placing their foot upon Yama, they go to the realm of Viṣṇu; / after giving up their life-breaths, they go to the supreme realm of Viṣṇu, there is no doubt about this; / having pierced the sun, they go at once; no doubt should be entertained here.
90.116
All this has been recounted to you, the fruit of Cakra-tīrtha, O king, / hearing which with devotion, a mortal is freed from all sins.
90.116.p1
|| Thus ends the ninetieth chapter, named 'Description of the Glorification of Jalaśāyitīrtha', in the Revākhaṇḍa of the fifth Āvantyakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, a compendium of eighty-one thousand [verses].
90.116.p2
RKV Chapter 91
Linked texts (1)
- Revākhaṇḍa (Vāyupurāṇa) — Sanskrit