The Telling of the Name Amaravati

Verse 1 (skanda.5.46.1)

सनत्कुमार उवाच। अमरावती यथा जाता पुरी ह्येषा कुशस्थली। शृणु व्यास महाभाग यथा ब्रह्माब्रवीत्सुरान्॥

sanatkumāra uvāca| amarāvatī yathā jātā purī hyeṣā kuśasthalī| śṛṇu vyāsa mahābhāga yathā brahmābravītsurān||

Sanatkumara said: Hear, O fortunate Vyasa, how this city of Kushasthali became Amaravati, just as Brahma spoke to the gods.

Verse 2 (skanda.5.46.2)

तथाहं संप्रवक्ष्यामि विस्तरेण तपोधन। एकदा ब्रह्मणादिष्टः प्रजार्थमृषिसत्तमः॥

tathāhaṁ saṁpravakṣyāmi vistareṇa tapodhana| ekadā brahmaṇādiṣṭaḥ prajārthamṛṣisattamaḥ||

So, O rich in austerity, I shall relate it in detail: once, commanded by Brahma for the sake of progeny, that best of sages,

Verse 3 (skanda.5.46.3)

मारीचः कश्यपस्तेपे तपः परमदुष्करम्। महाकालवने रम्ये दिव्ये स हि महानृषिः॥

mārīcaḥ kaśyapastepe tapaḥ paramaduṣkaram| mahākālavane ramye divye sa hi mahānṛṣiḥ||

Kashyapa, son of Marichi, that great sage, performed an extremely difficult austerity in the beautiful, divine Mahakalavana.

Verse 4 (skanda.5.46.4)

शीर्णपत्रानिलाहारो वायुभक्षी जितेन्द्रियः। पूर्णे वर्षसहस्रे तु वागुवाचाशरीरिणी॥

śīrṇapatrānilāhāro vāyubhakṣī jitendriyaḥ| pūrṇe varṣasahasre tu vāguvācāśarīriṇī||

Living on withered leaves and air alone, his senses conquered, he practiced austerity; when a thousand years were complete, a bodiless voice spoke.

Verse 5 (skanda.5.46.5)

श्रूयतां भो द्विजश्रेष्ठ मम वाक्यमनुत्तमम्। यस्मात्तपसि तपस्तीव्रं फलमुद्दिश्य सुव्रत॥

śrūyatāṁ bho dvijaśreṣṭha mama vākyamanuttamam| yasmāttapasi tapastīvraṁ phalamuddiśya suvrata||

'Listen, O best of the twice-born, to my supreme word: because, O one of good vows, you have practiced such intense austerity aiming at its fruit,'

Verse 6 (skanda.5.46.6)

तस्मात्ते संततिस्तात यावच्चंद्रदिवाकरौ। तावत्तिष्ठतु मेदिन्यां यशसा पुत्रपौत्रकैः॥

tasmātte saṁtatistāta yāvaccaṁdradivākarau| tāvattiṣṭhatu medinyāṁ yaśasā putrapautrakaiḥ||

'—therefore, my child, may your progeny, with sons and grandsons, remain upon this earth in glory for as long as the moon and sun endure.'

Verse 7 (skanda.5.46.7)

अदितिस्ते सती भार्या त्वया सहाचरत्तपः। तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु छायाभूता यशस्विनी॥

aditiste satī bhāryā tvayā sahācarattapaḥ| tasmātsarveṣu kāleṣu chāyābhūtā yaśasvinī||

'Aditi, your virtuous wife, has practiced austerity together with you; therefore, glorious, she shall remain like your shadow for all time.'

Verse 8 (skanda.5.46.8)

भविष्यंति सुताः सर्वे विष्णुश्चेंद्रपुरोगमाः। अमरा निर्जरा देवा दिवि ख्याताः सदैव हि॥

bhaviṣyaṁti sutāḥ sarve viṣṇuśceṁdrapurogamāḥ| amarā nirjarā devā divi khyātāḥ sadaiva hi||

'All your sons shall become gods, led by Vishnu and Indra — immortal, ageless, ever renowned in heaven.'

Verse 9 (skanda.5.46.9)

त्वं चापि च ऋषिश्रेष्ठः प्रजापतिरकल्मषः। भविष्यसि न संदेहो ममवाक्याद्द्विजोत्तम॥

tvaṁ cāpi ca ṛṣiśreṣṭhaḥ prajāpatirakalmaṣaḥ| bhaviṣyasi na saṁdeho mamavākyāddvijottama||

'And you too, O best of sages, shall become a stainless Prajapati — of this there is no doubt, by my word, O best of the twice-born.'

Verse 10 (skanda.5.46.10)

इत्युक्त्वा च पुनर्देवी तत्रैवांतरधीयत। तदारभ्य पुरीं व्यास कुशस्थलीमनुत्तमाम्॥

ityuktvā ca punardevī tatraivāṁtaradhīyata| tadārabhya purīṁ vyāsa kuśasthalīmanuttamām||

Having said this, the goddess-voice vanished then and there. From that time on, O Vyasa, in that unsurpassed city of Kushasthali,

Verse 11 (skanda.5.46.11)

कश्यपः सह दाक्षिण्या साग्निकः समुपाश्रितः। प्रजापि ववृधे तस्मात्सदेवासुरमानुषा॥

kaśyapaḥ saha dākṣiṇyā sāgnikaḥ samupāśritaḥ| prajāpi vavṛdhe tasmātsadevāsuramānuṣā||

Kashyapa took up residence, together with Daksha's daughter and his sacred fire; from him progeny multiplied, including gods, asuras and men.

Verse 12 (skanda.5.46.12)

मरीचेः कश्यपो जज्ञे ततः सर्वं प्रतिष्ठितम्। सुधापानकृतो देवाः शश्वत्तेनामराः कृताः॥

marīceḥ kaśyapo jajñe tataḥ sarvaṁ pratiṣṭhitam| sudhāpānakṛto devāḥ śaśvattenāmarāḥ kṛtāḥ||

From Marichi, Kashyapa was born, and from him all creation was established; by him the gods, made to drink the nectar, were rendered immortal forever.

Verse 13 (skanda.5.46.13)

नंदनं चापि तत्रैव महाकालवनोत्तमे। कामधेनुः समाख्याता मनोरथवरप्रदा॥

naṁdanaṁ cāpi tatraiva mahākālavanottame| kāmadhenuḥ samākhyātā manorathavarapradā||

There, in that supreme Mahakalavana, was also the Nandana garden; and there too, renowned, was Kamadhenu, the granter of every heart's desire,

Verse 14 (skanda.5.46.14)

सा सिषेवे सदा तत्र महाकालं महेश्वरम्। पारिजाततरुश्रेष्ठस्तथा चाम्लानपंकजम्॥

sā siṣeve sadā tatra mahākālaṁ maheśvaram| pārijātataruśreṣṭhastathā cāmlānapaṁkajam||

who ever served there the great Maheshvara Mahakala; there too was the finest of trees, the Parijata, and a lotus that never faded.

Verse 15 (skanda.5.46.15)

बिंदुसरः समाख्यातं मानसं सर उत्तमम्। हंससारससमाकीर्णं सुरसिद्धनिषेवितम्॥

biṁdusaraḥ samākhyātaṁ mānasaṁ sara uttamam| haṁsasārasasamākīrṇaṁ surasiddhaniṣevitam||

There was the excellent lake renowned as Bindusaras, the Manasa, thronged with swans and cranes, honored by gods and siddhas,

Verse 16 (skanda.5.46.16)

मुक्तामणिगणाकीर्णं रत्नशोभनशोभितम्। निधिरेष महापद्मः कह्लारकुमुदोज्ज्वलः॥

muktāmaṇigaṇākīrṇaṁ ratnaśobhanaśobhitam| nidhireṣa mahāpadmaḥ kahlārakumudojjvalaḥ||

strewn with masses of pearls and gems, adorned with beautiful jewels; this Mahapadma treasure was radiant with water-lilies and kumuda blossoms.

Verse 17 (skanda.5.46.17)

यानि यानि च दिव्यानि संति ब्रह्माण्डगोलके। तानि सर्वाणि तिष्ठंति महाकालवने शुभे॥

yāni yāni ca divyāni saṁti brahmāṇḍagolake| tāni sarvāṇi tiṣṭhaṁti mahākālavane śubhe||

Whatever divine things exist within the sphere of this universe — all of them dwell within the auspicious Mahakalavana.

Verse 18 (skanda.5.46.18)

तेनतेनात्मयोगेन मानवाश्चात्र संस्थिताः। तदाहारास्तदाचारास्तद्रूपास्तत्पराक्रमाः॥

tenatenātmayogena mānavāścātra saṁsthitāḥ| tadāhārāstadācārāstadrūpāstatparākramāḥ||

By that same divine union, the men established here take on that same food, that same conduct, that same form, and that same might.

Verse 19 (skanda.5.46.19)

अन्योन्यं च समाकीर्णा सर्वे चामरसंनिभाः। विचरंति यथा देवाः पुरीमेतां जना भुवि॥

anyonyaṁ ca samākīrṇā sarve cāmarasaṁnibhāḥ| vicaraṁti yathā devāḥ purīmetāṁ janā bhuvi||

Thronging together, all resembling the immortals, the people here move about this earthly city just as the gods do.

Verse 20 (skanda.5.46.20)

अमरांगनासमा नार्यः सदैव स्थिरयौवनाः। ईदृशी च पुरी दृष्टा भुवि व्यास सनातनी॥

amarāṁganāsamā nāryaḥ sadaiva sthirayauvanāḥ| īdṛśī ca purī dṛṣṭā bhuvi vyāsa sanātanī||

The women here, like the wives of the immortals, remain ever of unfading youth. Such, O Vyasa, is this eternal city as it is seen on earth.

Verse 21 (skanda.5.46.21)

देवदानवगन्धर्वैः किन्नरोरगराक्षसैः। भुक्तिमुक्तिप्रदा नित्या बहुकालफलप्रदा॥

devadānavagandharvaiḥ kinnaroragarākṣasaiḥ| bhuktimuktipradā nityā bahukālaphalapradā||

Frequented by gods, danavas, gandharvas, kinnaras, serpents and rakshasas, this eternal city grants both enjoyment and liberation, and bestows its fruit for a very long time.

Verse 22 (skanda.5.46.22)

अमराणां कटकं ह्यत्र तस्माजातामरावती। य एतस्यां महाभागाः प्रसंगेन समागताः॥

amarāṇāṁ kaṭakaṁ hyatra tasmājātāmarāvatī| ya etasyāṁ mahābhāgāḥ prasaṁgena samāgatāḥ||

Since here is a very camp of the immortals, it became Amaravati. O fortunate ones, whoever comes here, even by mere chance,

Verse 23 (skanda.5.46.23)

स्नानदानादिकं कृत्वा पश्यत्येव महेश्वरम्। न तेषां दुर्लभं किञ्चित्पुत्रतो धनतोऽपि वा॥

snānadānādikaṁ kṛtvā paśyatyeva maheśvaram| na teṣāṁ durlabhaṁ kiñcitputrato dhanato'pi vā||

and, having performed bathing, giving and the like, beholds Maheshvara — for them nothing remains unattainable, whether through sons or through wealth.

Verse 24 (skanda.5.46.24)

सर्वभोगानवाप्नोति मृतः शिवपुरं व्रजेत्। पठनाच्छ्रवणाद्वापि शतरुद्रियफलं लभेत्॥

sarvabhogānavāpnoti mṛtaḥ śivapuraṁ vrajet| paṭhanācchravaṇādvāpi śatarudriyaphalaṁ labhet||

They obtain every enjoyment, and upon death go to Shiva's city. By reciting or by hearing this tale, one obtains the merit of a hundred recitations of the Shatarudriya.