The Skanda Purana

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

This page describes The Glory of Kutumbikeshvara which is chapter 10 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 tenth chapter of the Avantikshetra-mahatmya of the Avantya-khanda of the Skanda Purana.

Chapter 10 - The Glory of Kuṭumbikeśvara

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Sanatkumāra said:

1. Henceforth I shall describe a Tīrtha well-known in all the three worlds. The self-manifested (Liṅga) of Maheśa is renowned as Kuṭumbikeśvara.

2-8. A person who is pure and who, after performance of Śrāddha, visits the Lord, gets rid of all sins committed in the course of seven births.

He goes beyond all the worlds and goes to the region of Śiva. He who makes gifts of all kinds of vegetables and bulbous roots of various kinds on the banks thereof, attains the greatest goal.

One who observes fast on the first or the eighth day in the bright half of the month of Pauṣa, will get the fruit of a horse-sacrifice.

The pure man who sees the Paṭṭabandha (silken headdress) of Maheśa on the full-moon day in the month of Āśvina, becomes free from sins and goes to heaven.

On the fifth day in the bright half of the month of Cakra, the devotee should observe fast and offer camphor, saffron, musk and sandal-paste to the Lord. The food offering shall be milk-pudding with ghee.

He should also feed a Brāhmaṇa along with his wife. He should consider the Brāhmaṇa as the formal representative of the Lord. He will attain Rudraloka and shall stay there for a period covering the reign of fourteen Indras.

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