The Skanda Purana
by G. V. Tagare | 1950 | 2,545,880 words
This page describes Greatness of Shesha which is chapter 241 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 two hundred forty-first chapter of the Prabhasa-kshetra-mahatmya of the Prabhasa Khanda of the Skanda Purana.
Chapter 241 - Greatness of Śeṣa
[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]
Īśvara said:
1-4. A pilgrim should see the physical form of Balabhadra present there where he had cast away his body in the form of Śeṣa.
He had gone to the Traisaṅgama Tīrtha through the Pātāla (nether worlds) path. O goddess, the extremely lustrous body is situated in the form of a Liṅga in this Mitravana of an area of two Gavyūtis. The deity is accompanied by Revatī and it is well-known by the name Śeṣa.
O goddess, formerly a Kaulika (a weaver, Śakti-worshipper, heretic) named Jarā attained Siddhi here. He had killed Viṣṇu (Kṛṣṇa) in the Bhalla Tīrtha and he became merged at this place.
5. Ever since then, the deity became Śeṣa in the entire region. A man who worships the deity on the thirteenth lunar day in bright half, passes a year with all welfare, sons, grandsons and cattle wealth.
6-8. Children need not be afraid of smallpox and other diseases. No one anywhere will suffer from Visphoṭaka (boils) and other ailments.
In this highly perfected holy spot, if a man perfectly performs a Yajña, he shall become extremely dear to all the castes and intermediate castes as well.
Śeṣa, the destroyer of all sins, becomes pleased quickly through oblations of various kinds and offerings of animals and flowers.