The Skanda Purana
by G. V. Tagare | 1950 | 2,545,880 words
This page describes Greatness of Catvaradevi which is chapter 62 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 sixty-second chapter of the Prabhasa-kshetra-mahatmya of the Prabhasa Khanda of the Skanda Purana.
Chapter 62 - Greatness of Catvarādevī
[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]
Īśvara said:
1-4. Thereafter, a pilgrim should go to the third goddess Catvarapriyā. O great goddess, she is stationed on the eastern side of Lalitā within a distance of ten Dhanus.
She is the great and terrible Kṣetradūtī, the Śakti of Rudra possessing great lustre. She was left there in the centre for the job of guarding the holy spot by me.
She is accompanied by a crore of Bhūtas (goblins). She is huge-bodied and highly lustrous. Surrounded by crores of Bhūtas, the goddess wanders at night in dilapidated houses, gardens, palaces, attics, paths, courtyards—everywhere within the holy spot.
5-6. If a man or a woman duly adores her on the great Navamī day, with all types of service-offerings, the splendid goddess becomes pleased with him or her and grants all cherished desires. Feeding of couples must be performed by those who wish for the benefit of the pilgrimage.
7. Thus the greatness of the third Kṣetradūtī has been succinctly spoken. On being listened to it she bestows prosperity and destroys sins.