The Glory of Indreshvara and Jayanteshvara

Verse 1 (skanda.3.71.1)

।। व्यास उवाच ।। इन्द्रसरे नरः स्नात्वा दृष्ट्वा चेंद्रेश्वरं शिवम् । सप्तजन्मकृतात्पापान्मुच्यते नात्र संशयः ।

vyāsa uvāca indrasare naraḥ snātvā dṛṣṭvā ceṁdreśvaraṁ śivam saptajanmakṛtātpāpānmucyate nātra saṁśayaḥ

Vyasa said: A man who bathes in Indrasara and beholds Shiva in his form as Indreshvara is freed from the sins of seven births — of this there is no doubt.

Verse 2 (skanda.3.71.2)

।। युधिष्ठिर उवाच ।। केन चादौ निर्मितं तत्तीर्थं सर्वोत्तमोत्तमम् । यथावद्वर्णय त्वं मे भगवन्द्विजसत्तम ।

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca kena cādau nirmitaṁ tattīrthaṁ sarvottamottamam yathāvadvarṇaya tvaṁ me bhagavandvijasattama

Yudhishthira said: By whom was this most excellent of all tirthas first created? O blessed one, O best of brahmins, describe it to me exactly as it happened.

Verse 3 (skanda.3.71.3)

।। व्यास उवाच ।। इन्द्रेणैव महाराज तपस्तप्तं सुदुष्करम् । ग्रामादुत्तरदिग्भागे शतवर्षाणि तत्र वै ।

vyāsa uvāca indreṇaiva mahārāja tapastaptaṁ suduṣkaram grāmāduttaradigbhāge śatavarṣāṇi tatra vai

Vyasa said: O great king, it was Indra himself who performed the most rigorous austerities there, to the north of the village, for a hundred years.

Verse 4 (skanda.3.71.4)

शिवोद्देशं महाघोरमेकांगुष्ठेन भारत । उर्द्ध्वबाहुर्महातेजाः सूर्यस्याभिमुखोऽभवत् ।

śivoddeśaṁ mahāghoramekāṁguṣṭhena bhārata urddhvabāhurmahātejāḥ sūryasyābhimukho'bhavat

O descendant of Bharata, in that most terrible austerity performed for Shiva's sake, he stood balanced upon a single toe, his arms raised aloft, mighty in splendor, facing the sun.

Verse 5 (skanda.3.71.5)

वृत्रस्य वधतो ज्ञातं यत्पापं तस्य नुत्तये । एकाग्रः प्रयतो भूत्वा शिवस्याराधने रतः ।

vṛtrasya vadhato jñātaṁ yatpāpaṁ tasya nuttaye ekāgraḥ prayato bhūtvā śivasyārādhane rataḥ

For the removal of the sin incurred by the slaying of Vritra, he remained single-minded and disciplined, wholly devoted to the worship of Shiva.

Verse 6 (skanda.3.71.6)

तपसा च तदा शंभुस्तोषितः शशिशेखरः । तत्राजगाम जटिलो भस्मांगो वृषभध्वजः ।

tapasā ca tadā śaṁbhustoṣitaḥ śaśiśekharaḥ tatrājagāma jaṭilo bhasmāṁgo vṛṣabhadhvajaḥ

Then, pleased by that austerity, Shambhu, crowned with the crescent moon, matted-locked, his limbs smeared with ash, bearing the banner of the bull, came there.

Verse 7 (skanda.3.71.7)

खट्वांगी पंचवक्त्रश्च दशबाहुस्त्रिलोचनः । गंगाधरो वृषारूढो भूतप्रेतादिवेष्टितः ।

khaṭvāṁgī paṁcavaktraśca daśabāhustrilocanaḥ gaṁgādharo vṛṣārūḍho bhūtapretādiveṣṭitaḥ

Bearing the skull-topped staff, five-faced, ten-armed, three-eyed, bearer of the Ganga, mounted upon his bull, and surrounded by hosts of bhutas and pretas.

Verse 8 (skanda.3.71.8)

सुप्रसन्नः सुरश्रेष्ठः कृपालुर्वरदायकः । तदा हृष्टमना देवो देवेन्द्रमिदमूचिवान् ।

suprasannaḥ sureśreṣṭhaḥ kṛpāluvaradāyakaḥ tadā hṛṣṭamanā devo devendramidamūcivān

Deeply gracious, foremost among the gods, compassionate, and a granter of boons, that god, his heart glad, then spoke thus to the lord of the gods.

Verse 9 (skanda.3.71.9)

।। हर उवाच ।। यत्त्वं याचयसे देव तदहं प्रददामि ते ।

hara uvāca yattvaṁ yācayase deva tadahaṁ pradadāmi te

Hara said: O god, whatever you ask, that I shall grant to you.

Verse 10 (skanda.3.71.10)

।। इन्द्र उवाच ।। यदि तुष्टोसि देवेश कृपासिंधो महेश्वर । ब्रह्महत्या हि मां देव उद्वेजयति नित्यशः ।

indra uvāca yadi tuṣṭosi deveśa kṛpāsiṁdho maheśvara brahmahatyā hi māṁ deva udvejayati nityaśaḥ

Indra said: O lord of gods, ocean of compassion, great lord, if you are pleased with me — know that the sin of brahmahatya perpetually torments me.

Verse 11 (skanda.3.71.11)

वृत्रासुरस्य हनने जातं पापं सुरोत्तम । तत्पापं नाशय विभो मम दुःखप्रदं सदा ।

vṛtrāsurasya hanane jātaṁ pāpaṁ surottama tatpāpaṁ nāśaya vibho mama duḥkhapradaṁ sadā

O foremost of the gods, the sin that arose from the slaying of Vritrasura ever brings me suffering — O mighty one, destroy that sin.

Verse 12 (skanda.3.71.12)

।। हर उवाच ।। धर्मारण्ये सुरपते ब्रह्महत्या न पीडयेत् । हत्या गवां द्विजातीनां बालस्य योषितामपि ।

hara uvāca dharmāraṇye surapate brahmahatyā na pīḍayet hatyā gavāṁ dvijātīnāṁ bālasya yoṣitāmapi

Hara said: O lord of the gods, in Dharmaranya the sin of brahmahatya afflicts no one, nor does the sin of killing a cow, a brahmin, a child, or a woman.

Verse 13 (skanda.3.71.13)

वचनान्मम देवेंद्र ब्रह्मणः केशवस्य च । यमस्य वचनाज्जिष्णो हत्या नैवात्र तिष्ठति । प्रविश्य त्वं महाराज अतोत्र स्नानमाचर ।

vacanānmama devendra brahmaṇaḥ keśavasya ca yamasya vacanājjiṣṇo hatyā naivātra tiṣṭhati praviśya tvaṁ mahārāja atotra snānamācara

O lord of the gods, O Jishnu, by my own word, and by the word of Brahma, Keshava, and Yama, no sin of killing can ever abide here. Therefore, O great king, enter and perform your ablutions here.

Verse 14 (skanda.3.71.14)

।। इन्द्र उवाच ।। यदि त्वं मम तुष्टोऽसि कृपासिंधो महेश्वर । मन्नाम्ना च महादेव स्थापितो भव शंकर ।

indra uvāca yadi tvaṁ mama tuṣṭo'si kṛpāsiṁdho maheśvara mannāmnā ca mahādeva sthāpito bhava śaṁkara

Indra said: O ocean of compassion, great lord, if you are pleased with me, then, O Mahadeva, O Shankara, be established here under my own name.

Verse 15 (skanda.3.71.15)

तथेत्युक्त्वा महादेवः सुप्रसन्नो हरस्तदा । दर्शयामास तत्रैव लिंगं पापप्रणाशनम् ।

tathetyuktvā mahādevaḥ suprasanno harastadā darśayāmāsa tatraiva liṁgaṁ pāpapraṇāśanam

Saying 'so be it,' the great god Hara, deeply pleased, then manifested there that very linga, the destroyer of sin.

Verse 16 (skanda.3.71.16)

कूर्मपृष्ठात्समुत्पाद्य आत्मयोगेन शंभुना । स्थितस्तत्रैव श्रीकण्ठः कालत्रयविदो विदुः ।

kūrmapṛṣṭhātsamutpādya ātmayogena śaṁbhunā sthitastatraiva śrīkaṇṭhaḥ kālatrayavido viduḥ

By his own yogic power, Shambhu caused it to arise from the back of the tortoise, and there Shrikantha (Shiva) took his abode — thus do those who know the three times declare.

Verse 17 (skanda.3.71.17)

वृत्रहत्यासमुत्त्रस्तदेवराजस्य सन्निधौ । इन्द्रेश्वरस्तदा तत्र धर्मारण्ये स्थितो नृप ।

vṛtrahatyāsamuttrastadevarājasya sannidhau indreśvarastadā tatra dharmāraṇye sthito nṛpa

O king, in the presence of that lord of the gods, tormented by the killing of Vritra, Shiva then became established there in Dharmaranya under the name Indreshvara.

Verse 18 (skanda.3.71.18)

सर्वपापविशुद्ध्यर्थं लोकानां हितकाम्यया । इन्द्रेश्वरं तु राजेंद्र पुष्पधूपादिकैः सदा ।

sarvapāpaviśuddhyarthaṁ lokānāṁ hitakāmyayā indreśvaraṁ tu rājeṁdra puṣpadhūpādikaiḥ sadā

O king of kings, for the purification of all sins throughout the worlds, and out of desire for their welfare, Indreshvara should always be —

Verse 19 (skanda.3.71.19)

पूजयेच्च नरो भक्त्या सर्वपापैः प्रमुच्यते । अष्टम्यां च चतुर्दश्यां माघमासे विशेषतः ।

pūjayecca naro bhaktyā sarvapāpaiḥ pramucyate aṣṭamyāṁ ca caturdaśyāṁ māghamāse viśeṣataḥ

— worshipped with flowers, incense, and the like. A man who worships him with devotion is freed from every sin, especially on the eighth and fourteenth days of the month of Magha.

Verse 20 (skanda.3.71.20)

सर्वपापविशुद्ध्यर्थं शिवलोके महीयते । नीलोत्सर्गं तु यो मर्त्यः करोति च तदग्रतः ।

sarvapāpaviśuddhyarthaṁ śivaloke mahīyate nīlotsargaṁ tu yo martyaḥ karoti ca tadagrataḥ

For the purification of all sin, he attains honor in Shiva's own realm. Whoever performs the Nilotsarga rite before it —

Verse 21 (skanda.3.71.21)

उद्धरेत्सप्त गोत्राणि कुलमेकोत्तरं शतम् । सांगरुद्रजपं यस्तु चतुर्द्दश्यां करोति वै ।

uddharetsapta gotrāṇi kulamekottaraṁ śatam sāṁgarudrajapaṁ yastu caturddaśyāṁ karoti vai

— delivers seven generations of ancestral lines, one hundred and one families. And whoever performs the full ritual japa of Rudra on the fourteenth day —

Verse 22 (skanda.3.71.22)

सर्वपाविशुद्धात्मा लभते परमं पदम् ।

sarvapāviśuddhātmā labhate paramaṁ padam

— his soul purified of every sin, attains the supreme state.

Verse 23 (skanda.3.71.23)

सौवर्णनयनं कृत्वा मध्ये रत्नसमन्वितम् । यो ददाति द्विजातिभ्य इन्द्रतीर्थे तथोत्तमे ।

sauvarṇanayanaṁ kṛtvā madhye ratnasamanvitam yo dadāti dvijātibhya indratīrthe tathottame

Whoever fashions golden eyes set with a jewel at their center, and gives them to the twice-born at that excellent Indratirtha —

Verse 24 (skanda.3.71.24)

अन्धता न भवेत्तस्य जन्मानि षष्टिसंख्यया । निर्मलत्वं सदा तेषां नयनेषु प्रजायते । महारोगास्तथा चान्ये स्नात्वा यांति तदग्रतः ।

andhatā na bhavettasya janmāni ṣaṣṭisaṁkhyayā nirmalatvaṁ sadā teṣāṁ nayaneṣu prajāyate mahārogāstathā cānye snātvā yāṁti tadagrataḥ

— shall not be born blind for sixty lifetimes; clarity of vision is ever born in his eyes. In the same way, other grave diseases too vanish before it, once one has bathed there.

Verse 25 (skanda.3.71.25)

पूजिते चैकचित्ते न सर्वरोगात्प्रमुच्यते । स्नात्वा कुण्डे नरो यस्तु संतर्पयति यः पितॄन् ।

pūjite caikacitte na sarvarogātpramucyate snātvā kuṇḍe naro yastu saṁtarpayati yaḥ pitṝn

When worshipped with a single-pointed mind, one is freed from every disease. A man who bathes in the pool and offers tarpana to his ancestors —

Verse 26 (skanda.3.71.26)

तस्य तृप्ताः सदा भूप पितरश्च पितामहाः । ये वै ग्रस्ता महारोगैः कुष्ठाद्यैश्चैव देहिनः ।

tasya tṛptāḥ sadā bhūpa pitaraśca pitāmahāḥ ye vai grastā mahārogaiḥ kuṣṭhādyaiścaiva dehinaḥ

— his ancestors and forefathers remain forever satisfied, O king. And those beings afflicted by leprosy and other grave diseases —

Verse 27 (skanda.3.71.27)

स्नानमात्रेण संशुद्धा दिव्यदेहा भवंति ते । ज्वरादिकष्टमापन्ना नराः स्वात्महिताय वै ।

snānamātreṇa saṁśuddhā divyadehā bhavaṁti te jvarādikaṣṭamāpannā narāḥ svātmahitāya vai

— are purified by bathing alone and attain divine bodies. Men afflicted by fever and similar suffering, too, for their own good —

Verse 28 (skanda.3.71.28)

स्नान मात्रेण संशुद्धा दिव्यदेहा भवंति ते । स्नात्वा च पूजयेद्देवं मुच्यते ज्वरबन्धनात् ।

snāna mātreṇa saṁśuddhā divyadehā bhavaṁti te snātvā ca pūjayeddevaṁ mucyate jvarabandhanāt

— are purified by bathing alone and attain divine bodies. Bathing and worshipping the god, one is freed from the bondage of fever.

Verse 29 (skanda.3.71.29)

एकाहिकं द्व्याहिकं च चातुर्थं वा तृतीयकम् । विषमज्वरपीडा च मासपक्षादिकं ज्वरम् ।

ekāhikaṁ dvyāhikaṁ ca cāturthaṁ vā tṛtīyakam viṣamajvarapīḍā ca māsapakṣādikaṁ jvaram

Fever that recurs daily, every two days, every fourth day, every third day, irregular fever, and fever that lingers for weeks or months —

Verse 30 (skanda.3.71.30)

इन्द्रेश्वरप्रसादाच्च नश्यते नात्र संशयः । विज्वरो जायते नूनं सत्यंसत्यं च भूपते ।

indreśvaraprasādācca naśyate nātra saṁśayaḥ vijvaro jāyate nūnaṁ satyaṁsatyaṁ ca bhūpate

— all are destroyed by the grace of Indreshvara, without any doubt. O king, one truly becomes free of fever; this is the truth, the very truth.

Verse 31 (skanda.3.71.31)

वन्ध्या च दुर्भगा नारी काकवन्ध्या मृतप्रजा । मृतवत्सा महादुष्टा स्नात्वा कुण्डे शिवाग्रतः । पूजयेदेकचित्तेन स्नानमात्रेण शुद्ध्यति ।

vaṁdhyā ca durbhagā nārī kākavaṁdhyā mṛtaprajā mṛtavatsā mahāduṣṭā snātvā kuṇḍe śivāgrataḥ pūjayedekacittena snānamātreṇa śuddhyati

A barren woman, one of ill-fortune, one who is 'crow-barren,' one whose children die, one greatly cursed, one whose infant is stillborn — even such a woman, by bathing in that pool before Shiva and worshipping with a single-pointed mind, is purified by that bathing alone.

Verse 32 (skanda.3.71.32)

एवंविधाश्च बहुशो वरान्दत्त्वा पिनाकधृक् । गतोऽसौ स्वपुरं पार्थ सेव्यमानः सुरासुरैः ।

evaṁvidhāśca bahuśo varāndattvā pinākadhṛk gato'sau svapuraṁ pārtha sevyamānaḥ surāsuraiḥ

Having granted many such boons, the bearer of the Pinaka bow departed then for his own abode, O son of Pritha, attended and honored by gods and demons alike.

Verse 33 (skanda.3.71.33)

ततः शक्रो महातेजा गतो वै स्वपुरं प्रति । जयंतेनापि तत्रैव स्थापितं लिंगमुत्तमम् ।

tataḥ śakro mahātejā gato vai svapuraṁ prati jayaṁtenāpi tatraiva sthāpitaṁ liṁgamuttamam

Then the mighty Shakra (Indra) too departed toward his own city. And Jayanta, his own son, also established there an excellent linga.

Verse 34 (skanda.3.71.34)

जयंतस्य हरस्तुष्टस्तस्मिल्लिंगे स्तुतः सदा । त्रिकालं पुत्रसंयुक्तः पूजनार्थं सुरेश्वरः ।

jayaṁtasya harastuṣṭastasmillliṁge stutaḥ sadā trikālaṁ putrasaṁyuktaḥ pūjanārthaṁ sureśvaraḥ

Hara, pleased with Jayanta's linga, is ever praised there. Three times a day, the ruler of the gods, together with his son, for the sake of worship —

Verse 35 (skanda.3.71.35)

आयाति च महाबाहो त्यक्त्वा स्थानं स्वकं हि वै । एतत्सर्वं समाख्यातं सर्वसौख्यप्रदायकम् ।

āyāti ca mahābāho tyaktvā sthānaṁ svakaṁ hi vai etatsarvaṁ samākhyātaṁ sarvasaukhyapradāyakam

— comes there, O mighty-armed one, leaving behind his own abode. All this, bestowing every happiness, has now been fully related to you.

Verse 36 (skanda.3.71.36)

इन्द्रेश्वरं तु यत्पुण्यं जयंतेशस्य पूजनात् । तदेवाप्नोति राजेन्द्र सत्यंसत्यं न संशयः ।

indreśvaraṁ tu yatpuṇyaṁ jayaṁteśasya pūjanāt tadevāpnoti rājendra satyaṁsatyaṁ na saṁśayaḥ

Whatever merit is obtained from worshipping Indreshvara, that very merit is likewise obtained from worshipping Jayanteshvara, O king of kings — this is the truth, the very truth, without doubt.

Verse 37 (skanda.3.71.37)

स्नात्वा कुण्डे महाराज संपूज्यैकाग्रमानसः । सर्वपापविशुद्धात्मा इन्द्रलोके महीयते ।

snātvā kuṇḍe mahārāja saṁpūjyaikāgramānasaḥ sarvapāpaviśuddhātmā indraloke mahīyate

O great king, one who bathes in that pool and worships with a single-pointed mind, his soul purified of every sin, attains honor in Indra's own realm.

Verse 38 (skanda.3.71.38)

यः शृणोति नरो भक्त्या सर्वपापैः प्रमुच्यते । सर्वान्कामानवाप्नोति जयंतेशप्रमादतः ।

yaḥ śṛṇoti naro bhaktyā sarvapāpaiḥ pramucyate sarvānkāmānavāpnoti jayaṁteśapramādataḥ

Whoever hears this tale with devotion is freed from all sins, and obtains every desire, through the gracious favor of Jayanteshvara.