The Description of Kashi

Verse 1 (skanda.4.44.1)

॥ स्कंद उवाच॥ अथ मंदरकंदरोदरोल्लसद समद्युति रत्नमंदिरे॥ परितः समधिष्ठितामरे निजशिखरैर्वसनीकृतांबरे

skaṁda uvāca atha maṁdarakaṁdarodarollasada samadyuti ratnamaṁdire paritaḥ samadhiṣṭhitāmare nijaśikharairvasanīkṛtāṁbare

Skanda said: Then, within a jewel-studded palace glittering inside a cavern of Mount Mandara — a palace ringed on every side by dwelling gods, its peaks seeming to clothe the very sky —

Verse 2 (skanda.4.44.2)

निवसञ्जगदीश्वरो हरः कृशरजनीश कलामनोहरः॥ लभते स्म न शर्म शंकरः प्रसरत्काशिवियोगज ज्वरः

nivasañjagadīśvaro haraḥ kṛśarajanīśa kalāmanoharaḥ labhate sma na śarma śaṁkaraḥ prasaratkāśiviyogaja jvaraḥ

dwelling there, Hara, lord of the universe, lovely as the waning crescent moon, found no peace at all — for Shankara was consumed by a fever, ever spreading, born of his separation from Kashi.

Verse 3 (skanda.4.44.3)

विरहानलशांतये तदा समलेपि त्रिपुरारिणापि यः॥ मलयोद्भव पंक एष स प्रतिपेदेह्यधुना पिपांसुताम्

virahānalaśāṁtaye tadā samalepi tripurāriṇāpi yaḥ malayodbhava paṁka eṣa sa pratipedehyadhunā pipāṁsutām

That very sandal-paste from Mount Malaya, which the Slayer of Tripura had smeared on himself to quench the fire of separation, now seemed itself to thirst — parched dry by the heat of his fevered body.

Verse 4 (skanda.4.44.4)

परितापहराणि पद्मिनीनां मृदुलान्यपि कंकणीकृतानि॥ गदितानि यदीश्वरेण सर्पास्तदभूत्सत्यमहोमहेश्वरेच्छा

paritāpaharāṇi padminīnāṁ mṛdulānyapi kaṁkaṇīkṛtāni gaditāni yadīśvareṇa sarpāstadabhūtsatyamahomaheśvarecchā

The soft lotus-stalks that ease fever, which the Lord had fashioned into bracelets, when he called them serpents instead, that too proved true: such indeed is the will of Maheshvara.

Verse 5 (skanda.4.44.5)

यदु दुग्धनिधिं निमथ्यदेवैर्मृदुसारः समकर्षि पूर्णचंद्रः॥ स बभूव कृशो वियोगतप्तेश्वरमूर्धोष्मपरिक्षरच्छरीरः

yadu dugdhanidhiṁ nimathyadevairmṛdusāraḥ samakarṣi pūrṇacaṁdraḥ sa babhūva kṛśo viyogatapteśvaramūrdhoṣmaparikṣaraccharīraḥ

That gentle, full moon, drawn out by the gods when they churned the Ocean of Milk, itself grew wasted and thin, its very substance melting away from the heat radiating off the head of the Lord, tormented by separation.

Verse 6 (skanda.4.44.6)

यददीधरदेष जाततापः पृथुले मौलिजटानि कुंजकोणे॥ परितापहरां हरस्तदानीं द्युनदीं तामधुनापि नोज्जिहीते

yadadīdharadeṣa jātatāpaḥ pṛthule maulijaṭāni kuṁjakoṇe paritāpaharāṁ harastadānīṁ dyunadīṁ tāmadhunāpi nojjihīte

Because heat had arisen within the great knot of his matted locks, Hara, even to this day, has never released the celestial river Ganga — she who alone can relieve that fever — from his crown.

Verse 7 (skanda.4.44.7)

महतो विरहस्य शंकरः प्रसभंतस्यवशी वशंगतः॥ विविदेन सुरैः सदोगतैरपि संवीतसुतापवेष्टितः

mahato virahasya śaṁkaraḥ prasabhaṁtasyavaśī vaśaṁgataḥ vividena suraiḥ sadogatairapi saṁvītasutāpaveṣṭitaḥ

Though himself the lord of all, Shankara had come utterly under the sway of that overwhelming force of separation; even surrounded by the gods ever present at his court, he remained wrapped in the deepest fever.

Verse 8 (skanda.4.44.8)

अतिचित्रमिदं यदात्मना शुचिरप्येष कृपीटयोनिना॥ स्वपुरीविरहोद्भवेन वै परिताप्येत जगत्त्रयेश्वरः

aticitramidaṁ yadātmanā śucirapyeṣa kṛpīṭayoninā svapurīvirahodbhavena vai paritāpyeta jagattrayeśvaraḥ

How strange it is that this Lord of the three worlds, pure in his own nature, should be scorched by the very fire born of separation from his own city!

Verse 9 (skanda.4.44.9)

निजभालतलं कलानिधेः कलया नित्यमलंकरोति यः॥ स तदीश्वरमप्यतापयद्विधुरेको विपरीत एव तु

nijabhālatalaṁ kalānidheḥ kalayā nityamalaṁkaroti yaḥ sa tadīśvaramapyatāpayadvidhureko viparīta eva tu

He who ever adorns his own brow with a sliver of the moon — that very moon, in a strange reversal, now itself seemed to torment its own lord, forlorn and alone.

Verse 10 (skanda.4.44.10)

गरलं गलनालिकातले विलसेदस्य न तेन तापितः॥ अमृतांशु तुषारदीधिति प्रचयैरेव तु तापितोऽद्भुतम्॥ विलसद्धरिचंदनोदकच्छटया तद्विरहापनुत्तये॥ हृदया हि तयाप्यदूयत प्रसरद्भोगिफटाभवैर्न तु

garalaṁ galanālikātale vilasedasya na tena tāpitaḥ amṛtāṁśu tuṣāradīdhiti pracayaireva tu tāpito'dbhutam vilasaddharicaṁdanodakacchaṭayā tadvirahāpanuttaye hṛdayā hi tayāpyadūyata prasaradbhogiphaṭābhavairna tu

The poison lodged in his throat did not burn him — strange to say, it was instead the cool, frost-like rays of the moon that scorched him. Even the streams of cooling sandal-water, applied to soothe that fever of separation, pained his heart — while the spreading hoods of the serpents about him did not.

Verse 11 (skanda.4.44.11)

सकलभ्रममेष नाशयेत्स्रगहित्वाद्यपदेशजं हरः॥ इदमद्भुतमस्य यद्भ्रमः स्फुटमाल्येपि महाहिसंभवः

sakalabhramameṣa nāśayetsragahitvādyapadeśajaṁ haraḥ idamadbhutamasya yadbhramaḥ sphuṭamālyepi mahāhisaṁbhavaḥ

Hara it is who normally dispels every illusion born of mistaking a rope for a snake; yet, strange to say, in him the illusion now ran the other way — even a plain garland seemed to him a great serpent.

Verse 12 (skanda.4.44.12)

स्मृतिमात्रपथंगतोपि यस्त्रिविध तापमपाकरोत्यलम्॥ स हि काशिवियोगतापितः स्वगतं किंचिदजल्पदित्यजः

smṛtimātrapathaṁgatopi yastrividha tāpamapākarotyalam sa hi kāśiviyogatāpitaḥ svagataṁ kiṁcidajalpadityajaḥ

He who, merely by being remembered, banishes the threefold affliction of every being — he himself, tormented by separation from Kashi, murmured softly to himself; thus spoke the Unborn One.

Verse 13 (skanda.4.44.13)

अपि काशि समागतोऽनिलो यदि गात्राणि परिष्वजेन्मम॥ दवथुः परिशांतिमेति तन्नहि मानी परिगाहनैरपि

api kāśi samāgato'nilo yadi gātrāṇi pariṣvajenmama davathuḥ pariśāṁtimeti tannahi mānī parigāhanairapi

[Shiva said:] "O Kashi, if only a breeze that has come from you would embrace my limbs, this burning fever of mine might find relief; but proud as I am, not even plunging into deep waters can cool it."

Verse 14 (skanda.4.44.14)

अगमिष्यदहोकथं सतापो ननु दक्षांगजयाय एधितः॥ ममजीवातुलता झटित्यलं ह्यभविष्यन्न हिमाद्रिजा यदि

agamiṣyadahokathaṁ satāpo nanu dakṣāṁgajayāya edhitaḥ mamajīvātulatā jhaṭityalaṁ hyabhaviṣyanna himādrijā yadi

"Ah, how did this fever, which once grew for the sake of Daksha's daughter, ever arise again? Truly, my very life-creeper would have withered in an instant, had the Daughter of the Snow-Mountain not come to me."

Verse 15 (skanda.4.44.15)

न तथोज्झितदेहयातया मम दक्षोद्भवयामनोऽदुनोत्॥ अविमुक्तवियोगजन्मनापरि दूयेत यथा महोष्मणा

na tathojjhitadehayātayā mama dakṣodbhavayāmano'dunot avimuktaviyogajanmanāpari dūyeta yathā mahoṣmaṇā

"Not even when Daksha's daughter gave up her body was my mind so pained, as it is now tormented by this great burning born of separation from Avimukta, the Never-Forsaken city."

Verse 16 (skanda.4.44.16)

अयि काशि मुदा कदा पुनस्तव लप्स्ये सुखमंगसंगजम्॥ अतिशीतलितानि येन मेऽद्भुतगात्राणि भवंति तत्क्षणात्

ayi kāśi mudā kadā punastava lapsye sukhamaṁgasaṁgajam atiśītalitāni yena me'dbhutagātrāṇi bhavaṁti tatkṣaṇāt

"O Kashi! When again shall I joyfully win that bliss born of touching your body, by which my wondrous limbs would grow perfectly cool in an instant?"

Verse 17 (skanda.4.44.17)

अयि काशि विनाशिताघसंघे तवविश्लेषजआशुशुक्षणिः॥ अमृतांशुकलामृदुद्रवैरतिचित्रंहविषेव वर्धते

ayi kāśi vināśitāghasaṁghe tavaviśleṣajaāśuśukṣaṇiḥ amṛtāṁśukalāmṛdudravairaticitraṁhaviṣeva vardhate

"O Kashi, destroyer of every heap of sin! This swift fire born of separation from you grows ever greater — most strangely, as though fed like an oblation — even from the gentle nectar-streams of the crescent moon."

Verse 18 (skanda.4.44.18)

अगमन्मम दक्षजा वियोगजो दवथुः प्राग्घिमवत्सुतौषधेन॥ अधुना खलु नैव शांतिमीयां यदि काशीं न विलोकयेहमाशु

agamanmama dakṣajā viyogajo davathuḥ prāgghimavatsutauṣadhena adhunā khalu naiva śāṁtimīyāṁ yadi kāśīṁ na vilokayehamāśu

"Long ago, the fever born of separation from Daksha's daughter was cured by the remedy of the Himalaya's daughter; but now, truly, I shall find no peace at all unless I behold Kashi very soon."

Verse 19 (skanda.4.44.19)

मनसेति गृणंस्तदा शिवः सुतरां संवृततापवैकृतः॥ जगदंबिकया धियां जनन्या कथमप्येष वियुक्त इत्यमानि॥ प्रियया वपुषोर्धयानयाप्यपरिज्ञात वियोगकारणः॥ वचनैरुपचर्यते स्म सप्रणतप्राणिनिदाघदारणः

manaseti gṛṇaṁstadā śivaḥ sutarāṁ saṁvṛtatāpavaikṛtaḥ jagadaṁbikayā dhiyāṁ jananyā kathamapyeṣa viyukta ityamāni priyayā vapuṣordhayānayāpyaparijñāta viyogakāraṇaḥ vacanairupacaryate sma sapraṇataprāṇinidāghadāraṇaḥ

Thus musing within himself, Shiva's inner torment grew still more hidden. Jagadambika, the mother of all understanding, sensing that he had somehow become distracted, addressed him — she who shared half of his very body — though she did not know the true cause of his distress; and so she spoke, with gentle words, to him who otherwise dispels the fiercest heat from every being who bows before him.

Verse 20 (skanda.4.44.20)

॥ श्रीपार्वत्युवाच॥ तव सर्वग सर्वमस्ति हस्ते विलसद्योग वियोग एव कस्ते॥ तव भूतिरहो विभूतिदात्री सकलापत्कलिकापि भूतधात्री

śrīpārvatyuvāca tava sarvaga sarvamasti haste vilasadyoga viyoga eva kaste tava bhūtiraho vibhūtidātrī sakalāpatkalikāpi bhūtadhātrī

Shri Parvati said: "O all-pervading one, everything already lies in your own hand; ever united with all, what separation could there be for you? Why, even your sacred ash is itself the bestower of glory, and even the bud of every calamity, in your hands, becomes a nurturer of all beings."

Verse 21 (skanda.4.44.21)

त्वदनीक्षणतः क्षणाद्विभो प्रलयं यांति जगंति शोच्यवत्॥ च्यवते भवतः कृपालवादितरोपीशनयस्त्वयोंकृतः

tvadanīkṣaṇataḥ kṣaṇādvibho pralayaṁ yāṁti jagaṁti śocyavat cyavate bhavataḥ kṛpālavāditaropīśanayastvayoṁkṛtaḥ

"O Lord, the instant your gaze withdraws, the worlds fall into pitiable ruin in a moment; and yet, out of sheer compassion, even that decree of dissolution is turned aside by you."

Verse 22 (skanda.4.44.22)

भवतः परितापहेतवो न भवंतींदु दिवाकराग्नयः॥ नयनानियतस्त्रिनेत्र तेऽमी प्रणयिन्यस्तिलसज्जला च मौलौ

bhavataḥ paritāpahetavo na bhavaṁtīṁdu divākarāgnayaḥ nayanāniyatastrinetra te'mī praṇayinyastilasajjalā ca maulau

"The moon, the sun, and fire — set as your very own eyes, O Trinetra — never become for you a source of torment; nor does the loving Ganga, glistening with her waters, resting upon your crown."

Verse 23 (skanda.4.44.23)

भुजगाभुजगाः सदैव तेऽमी न विषं संक्रमते च नीलकंठ॥ अहमस्मि च वामदेव वामा तव वामंवपुरत्र चित्तयुक्ता

bhujagābhujagāḥ sadaiva te'mī na viṣaṁ saṁkramate ca nīlakaṁṭha ahamasmi ca vāmadeva vāmā tava vāmaṁvapuratra cittayuktā

"O Nilakantha, these serpents of yours are ever harmless as your own arms, and poison itself has no power over you. And I, O Vamadeva, being the left half of your very body, remain ever united with you in mind."

Verse 24 (skanda.4.44.24)

इति संसृतिसंबीजजनन्याभिहिते हिते॥ गिरां निगुंफे गिरिशो वक्तुमप्याददे गिरम्

iti saṁsṛtisaṁbījajananyābhihite hite girāṁ niguṁphe giriśo vaktumapyādade giram

When the Mother — the very seed of all creation — had thus spoken these beneficial words, Girisha, skilled in the weaving of speech, began at last to speak his own reply.

Verse 25 (skanda.4.44.25)

॥ ईश्वर उवाच॥ अयि काशीत्यष्टमूर्तिर्भवो भावाष्टकोभवत्॥ सत्वरं शिवयाज्ञायि ध्रुवं काश्याहृतोहरः

īśvara uvāca ayi kāśītyaṣṭamūrtirbhavo bhāvāṣṭakobhavat satvaraṁ śivayājñāyi dhruvaṁ kāśyāhṛtoharaḥ

The Lord said: "Ah, Kashi!" — and, at that very word, Bhava of the eight forms was overcome by an eightfold rush of emotion. At once Shiva gave her leave — for truly, Hara had been utterly carried away, his heart stolen, by Kashi herself.

Verse 26 (skanda.4.44.26)

अथबालसखी भूत तत्तत्काननवीरुधम् ॥ शिवाप्रस्तावयांचक्रे विमुक्तां मुक्तिदां पुरीम्

athabālasakhī bhūta tattatkānanavīrudham śivāprastāvayāṁcakre vimuktāṁ muktidāṁ purīm

Then Shiva (Parvati), who from her very childhood had been a companion to every creeper of that forest, herself began to speak of that liberated city, Kashi, the giver of liberation.

Verse 27 (skanda.4.44.27)

॥ पार्वत्युवाच॥ गगनतलमिलितसलिले प्रलयेपि भव त्रिशूलपरि विधृताम्॥ कृतपुंडरीकशोभां स्मरहरकाशीं पुरीं यावः

pārvatyuvāca gaganatalamilitasalile pralayepi bhava triśūlapari vidhṛtām kṛtapuṁḍarīkaśobhāṁ smaraharakāśīṁ purīṁ yāvaḥ

Parvati said: "O Bhava, even at the time of dissolution, when the waters merge with the very sky, you hold that city — Kashi, the destroyer of Kama, adorned like a white lotus — upheld upon your own trident. Let us go there!"

Verse 28 (skanda.4.44.28)

धराधरेंद्रस्य धरातिसुंदरा न मां तथास्यापि धिनोति धूर्जटे॥ धरागतापीह न या ध्रुवंधरा पुरीधुरीणा तव काशिका यथा॥ न यत्र काश्यां कलिकालजं भयं न यत्र काश्यां मरणात्पुनर्भवः॥ न यत्र काश्यां कलुषोद्भवं भयं कथं विभो सा नयनातिथिर्भवेत्

dharādhareṁdrasya dharātisuṁdarā na māṁ tathāsyāpi dhinoti dhūrjaṭe dharāgatāpīha na yā dhruvaṁdharā purīdhurīṇā tava kāśikā yathā na yatra kāśyāṁ kalikālajaṁ bhayaṁ na yatra kāśyāṁ maraṇātpunarbhavaḥ na yatra kāśyāṁ kaluṣodbhavaṁ bhayaṁ kathaṁ vibho sā nayanātithirbhavet

"O Dhurjati, even this most beautiful land of my own father, the mountain-king, does not delight me as much as that city does. No land on earth, however enduring, can equal your foremost city, Kashi — where there is no fear born of the Kali age, no rebirth after death, no fear born of sin. O Lord, when will that city become a guest to my own eyes?"

Verse 29 (skanda.4.44.29)

किमत्र नो संति पुरः सहस्रशः पदेपदे सर्वसमृद्धिभूमयः॥ परं न काशी सदृशीदृशोः पदं क्वचिद्गता मे भवता शपे शिव

kimatra no saṁti puraḥ sahasraśaḥ padepade sarvasamṛddhibhūmayaḥ paraṁ na kāśī sadṛśīdṛśoḥ padaṁ kvacidgatā me bhavatā śape śiva

"Are there not, here, a thousand cities at every step, lands brimming with every kind of prosperity? And yet, O Shiva, I swear by you — not one of them has ever, for my eyes, equalled Kashi."

Verse 30 (skanda.4.44.30)

त्रिविष्टपे संति न किं पुरः शतं समस्तकौतूहलजन्मभूमयः॥ तृणी भवंतीह च ताः पुरःपुरः पदं पुरारे भवतो भवद्विषः

triviṣṭape saṁti na kiṁ puraḥ śataṁ samastakautūhalajanmabhūmayaḥ tṛṇī bhavaṁtīha ca tāḥ puraḥpuraḥ padaṁ purāre bhavato bhavadviṣaḥ

"O Purari, are there not, in heaven, a hundred cities, each the very birthplace of every wonder? Yet before your own city, which destroys the very fear of rebirth, they all become as mere straw."

Verse 31 (skanda.4.44.31)

न केवलं काशिवियोगजो ज्वरः प्रबाधते त्वां तु तथा यथात्र माम्॥ उपाय एषोत्र निदाघशांतये पुरी तु सा वा ममजन्मभूरथ

na kevalaṁ kāśiviyogajo jvaraḥ prabādhate tvāṁ tu tathā yathātra mām upāya eṣotra nidāghaśāṁtaye purī tu sā vā mamajanmabhūratha

"Not only you — this fever born of separation from Kashi torments me just as much. There is but one remedy here to quench this burning: that city itself — or else my own birthplace, the Himalaya."

Verse 32 (skanda.4.44.32)

मया न मेने ममजन्मभूमिका वियोगजन्मा परिदाघईशितः॥ अवाप्यकाशीं परितः प्रशांतिदां समस्तसंतापविघातहेतुकाम्

mayā na mene mamajanmabhūmikā viyogajanmā paridāghaīśitaḥ avāpyakāśīṁ paritaḥ praśāṁtidāṁ samastasaṁtāpavighātahetukām

"I no longer consider even my own birthplace sufficient, O Lord tormented by the fire of separation; only by attaining Kashi — giver of peace on every side, the very destroyer of all affliction — shall we find true relief."

Verse 33 (skanda.4.44.33)

न मोक्षलक्ष्म्योत्र समक्षमीक्षितास्तनूभृता केनचिदेव कुत्रचित्॥ अवैम्यहं शर्मद सर्वशर्मदा सरूपिणी मुक्तिरसौ हि काशिका

na mokṣalakṣmyotra samakṣamīkṣitāstanūbhṛtā kenacideva kutracit avaimyahaṁ śarmada sarvaśarmadā sarūpiṇī muktirasau hi kāśikā

"Nowhere else has any embodied being ever beheld the Goddess of Liberation face to face. O giver of bliss, I know this well: Kashi, the bestower of every happiness, is Liberation herself, given form."

Verse 34 (skanda.4.44.34)

न मुक्तिरस्तीह तथा समाधिना स्थिरेंद्रियत्वोज्झित तत्समाधिना॥ क्रतुक्रियाभिर्न न वेदविद्यया यथा हि काश्यां परिहाय विग्रहम्

na muktirastīha tathā samādhinā sthireṁdriyatvojjhita tatsamādhinā kratukriyābhirna na vedavidyayā yathā hi kāśyāṁ parihāya vigraham

"Liberation such as is attained simply by giving up the body in Kashi is not attained here by meditation alone, nor by meditation without mastery of the senses, nor by sacrificial rites, nor even by knowledge of the Vedas."

Verse 35 (skanda.4.44.35)

न नाकलोके सुखमस्ति तादृशं कुतस्तु पातालतलेऽतिसुंदरे॥ वार्तापि मर्त्ये सुखसंश्रया क्व वा काश्यां हि यादृक्तनुमात्रधारिणि

na nākaloke sukhamasti tādṛśaṁ kutastu pātālatale'tisuṁdare vārtāpi martye sukhasaṁśrayā kva vā kāśyāṁ hi yādṛktanumātradhāriṇi

"Not even in the heaven-world is there happiness like this; how then in the loveliest depths of the nether world? And in the mortal world, where is even a rumour of such a refuge of happiness — as is found simply in bearing a body in Kashi?"

Verse 36 (skanda.4.44.36)

क्षेत्रे त्रिशूलिन्भवतोऽविमुक्ते विमुक्तिलक्ष्म्या न कदापि मुक्ते॥ मनोपि यः प्राणिवरः प्रयुंक्ते षडंगयोगं स सदैव युंक्ते

kṣetre triśūlinbhavato'vimukte vimuktilakṣmyā na kadāpi mukte manopi yaḥ prāṇivaraḥ prayuṁkte ṣaḍaṁgayogaṁ sa sadaiva yuṁkte

"O trident-bearer, in your field of Avimukta, which is never without the Goddess of Liberation, whatever excellent being applies there even his mind alone is, as it were, ever practising the sixfold yoga."

Verse 37 (skanda.4.44.37)

षडंगयोगान्नहि तादृशी नृभिः शरीरसिद्धिः सहसात्र लभ्यते॥ सुखेन काशीं समवाप्य यादृशीदृशौ स्थिरीकृत्य शिव त्वयि क्षणम्॥ वरं हि तिर्यक्त्वमबुद्धिवैभवं न मानवत्वं बहुबुद्धिभाजनम्॥ अकाशिसंदर्शननिष्फलोदयं समंततः पुष्करबुद्बुदोपमम्

ṣaḍaṁgayogānnahi tādṛśī nṛbhiḥ śarīrasiddhiḥ sahasātra labhyate sukhena kāśīṁ samavāpya yādṛśīdṛśau sthirīkṛtya śiva tvayi kṣaṇam varaṁ hi tiryaktvamabuddhivaibhavaṁ na mānavatvaṁ bahubuddhibhājanam akāśisaṁdarśananiṣphalodayaṁ samaṁtataḥ puṣkarabudbudopamam

"Not even through the sixfold yoga do men so suddenly attain that perfection of the body which is won simply by reaching Kashi in comfort and fixing one's gaze upon you, O Shiva, if only for a moment. Better indeed the lot of a beast, with no great wit, than a human birth — vessel though it is of abundant intelligence — if it rises and passes without ever beholding Kashi: such a birth is as fruitless and fleeting as a bubble upon the water."

Verse 38 (skanda.4.44.38)

दृशौ कृतार्थे कृतकाशिदर्शने तनुःकृतार्था शिवकाशिवासिनी॥ मनःकृतार्थं धृतकाशिसंश्रयं मुखं कृतार्थं कृतकाशिसंमुखम्

dṛśau kṛtārthe kṛtakāśidarśane tanuḥkṛtārthā śivakāśivāsinī manaḥkṛtārthaṁ dhṛtakāśisaṁśrayaṁ mukhaṁ kṛtārthaṁ kṛtakāśisaṁmukham

"Fulfilled indeed are those eyes that have beheld Kashi; fulfilled that body which dwells in the auspicious city of Kashi; fulfilled that mind which has taken refuge in Kashi; and fulfilled that face which has turned itself toward Kashi."

Verse 39 (skanda.4.44.39)

वरं हि तत्काशिरजोति पावनं रजस्तमोध्वंसि शशिप्रभोज्ज्वलम्॥ कृतप्रणामैर्मणिकर्णिका भुवे ललाटगंयद्बहुमन्यते सुरैः

varaṁ hi tatkāśirajoti pāvanaṁ rajastamodhvaṁsi śaśiprabhojjvalam kṛtapraṇāmairmaṇikarṇikā bhuve lalāṭagaṁyadbahumanyate suraiḥ

"Excellent indeed is that dust of Kashi, most purifying, destroying the taint of rajas and tamas, radiant as the brightness of the moon — the very dust of the ground at Manikarnika, which even the gods, bowing low, treasure as a mark upon their own foreheads."

Verse 40 (skanda.4.44.40)

न देवलोको न च सत्यलोको न नागलोको मणिकर्णिकायाः॥ तुलां व्रजेद्यत्र महाप्रयाणकृच्छ्रुतिर्भवेद्ब्रह्मरसायनास्पदम्

na devaloko na ca satyaloko na nāgaloko maṇikarṇikāyāḥ tulāṁ vrajedyatra mahāprayāṇakṛcchrutirbhavedbrahmarasāyanāspadam

"Neither the world of the gods, nor Satyaloka, nor the world of the Nagas can equal Manikarnika — that place where, at the hour of the great departure, the sacred Word itself becomes the very elixir of Brahman."

Verse 41 (skanda.4.44.41)

महामहोभूर्मणिकर्णिकास्थली तमस्ततिर्यत्र समेति संक्षयम्॥ परः शतैर्जन्मभिरेधितापि या दिवाकराग्नींदुकरैरनिग्रहा

mahāmahobhūrmaṇikarṇikāsthalī tamastatiryatra sameti saṁkṣayam paraḥ śatairjanmabhiredhitāpi yā divākarāgnīṁdukarairanigrahā

"The ground at Manikarnika is a place of the greatest splendour, where every mass of darkness is utterly destroyed — that darkness which, though it grows over hundreds of births, remains unconquered elsewhere even by the rays of sun, fire, and moon."

Verse 42 (skanda.4.44.42)

किमु निर्वाणपदस्य भद्रपीठं मृदुलं तल्पमथोनुमोक्षलक्ष्म्याः॥ अथवा मणिकर्णिकास्थली परमानंदसुकंदजन्मभूमिः

kimu nirvāṇapadasya bhadrapīṭhaṁ mṛdulaṁ talpamathonumokṣalakṣmyāḥ athavā maṇikarṇikāsthalī paramānaṁdasukaṁdajanmabhūmiḥ

"Is it the very auspicious seat of the state of liberation? Or the soft resting-couch of the Goddess of Moksha herself? Or is that ground of Manikarnika, rather, the very birthplace of the tender sprout of supreme bliss?"

Verse 43 (skanda.4.44.43)

समतीतविमुक्तजंतुसंख्या क्रियते यत्र जनैः सुखोपविष्टैः॥ विलसद्द्युति सूक्ष्मशर्कराभिः स्ववपुःपातमहोत्सवाभिलाषैः

samatītavimuktajaṁtusaṁkhyā kriyate yatra janaiḥ sukhopaviṣṭaiḥ vilasaddyuti sūkṣmaśarkarābhiḥ svavapuḥpātamahotsavābhilāṣaiḥ

"There, people sit at ease, counting — with gleaming, fine grains of sand as their tally — the countless creatures already liberated in that place, themselves longing for the great festival of shedding their own bodies there."

Verse 44 (skanda.4.44.44)

॥ स्कंद उवाच॥ अपर्णापरिवर्ण्येति पुरीं वाराणसीं मुने॥ पुनर्विज्ञापयामास काशीप्राप्त्यै पिनाकिनम्

skaṁda uvāca aparṇāparivarṇyeti purīṁ vārāṇasīṁ mune punarvijñāpayāmāsa kāśīprāptyai pinākinam

Skanda said: O sage, having thus described the city of Varanasi, Aparna once again besought Pinakin to grant her the attainment of Kashi.

Verse 45 (skanda.4.44.45)

श्रीपार्वत्युवाच॥ प्रमथाधिप सर्वेश नित्यस्वाधीनवर्तन॥ यथानंदवनं यायां तथा कुरु वरप्रद

śrīpārvatyuvāca pramathādhipa sarveśa nityasvādhīnavartana yathānaṁdavanaṁ yāyāṁ tathā kuru varaprada

Shri Parvati said: "O lord of the Pramatha hosts, lord of all, ever free and self-ruled, O granter of boons — grant that I may go to Anandavana, Kashi."

Verse 46 (skanda.4.44.46)

स्कन्द उवाच॥ जितपीयूषमाधुर्यां काशीस्तवनसुंदरीम्॥ अथाकर्ण्याहमुदितो गिरिशो गिरिजां गिरम्॥ श्रीदेवदेव उवाच॥ अयि प्रियतमे गौरि त्वद्वा गमृतसीकरैः॥ आप्यायितोस्मि नितरां काशीप्राप्त्यै यतेधुना

skanda uvāca jitapīyūṣamādhuryāṁ kāśīstavanasuṁdarīm athākarṇyāhamudito giriśo girijāṁ giram śrīdevadeva uvāca ayi priyatame gauri tvadvā gamṛtasīkaraiḥ āpyāyitosmi nitarāṁ kāśīprāptyai yatedhunā

Skanda said: Then Girisha, hearing Girija's speech in praise of Kashi — sweeter than nectar itself, and beautifully wrought — rejoiced, and I too was filled with joy. The glorious God of gods said: "O most beloved Gauri, I am utterly refreshed by the nectar-drops of your own words; now I shall strive to attain Kashi."

Verse 47 (skanda.4.44.47)

त्वं जानासि महादेवि मम यत्तन्महद्व्रतम्॥ अभुक्तपूर्वमन्येन वस्तूपाश्नामि नेतरत्

tvaṁ jānāsi mahādevi mama yattanmahadvratam abhuktapūrvamanyena vastūpāśnāmi netarat

"You know well, O Mahadevi, that great vow of mine: I accept only that which has never before been enjoyed by another; nothing else at all."

Verse 48 (skanda.4.44.48)

पितामहस्य वचनाद्दिवोदासे महीपतौ॥ धर्मेण शासति पुरीं क उपायो विधीयताम्

pitāmahasya vacanāddivodāse mahīpatau dharmeṇa śāsati purīṁ ka upāyo vidhīyatām

"At the Grandsire's own word, while King Divodasa rules this city righteously, what expedient, then, should we adopt?"

Verse 49 (skanda.4.44.49)

कथं स राजा धर्मिष्ठः प्रजापालनतत्परः॥ वियोज्यते पुरः काश्या दिवोदासो महीपतिः

kathaṁ sa rājā dharmiṣṭhaḥ prajāpālanatatparaḥ viyojyate puraḥ kāśyā divodāso mahīpatiḥ

"How is that most righteous king, King Divodasa, devoted to the protection of his people, to be parted from the city of Kashi?"

Verse 50 (skanda.4.44.50)

अधर्मवर्तिनो यस्माद्विघ्नः स्यान्नेतरस्य तु॥ तस्मात्कं प्रेषयामीशे यस्तं काश्या वियोजयेत्

adharmavartino yasmādvighnaḥ syānnetarasya tu tasmātkaṁ preṣayāmīśe yastaṁ kāśyā viyojayet

"Since obstacles can befall only one who has strayed from righteousness, never one who has not — whom, then, my lady, shall I send, who might part him from Kashi?"

Verse 51 (skanda.4.44.51)

धर्मवर्त्मानुसरतां यो विघ्नं समुपाचरेत्॥ तस्यैव जायते विघ्नः प्रत्युत प्रेमवर्धिनि

dharmavartmānusaratāṁ yo vighnaṁ samupācaret tasyaiva jāyate vighnaḥ pratyuta premavardhini

"O increaser of love, whoever attempts to place an obstacle before those who follow the path of righteousness — that very obstacle falls, instead, upon himself."

Verse 52 (skanda.4.44.52)

विनाच्छिद्रेण तं भूपं नोत्सादयितुमुत्सहे॥ मयैव हि यतो रक्ष्याः प्रिये धर्मधुरंधराः

vinācchidreṇa taṁ bhūpaṁ notsādayitumutsahe mayaiva hi yato rakṣyāḥ priye dharmadhuraṁdharāḥ

"Without some flaw to find in him, I cannot bring myself to unseat that king; for it is I myself, my beloved, who must protect those who bear the burden of righteousness."

Verse 53 (skanda.4.44.53)

न जरा तमतिक्रामेन्न तं मृत्युर्जिर्घांसति॥ व्याधयस्तं न बाधंते धर्मवर्त्मभृदत्रयः

na jarā tamatikrāmenna taṁ mṛtyurjirghāṁsati vyādhayastaṁ na bādhaṁte dharmavartmabhṛdatrayaḥ

"Neither does old age overtake him, nor does death seek to devour him, nor do diseases afflict him — for he, without fail, bears the very path of dharma."

Verse 54 (skanda.4.44.54)

इति संचिंतयन्देवो योगिनीचक्रमग्रतः॥ ददर्शातिमहाप्रौढं गाढकार्यस्य साधनम्

iti saṁciṁtayandevo yoginīcakramagrataḥ dadarśātimahāprauḍhaṁ gāḍhakāryasya sādhanam

Thus reflecting, the God beheld before him the circle of Yoginis, of the greatest power — the very means by which this difficult task might be accomplished.

Verse 55 (skanda.4.44.55)

अथ देव्या समालोच्य व्योमकेशो महामुने॥ योगिनीवृंदमाहूय जगौ वाक्यमिदं हरः॥ सत्वरं यात योगिन्यो मम वाराणसीं पुरीम्॥ यत्र राजा दिवोदासो राज्यं धर्मेण शास्त्यलम्

atha devyā samālocya vyomakeśo mahāmune yoginīvṛṁdamāhūya jagau vākyamidaṁ haraḥ satvaraṁ yāta yoginyo mama vārāṇasīṁ purīm yatra rājā divodāso rājyaṁ dharmeṇa śāstyalam

O great sage, then Vyomakesha, having taken counsel with the Goddess, summoned the assembly of Yoginis and, as Hara, spoke these words: "Go swiftly, O Yoginis, to my own city of Varanasi, where King Divodasa rules his realm most righteously."

Verse 56 (skanda.4.44.56)

स्वधर्मविच्युतः काशीं यथा तूर्णं त्यजेन्नृपः॥ तथोपचरत प्राज्ञा योगमायाबलान्विताः

svadharmavicyutaḥ kāśīṁ yathā tūrṇaṁ tyajennṛpaḥ tathopacarata prājñā yogamāyābalānvitāḥ

"O wise ones, endowed with the power of Yogamaya, act in such a way that the king, falling away from his own righteousness, will swiftly abandon Kashi."

Verse 57 (skanda.4.44.57)

यथा पुनर्नवीकृत्य पुरीं वाराणसीमहम्॥ इतः प्रयामि योगिन्यस्तथा क्षिप्रं विधीयताम्

yathā punarnavīkṛtya purīṁ vārāṇasīmaham itaḥ prayāmi yoginyastathā kṣipraṁ vidhīyatām

"O Yoginis, arrange it swiftly so that I may then leave this place and, having made the city of Varanasi new again, go there myself."

Verse 58 (skanda.4.44.58)

इति प्रसादमासाद्य शासनं शिरसा वहन्॥ कृतप्रणामो निर्यातो योगिनीनां गणस्ततः

iti prasādamāsādya śāsanaṁ śirasā vahan kṛtapraṇāmo niryāto yoginīnāṁ gaṇastataḥ

Having thus received his blessing, and bearing his command upon their very heads, the host of Yoginis, bowing low before him, then set forth.

Verse 59 (skanda.4.44.59)

ययुराकाशमाविश्य मनसोप्य तिरंहसा॥ परस्परं भाषमाणा योगिन्यस्ता मुदान्विताः

yayurākāśamāviśya manasopya tiraṁhasā parasparaṁ bhāṣamāṇā yoginyastā mudānvitāḥ

Rising into the sky, moving swifter even than thought, those joyful Yoginis journeyed on, talking among themselves as they went.

Verse 60 (skanda.4.44.60)

अद्य धन्यतराः स्मो वै देवदेवेन यत्स्वयम्॥ कृतप्रसादाः प्रहिताः श्रीमदानंदकाननम्

adya dhanyatarāḥ smo vai devadevena yatsvayam kṛtaprasādāḥ prahitāḥ śrīmadānaṁdakānanam

[They said:] "Today we are truly most blessed, for the God of gods himself has graced us and sent us to the glorious Anandakanana, the Forest of Bliss."

Verse 61 (skanda.4.44.61)

अद्य सद्यो महालाभावभूतां नोतिदुर्लभौ॥ त्रिनेत्रराजसंमानस्तथा काशी विलोकनम्

adya sadyo mahālābhāvabhūtāṁ notidurlabhau trinetrarājasaṁmānastathā kāśī vilokanam

"Today, all at once, two great and rarely-won gains have become ours: the high honour of the three-eyed Lord, and, along with it, the very sight of Kashi."

Verse 62 (skanda.4.44.62)

इति मुदितमनाः स योगिनीनां निकुरंवस्त्वथमंदराद्रिकुंजात्॥ नभसि लघुकृतप्रयाणवेगो नयनातिथ्यमलंभयत्पुरीं ताम्

iti muditamanāḥ sa yoginīnāṁ nikuraṁvastvathamaṁdarādrikuṁjāt nabhasi laghukṛtaprayāṇavego nayanātithyamalaṁbhayatpurīṁ tām

Thus rejoicing, that whole host of Yoginis, setting out from the very bower of Mount Mandara and speeding swiftly through the sky, at last brought that city within the welcome of their own eyes.