The Skanda Purana
by G. V. Tagare | 1950 | 2,545,880 words
This page describes Greatness of the Undivided Region (aviyukta-kshetra) which is chapter 57 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-seventh chapter of the Arbuda-khanda of the Prabhasa Khanda of the Skanda Purana.
Chapter 57 - Greatness of the Undivided Region (aviyukta-kṣetra)
[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]
Pulastya said:
1. Then the virtuous earthly being (i.e., the king), go to the united and undivided forest region [i.e., aviyukta-vana]. By taking a look of this, a man can never be separated from his fondly desired objects and people.
2. Sacī [Śacī?], the wife of Indra had come here grief-stricken when Nahuṣa seized the kingdom of the great God Indra.
3. Due to the influence of this, she (i.e., Sacī [Śacī?]) could again happen to get back Indra from whom she was incidentally separated. Thus, she had granted a boon to the forests, O king.
4-5. (The boon is as follows) “Separated from each other, if a man or a woman spends a single night here in this forest, he or she will then get back each other’s company as happened to me.” Thus a single night’s stay (in the forests) can lead to get back one’s dear ones, the king.
6. The great Brāhmaṇas have already sung the glory of this centre of pilgrimage in respect of its granting of fruits. Even the barren women in particular get blessed with offsprings here.