The Skanda Purana

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

This page describes Kanteshvara (kanta-ishvara-linga) which is chapter 54 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 fifty-fourth chapter of the Caturashiti-linga-mahatmya of the Avantya-khanda of the Skanda Purana.

Chapter 54 - Kaṇṭeśvara (kaṇṭa-īśvara-liṅga)

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Śrī Mahadeva said:

1-7. O my beloved, know Kaṇṭeśvara Liṅga as the fifty-fourth deity. Merely by seeing it a man gets all his objectives achieved.

Formerly, in the first Kalpa, O goddess, there was a king named Satyavikrama. He was defeated by his enemies in battle. His treasury was confiscated. He became highly distressed. He went along into a dense forest. He became lean and feeble due to fatigue. There he saw the hermitage of the noble-souled Vaśiṣṭha. Immediately after seeing the king, Sage Vaśiṣṭha duly honoured him by offering a seat etc. as befitting a king, very respectfully. By the power of his penance, the sage knew that the king belonged to the Solar race. He enquired after his health and welfare, O goddess, and the cause of his visit again and again. The deeply grieved king told Vaśiṣṭha: “O holy Sir, the entire kingdom has been taken away by my enemies. I have sought refuge in you because I suffer only miseries. O holy one, how can the kingdom be regained after eradicating all the thorns (enemies)? It behoves you to grant me your favour by offering suitable advices.”

8-17a. On hearing his words, the holy sage Vaśiṣṭha meditated and then said with great ardour: “O king, do go to Mahākālavana for the accomplishment of the work ahead. There is a well-known divine river there famous in all the three worlds. On its bank there is an auspicious Liṅga to the south of Pṛthukeśvara. O tiger among kings, you will see an ascetic performing penance, with bones and skin alone remaining in his body and clad in bark garments.” At the instance of that noble-souled Brāhmaṇa Vaiśiṣṭha, the king hastened to the splendid Mahākālavana. There he saw the indefatigable sage of long life span. He was thin and weak due to observance of fasts but had the brilliance of twelve Ādityas.

The king was seen by the ascetic who realized that he (the king) had been previously a dear friend and had been ousted from the kingdom. So he spoke these words: “Come, do come, O tiger among kings; fortunately you have come to me.” After saying this, the ascetic made a hissing Hum sound. At that sound five girls came up after piercing through Pātāla. One of them held a golden footstool. Another girl came out with a golden water-pot. A third stood there ready to wash the feet. Another pair held fans and stood by his side.

l7b-24. Again the sage of great penance gave out another Huṃkāra. Then a group of celestial damsels arrived from the world of Devas and began to perform a charming dance and sing melodiously. Thereafter, he saw the Liṅga excessively luminous, from which the universe issued forth and into which it merged along with the mobile and immobile beings.

On seeing it, the excellent king was very much surprised. He bowed down to the Brāhmaṇa and asked: “O excellent Brāhmaṇa, what is all this?” On being asked thus by the king, that Brāhmaṇa spoke these words: “O eminent king, I have been propitiated by you for seven births. Hence the Māyā has been displayed to you by (the power of) the penance which is difficult to perform. By the power of this Liṅga, see the strength of my penance.”

Then in an instant the earth was filled with water by means of a Huṃkāra. Through the Huṃkāra itself the water was checked and fire issued from the mouth. Through the Huṃkāra alone the entire earth became ablaze and fiery. In an instant he withdrew the fire and wind issued from the mouth.

25-32. O Pārvatī, everything was created with a Huṃkāra in an instant. Instantly there was nothing there, neither the quarters, nor the intervening spaces of the quarters, neither the stars nor the planets. There was nothing moving there. The king became struck with wonder and he thought: ‘Where is the Liṅga? Where is the sage?’ Even as he thought thus, there was a loud sound. From that sound a city encircled with a rampart was produced. Suddenly the king saw that city. It was large and wide, adorned with pure gold, with halls and mansions duly arranged. It was resorted to by divine beings who had realized the self. Again there was a loud sound. Therefrom a pair of women appeared. One of them was clad in white garments and the other in black. Again there was a sound and an excellent man issued forth with two heads, six mouths and twelve feet. When a sound was again made the man became split into seven. After showing this everything was retracted by the Brāhmaṇa. O lady of large eyes, the king experienced horripilation and the ascetic told him: “O king, see this world created by me by means of the power of penance. It is to please you that this world was displayed to you, O excellent king.”

33-42. On being told thus by the ascetic, the highly intelligent king of great purity, who had been wondering, asked: “O holy Sir, O excellent Brāhmaṇa, who were those two women in black and white clothes? Who was that twelve-footed person with two heads and six mouths? Who was that person who split himself into seven?”

On hearing his words the ascetic explained: “O excellent king, those two women in black and white seen by you are known as Night and Day, created by Brahmā before. The two heads seen by you are proclaimed as the two transits of the Sun. The six mouths seen by you are remembered as the six seasons. The twelve feet seen by you are remembered as the twelve months. The person who was seen split into seven and united again as one, O king, should be known as the ocean that appears as seven (separate oceans) but really stabilised as one. This cycle of the year has been displayed to please you. Having understood it thus, O eminent king, it does not behove you to grieve over it. The entire world including Devas, Asuras and human beings, is liable to destruction. This has been seen by me many times by the power of this Liṅga. Do see this Liṅga for the destruction of the enemy. Undoubtedly, O king, your kingdom will be devoid of the irritant or enemies.” On being told thus, the king viewed the excellent Liṅga. On visiting the Liṅga, the thorns i.e. the enemy kings were heard as dead by the king.

43-54. The king went to his realm and became an emperor. By the power of this Liṅga he administered the kingdom, performed many kinds of Yajñas involving great sums of money and attained the greatest salvation.

All these things were heard by the ascetic and also seen by means of meditation. “By seeing this Liṅga, the kingdom devoid of irritant thorns has been regained by my friend who was ousted from the kingdom suddenly. Hence undoubtedly the name (of the Liṅga) will be well-known on the earth as Kaṇṭeśvara. There is no doubt that it bestows a realm through the vision. Henceforth if people visit Lord Śiva named Kaṇṭeśvara, all their thorns (enemies) will undoubtedly be eradicated immediately.

By visiting Śrī Kaṇṭeśvara one will entirely obtain that merit which usually is obtained by bathing and performing sacrifices at Naimiṣa, Kurukṣetra, Gaṅgāḍvāra and Puṣkara. They may be householders or religious students; if they devoutly visit Lord Kaṇṭeśvara while observing Vratas with self-restraint, they will achieve Siddhi. By visiting Śrī Kaṇṭeśvara all those sins accumulated earlier in the course of a thousand births will perish quickly. All holy rites such as Dāna, Japa, Homa, Yajña, penance performed, meditation and study of the Vedas etc., performed here become everlasting in their benefits.”

When that Brāhmaṇa, the ascetic, a keen observer of Vratas, said thus, O lady of large eyes, the Liṅga that became delighted, said after duly granting the boons: “He will be rid of old age and ailments; he will be devoid of all griefs. He will become the presiding officer of the Gaṇas, a bestower of boons, adored by all and endowed with the lordship and glory of the Yogic practice. None can slay him.”

On being told thus by the Liṅga, the ascetic became a Gaṇa. Surrounded by the Gaṇas, O goddess, he came near me.

55-57. When formerly during a fight with me Andhaka roared like a lion, O goddess, my body experienced the sensation of horripilation (Kaṇṭakita). This Liṅga, destructive of all enemies appeared then. Since the thorns (Kaṇṭakas) of the Devas were burnt by the fire from the Liṅga, the deity became well-known as Kaṇṭeśvara iṅ the three worlds. Thus, O goddess, the sin-destroying power of Kaṇṭeśvara Deva has been recounted to you. Listen to the story of great Siṃheśvara.

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