The Skanda Purana
by G. V. Tagare | 1950 | 2,545,880 words
This page describes Greatness of Partheshvara (Partha-ishvara) which is chapter 33 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 thirty-third chapter of the Arbuda-khanda of the Prabhasa Khanda of the Skanda Purana.
Chapter 33 - Greatness of Pārtheśvara (Pārtha-īśvara)
[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]
Pulastya said:
1. Then one has to go to Pārtheśvara—the destroyer of all sins. By having a look of it, a human being usually gets free from all sins.
2. O king! Pārthī—a virtuous woman was the faithful wife of Devala. She had earlier undergone penance there.
3. She—the famous wife of the Sage was sterile and thus had no child. Thus becoming highly dejected, she went to the Arbuda.
4. Subsisting only on air, she remained without food. But then she remained fixed on her seat. Then O king! a thousand of years passed in the pursuit of devotion of hers in this manner.
5-8. Then tearing apart the surface of earth, a procreative Śiva Liṅga came up instantaneously. Coincident with such happening, a voice came from the incorporeal saying, “O greatly fortunate lady! worship this purifying Liṅga of Lord Śiva. It has come out from within the surface of the Earth by virtue of your devotion and to fulfill your great desire. Whoever human being worships keeping this in mind and in pursuit of his desires, not only his but also of others including the desires of the bodiless spirit get fulfilled and there is no doubt about this. This will be renowned in this world by the name Pārtheśvara.” Having said so, O king! the voice then stopped.
9. Then completely taken over by wonder, she began to worship that then and there. Then getting one hundred sons, she got the beautiful line-up to foster/perpetuate her future family generations.
10. Beginning from that, this worshipable Liṅga has acquired fame on the surface of earth. Since then also, clean water has been springing up from inside the cave in this mountain.
11. A human being if, after having a bath here takes a look of that (i.e., the worshipable Liṅga of Śiva) can never have sorrow accruing due to lack of children. Otherwise, he will have the same sorrow.
12. One who worships it, remaining awake throughout the night and that too without food on the fourteenth day of the bright period of moon, is sure to get a son.
13. One who performs the religious activity of offering balls of cooked rice here in remembrance of one’s forefathers with all sincerity, will welcome fatherhood by the grace of one’s forefathers.