The Skanda Purana

by G. V. Tagare | 1950 | 2,545,880 words

This page describes Agastya visits Skanda which is chapter 25 of the English translation of the Skanda Purana, the largest of the eighteen Mahapuranas, preserving the ancient Indian society and Hindu traditions in an encyclopedic format, detailling on topics such as dharma (virtous lifestyle), cosmogony (creation of the universe), mythology (itihasa), genealogy (vamsha) etc. This is the twenty-fifth chapter of the Purvardha of the Kashi-khanda of the Skanda Purana.

Chapter 25 - Agastya visits Skanda

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Vyāsa said:

1. Listen, O Sūta, I shall recount the story of the Pitcher-born Sage (Agastya), on hearing which a man becomes free from Rajoguṇa and possessor of knowledge.

2. After circumambulating the Śrīgiri mountain, Agastya, accompanied by his wife, saw the great beautiful forest of Skanda.

3. It was rich in the flowers of all the seasons. The trees were laden with juicy fruits. It abounded in roots (Mūla), bulbous roots (Kanda) that could be easily had. The trees had excellent barks.

4. The hosts of beasts of prey there were tamed. There were many rivers and puddles all round. There was a deep lake of clear water. It appeared to be the great essence of the entire earth.

5. It was teeming with different kinds of birds. Many sages stayed there. It appeared to be the secret meeting place of all types of austerities. It was the chief place of riches.

6. There is a mountain named Lohita there. It has the lustre of Meru with excellent caverns and rivulets; it shone well shedding lustre from its peaks and ridges.

7. It was as though a bit of Kailāsa had come to the land of holy rites (Bhārata) for performing lofty penance. It was full of mysteries and miracles.

8-9. There the excellent sage Agastya saw the Six-faced God directly. Accompanied by his wife, the sage of great penance prostrated before him like a log of wood. Joining the palms together in reverence, he eulogized the Son of the Daughter of the Mountain with the Sūktas of the Vedas and prayers composed by himself.

Agastya said:

[Agastya’s Prayer]

10. Obeisance to the Six-faced Lord whose lotus-like feet are worthy of being revered by groups of Devas. You are the sea of nectar (Supreme Bliss), whose exploits are endless and who are the cause of mental delight to Gaurī.

11. Salutations to you, the destroyer of the distresses of those who bow down (to you), the bestower of the cherished desires of all, the destoyer of the designs of cheaters of others, the slayer of the fierce Asura (called) Tāraka.

12. Obeisance to you, the peacock-vehicled one, to you who are both unembodied and embodied, thousand-formed, attributeless, greater than the greatest; you who are endowed with good qualities and are virtue (incarnate), one whose expanse cannot be comprehended and the supreme one.

13. Obeisance to you, the most excellent one among those who have realized Brahman, the supreme Being, one with the directions for the garments (Digambara), one who is stationed in the firmament, one with golden complexion, one with golden arms (or firmament-bodied one). Obeisance to the golden one (Sāttvika, in form) and one with gold as semen virile (i.e., Rudra).

14. Obeisance to the Lord who is austerity incarnate, one who has austerity as asset, to the Lord bestowing the fruits of penance, one who is perpetually child-like in form, to the Lord who has conquered Māra (god of Love), one who has considered all prosperity and riches as (worthless as) grass. Obeisance to the detached one.

15. Hail to you, the reed-born Lord, to the Lord with a row of teeth having the colour (brightness) of the morning Sun, to you, a child of great heroism uncommon to children, to the Lord nurtured by six mothers, to the Lord completely unafflicted and unperturbed.

16. Obeisance to Mīḍhuṣṭama (‘the most excellent one among those who bestow desired fruits’), to Uttaramīḍhus (‘bountiful bestower of future benefits’); obeisance to the Lord of the Gaṇas. Obeisance to the Lord who himself is a Gaṇa (of Rudra); obeisance to you who have transcended birth and old age; obeisance to Viśākha with an excellent Śakti in the hand.

17. Permanent obeisance to you, to the son of the Lord of everything, to the enemy of Krauñca mountain, to the slayer of Tāraka. Obeisance to you, O son of Svāhā, Gaṅgā, Kṛttikās and Śiva.

18. After eulogizing Kārttikeya thus saying “Obeisance, obeisance to you”, he circumambulated him twice and thrice (i.e. five times) and stood in front of him. Then he was told, “O eminent sage, be seated.”

Kārttikeya said:

19. O Pitcher-born Sage, the support and assistance to gods, I know that you have come here and also about the increase in the size of the Vindhya mountain.

20. Everything is well in the great holy spot Avimukta protected by the Three-eyed Lord. Virūpākṣa is there bestowing salvation directly to those who die there.

21. O sage, such a sanctifying holy spot has nowhere been seen by me on the earth, Bhuvarloka, Svarloka, Pātāla region or in the higher worlds.

22. Though I move about alone, O Sage, I perform penace [penance?] here to attain that holy spot. Till today, my ambitions have not become fruitful.

23. It cannot be attained by merits alone, by making gifts, by performing penance or by means of Japas. It cannot be attained through different kinds of Yajñas. It can be obtained only through the blessings of Īśa.

24. Residence in inaccessible Kāśī can become easily achievable, Ö Sage, only through the blessings of Īśvara, certainly not by millions of merits.

25. It is a separate creation excelling that of the creator (Brahmā), because even Īśvara is not capable of enumerating the merits of that holy place.

26. It is the height of the weakness of intellect, Alas! it is the outrageous adverseness of fortune, Alas! it is the grand power of delusion, if Kāśī is not resorted to.

27. The body grows old and emaciated incessantly, the sense-organs continuously become weak. Alas! the god of Death has made life, his target like a deer by a hunter.

28. One should resort to Kāśī after realizing that riches are fraught with dangers, that the body is excessively subject to adversity and that life is as fickle as lightning.

29. As long as the end of the life does not approach, Kāśī is not abandoned. Kāla (Time, god of Death) shall not forget to count even the least bit of a second.

30. Ailments thrown in very near to old age do harass very much. Still the body vexed with different kinds of ambitions and aspirations does not yearn for Kāśī.

31. Without (spending) money, Dharma (piety) can be achieved through ablutions in holy places, performance of Japas, helping others and utterances (of good words, prayers etc.). From Dharma wealth issues spontaneously.

32. Even without a specific means of earning money, wealth certainly comes out of Dharma. Hence, giving up the worry for wealth, one should resort to Dharma alone.

33. Wealth is obtained through Dharma; from wealth Kāma can be obtained; all happiness comes from Kāma. Even heavenly pleasure is easily obtained through Dharma; but Kāśī alone is very difficult to attain.

34. After clearly scrutinizing everything, Sthāṇu spoke to Śarvāṇī only about three means of salvation.

35. First comes Pāśupatayoga (consisting of use of Bhasma etc.), then Sitāsita (i.e., Prayāga), then the effortless means of salvation namely Avimukta (i.e., Kāśī).

36-41. There are many reputed means of salvation as mentioned in scriptures. These are: Śriśaila,[1] Himālaya and other mountains; many Āyatanas (holy spots and shrines); holding of the three Daṇḍas (Staffs) (i.e. entrance into Sannyāsa); renunciation of all rites; different kinds of austerities, holy vows, observances and (self-) restraints; confluences of many rivers; many holy forests;[2] mental activities (fortitude etc.); physical Dhārātīrtha etc.; Ūṣara[3] (saline lands such as Reṇukā, etc., nine in number); Pīṭhas (seats of knowledge established by Ācāryas); unbroken teaching (and reciting) of the Vedas; Japa of Mantras; Havanas (oblatinos) performed in fire; various kinds of gifts; sacrifices; Upāsanās (adorations) of the deities; Trirātra, Pañcarātra; Sāṅkhya, Yoga etc., and the propitiation of Viṣṇu. All these have been mentioned as good means of attaining salvation. Cities[4] too have been mentioned as the bestowers of salvation on those who die there. It is certain that all these are the means unto salvation.

42. It is true that all the means mentioned before are real but so only through their ability to bring a devotee to Kāśī. A living being becomes liberated ultimately after reaching Kāśī and not elsewhere.

43. That is why that holy spot is very sacred and extremely wonderful. It is a favourite of Viśveśvara in the entire Cosmic Sphere.

44. It is the same holy spot that made me enquire about your welfare. Come on. Come on. Give unto me the contact with your body, O noble sage of holy vows.

45. Even the contact with the wind blowing from Kāśī is desired (and welcomed) by me who stay here. But you yourself have come from there.

46. The dust particles from the feet of those who stay at Kāśī even for three nights with the senses under control, can purify invariably when touched.

47. But you have stayed there for a very long period; you have performed many meritorious rites there and your hairs have become tawny-coloured through (continuous) ablutions in the current flowing northwards.

48-49. In the vicinity of Agastīśvara there is your Kuṇḍa (holy pit). One who takes holy ablution there, drinks the water and performs all the libation rites and propitiates the Pitṛs through balls of rice in the course of the performance of Śrāddha with faith, shall become blessed. The devotee shall obtain the benefit of (pilgrimage to) Vārāṇasī.

50. After saying this and touching all the limbs of (i.e., embracing) the Pitcher-born Sage, Skanda obtained the pleasure of taking a plunge in the waters of a nectarine lake.

51. Closing his eyes, saying “Be victorious, O Viśveśa”, Guha remained motionless like a post and meditated for a short while on something (i.e., the Supreme Being that cannot be perceived through the sense-organs).

52. When Skanda stopped his meditation with excessive delight in his mind and countenance, the sage who was waiting for an opportunity to speak some words, asked Guha:

Agastya said:

53-54. O Lord, the greatness of Vārāṇasī was spoken to the goddess born of Himālaya Mountain by the holy Lord formerly. Seated on her lap, you had heard everything as spoken by the Lord. O Six-faced Lord, be pleased to narrate it in the same manner as you have heard. That holy spot extremely appeals to me.

Skanda said:

55-56. Listen, O sinless sage Maitrāvaruṇi (Agastya), to the greatness of that holy spot Avimukta, being narrated by me in the same manner as it was narrated by the Lord to my mother formerly and heard by me with steady mind, as I lay on her lap.

57. Avimukta has been mentioned as the most esoteric of all esoteric things here. There achievement (of objects or Mokṣa) is always spontaneous as the Lord is stationed forever there.

58. That holy place has no contact with the earth but (is situated in the intermediate region (Antarikṣa). Non-yogins do not see it; Yogins do see it.

59. O Brāhmaṇa, he who stays there with mental purity and self under control, shall be on a par with one who subsists on air only, though he may be taking food thrice a day.

60. Though one may remain in Avimukta only for a moment, yet if he has excessive devotion, it shall be as though a great penance has been performed by him with strict adherence to celibacy.

61. If a wise one were to stay there for a month, taking only light food and keeping the sense-organs under control, it is as good as the divine Pāśupata Vrata (vow) performed by him.

62-63. If someone stays there for a year after conquering anger and the sense-organs, if he does not depend on another man’s money for his nourishment (food), if he avoids cooked food doled out by others, if he does not scandalise others and engages himself in making some gifts, it is as good as a great penance preformed by him over a thousand years.

64. If a man conversant with the greatness of the holy spot stays there for the whole life, he attains the greatest goal casting off the fear of birth and death.

65. The goal that cannot be obtained elsewhere in the course of hundreds of births through Yogic practices, can be sportingly obtained here with the favour of Īśa.

66. If any Brāhmaṇa-slayer were to go to the city of Vārāṇasī by chance, his sin of Brāhmaṇa-slaughter recedes, due to the greatness of the holy spot.

67. If anyone does not leave Avimukta till his death, not only the sin of Brāhmaṇa-slaughter but even the Prakṛti (Avidyā or Nescience) recedes.

68. With his mind not turned elsewhere, if a man sticks to that holy spot and does not leave it off, he becomes free from birth and death and the unbearable sufferings of staying in the womb.

69. If an intelligent man does not wish rebirth on the earth, he should resort to Avimukta resorted to by divine sages.

70. One should not leave off Avimukta that releases one from the fear of worldly existence. After coming to Lord Viśveśvara, one is not born again.

71. Better to become a Piśāca (vampire) after committing thousands of sins here, rather than attain Svarga that can be achieved through a hundred sacrifices without Kāśī.

72. At the time of death, when the sensitive weak spots get pierced and they are afflicted with rheumatism, men will lose the power of memory.

73. There, at the time when the soul comes out, Lord Viśveśvara himself imparts the Tāraka Brahman (Ṛāma Mantra of six syllables) Mantra, whereby the individual identifies himself with it (Supreme Being).

74. Realizing that human life is not permanent and it involves much of sin, one should resort to Avimukta that is destructive of the fear of worldly existence.

75. He who does not leave off Avimukta though shaken by obstacles, attains the glory of salvation and meets the termination of misery.

76. Which sensible man does not resort to Kāśī in the end, that suppresses multitudes of great sins, that causes the increase of merits and bestows worldly pleasures and salvation?

77. After comprehending this, a wise man should not leave off Avimukta, because he becomes Mukta (liberated), due to the grace of Avimukta.

78. How can the greatness of Avimukta be described by me through the six months which even (Śeṣa) of a thousand mouths cannot?

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Śriśaila [Śrīśaila?]: In Karnool district of Andhra Pradesh, famous for its Jyotirliṅga Mallikārjuna. But here as the Comm. notes, the word ādi includes Mandara and other holy mountains.

[2]:

The Comm. states the following as ‘holy forests’: Saindhava, Daṇḍakāraṇya, Jaṃbūmārga, Puṣkara, Utpalāraṇya, Naimiṣa and Kuru-Jāṅgala, Hemada and Arbuda.

[3]:

Ūṣara though translated as ‘saline’ or salty land as per MW Dictionary, the Ūṣaras listed by the Commentator, viz., Reṇukā, Badarikā, Sūkara, Kāśī, Kālañjara are not ‘saline’ or ‘salty’ as there is no seashore near them.

[4]:

The seven cities like Ayodhyā, Mathurā etc., believed to be Mokṣa-giving.

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