The Skanda Purana
by G. V. Tagare | 1950 | 2,545,880 words
This page describes Greatness of Jamadagnyeshvara (Jamadagnya-ishvara) which is chapter 121 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 one hundred twenty-first chapter of the Prabhasa-kshetra-mahatmya of the Prabhasa Khanda of the Skanda Purana.
Chapter 121 - Greatness of Jāmadagnyeśvara (Jāmadagnya-īśvara)
[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]
Īśvara said:
1-4. Thereafter, O great goddess, a pilgrim should go to the excellent shrine of Rāmeśvara situated within a distance of thirty Dhanus to the north-west of Gopīśvara. The Liṅga has a great power. It is destructive of sins.
O goddess of Devas, when the terrible murder of his mother was carried out by Paraśurāma carrying out the behest of his father, he felt great distress in his mind. He was utterly disgusted. But Jamadagni, the great ascetic, became pleased with him.
5-6. Then the delighted sage granted him the boon of the resuscitation of Reṇukā. In this manner, although the lady of excellent complexion was brought back to life, O goddess, the highly lustrous son of Jamadagni got disgusted with aversion. He came to Prabhāsa Kṣetra and performed a wonderful penance.
7. After installing the great god Śaṅkara, the benefactor of the worlds, he performed penance for more than a hundred divine years. Thereat Maheśvara was pleased.
8. He granted him all desires and stationed himself there. So the great sage Jāmadagnya (Paraśurāma) became contented.
9-10. After killing Kṣatriyas, he conquered the earth twenty-one times. The sage of exalted mind created (the holy pit of) Pañcanada in Kurukṣetra, O lady of excellent countenance, and filled it with the blood of the Kṣatriyas. The highly powerful sage freed himself from indebtedness to the Pitṛs.
11. Thus after annihilating Kṣatriyas and offering the (different parts of the) earth to Brāhmaṇas, he became contented. His valour was glorified in all the three worlds.
12. That Liṅga was installed by him in the splendid holy spot of Prābhāsika. A man who devoutly worships that deity may be sinful but he is rid of all sins and goes to the world of the Consort of Umā.
13. A man who keeps awake there during the night of the fourteenth lunar day in the dark half of the month of Jyeṣṭha, obtains the benefit of a horse-sacrifice and rejoices in heaven like Devas.