The Glory of Mahisha-kunda and Rudra's Lake

Verse 1 (skanda.5.9.1)

व्यास उवाच। कथं तन्माहिषं कुण्डं मातॄणामाकृतिः कथम्। रुद्रस्यैव कथं क्षेत्रे महिषो दानवो हतः

vyāsa uvāca| kathaṁ tanmāhiṣaṁ kuṇḍaṁ mātṝṇāmākṛtiḥ katham| rudrasyaiva kathaṁ kṣetre mahiṣo dānavo hataḥ

Vyasa said: How did that pool of Mahisha come to be, how did the Mother-goddesses take their form, and how was the demon Mahisha slain, in the very field of Rudra?

Verse 2 (skanda.5.9.2)

सनत्कुमार उवाच। कपालखंडमादायं महादेवोऽप्यतिप्रभम्। ब्रह्मतेजोमयं दिव्यं ज्वलंतमिव चार्चिषा

sanatkumāra uvāca| kapālakhaṁḍamādāyaṁ mahādevo'pyatiprabham| brahmatejomayaṁ divyaṁ jvalaṁtamiva cārciṣā

Sanatkumara said: Mahadeva, taking up in his hand that exceedingly splendid fragment of the skull, divine, filled with the radiance of Brahma, blazing as though with flame...

Verse 3 (skanda.5.9.3)

क्रीडमानो जगन्नाथो मोहयामास वै सुरान्। निमेषात्स इमं लोकं योगात्मा योगलीलया

krīḍamāno jagannātho mohayāmāsa vai surān| nimeṣātsa imaṁ lokaṁ yogātmā yogalīlayā

...the Lord of the world, sporting, began to bewilder the gods; that soul of yoga, in the twinkling of an eye, through his yogic play, [pervaded] this world.

Verse 4 (skanda.5.9.4)

प्राप्य पुण्यतमं क्षेत्रं यत्रातिष्ठन्महाप्रभुः। तत्रतत्र महद्दिव्यं कपालं देवताधिपः

prāpya puṇyatamaṁ kṣetraṁ yatrātiṣṭhanmahāprabhuḥ| tatratatra mahaddivyaṁ kapālaṁ devatādhipaḥ

Having come to that most sacred field where the great Lord abided, there, in place after place, the Lord of the gods...

Verse 5 (skanda.5.9.5)

स्थापयामास दीप्तार्चिर्गणानामग्रतः प्रभुः। त्वत्स्थापितमथो दृष्ट्वा गताः सर्वे महौजसः

sthāpayāmāsa dīptārcirgaṇānāmagrataḥ prabhuḥ| tvatsthāpitamatho dṛṣṭvā gatāḥ sarve mahaujasaḥ

...set down that great and divine, blazing skull-bowl before his ganas. Seeing it thus set down by you, all those of great splendour...

Verse 6 (skanda.5.9.6)

विनदत्समहानादं नादयंत दिशो दश। क्षोभार्णवाशनिप्रख्यं नभो येन विदीर्यते

vinadatsamahānādaṁ nādayaṁta diśo daśa| kṣobhārṇavāśaniprakhyaṁ nabho yena vidīryate

...roared with a mighty sound, filling all ten directions, so that the sky seemed torn asunder as if by a turbulent ocean and a thunderbolt.

Verse 7 (skanda.5.9.7)

तेन शब्देन घोरेण दानवो देवकंटकः। हालाहल इति ख्यातो देशं तमभिधावितः

tena śabdena ghoreṇa dānavo devakaṁṭakaḥ| hālāhala iti khyāto deśaṁ tamabhidhāvitaḥ

At that terrible sound, the demon who was a thorn to the gods, known by the name Halahala, came rushing toward that place.

Verse 8 (skanda.5.9.8)

अमृष्यमाणः क्रोधार्तो दुरात्मा दुर्जयः सुरैः। ब्रह्मदत्तवरश्चैव माहिषं वपुरास्थितः

amṛṣyamāṇaḥ krodhārto durātmā durjayaḥ suraiḥ| brahmadattavaraścaiva māhiṣaṁ vapurāsthitaḥ

Tormented by rage, unable to bear it, evil-minded, unconquerable by the gods, and having received a boon from Brahma, he had assumed the form of a buffalo.

Verse 9 (skanda.5.9.9)

दैत्यैः परिवृतो घोरै कोटिभिश्चोद्यतायुधैः। तमायांतं तु सक्रोधं महिषं देवकंटकम्

daityaiḥ parivṛto ghorai koṭibhiścodyatāyudhaiḥ| tamāyāṁtaṁ tu sakrodhaṁ mahiṣaṁ devakaṁṭakam

Surrounded by terrible demons in their millions, weapons raised, that Mahisha, thorn of the gods, came on in fury...

Verse 10 (skanda.5.9.10)

समावेक्ष्याह वै देवो गणान्सर्वान्पिनाकधृक्। मायावी गणपा दैत्यस्त्रैलोक्यस्यापि कंटकः

samāvekṣyāha vai devo gaṇānsarvānpinākadhṛk| māyāvī gaṇapā daityastrailokyasyāpi kaṁṭakaḥ

...beholding him, the Pinaka-bearing god said to all his ganas: 'This deceitful demon, foe of the ganas, is a thorn to the three worlds as well.'

Verse 11 (skanda.5.9.11)

आयाति त्वरितो यूयं तस्मादेनं विनिघ्नथ। कपालस्य गतिं सर्व आश्रिता गणनायकाः

āyāti tvarito yūyaṁ tasmādenaṁ vinighnatha| kapālasya gatiṁ sarva āśritā gaṇanāyakāḥ

'He comes swiftly upon us; therefore slay him.' Taking their stand upon the course set by the skull, all the leaders of the ganas...

Verse 12 (skanda.5.9.12)

ततो देवगणा दृष्ट्वा तमायांतं महासुरम्। गर्जमानं महानादं भ्रममाणं महाभुजम्

tato devagaṇā dṛṣṭvā tamāyāṁtaṁ mahāsuram| garjamānaṁ mahānādaṁ bhramamāṇaṁ mahābhujam

Then the hosts of gods beheld that great demon advancing, roaring with a mighty sound, wheeling about with his massive arms.

Verse 13 (skanda.5.9.13)

बिभिदुः शलसंघातैरसिभि र्मुसलैस्तथा। संमुह्य शरजालेन ततो भूमौ न्यपातयन्

bibhiduḥ śalasaṁghātairasibhi rmusalaistathā| saṁmuhya śarajālena tato bhūmau nyapātayan

They pierced him with volleys of tridents, with swords and clubs alike; and, overwhelming him with a net of arrows, they brought him down to the earth.

Verse 14 (skanda.5.9.14)

हते तस्मिन्महादेवो देवान्प्रोवाच वै तदा। अहो दर्पातिमूढः स दर्पेण निधनं गतः

hate tasminmahādevo devānprovāca vai tadā| aho darpātimūḍhaḥ sa darpeṇa nidhanaṁ gataḥ

When he had been slain, Mahadeva then said to the gods: 'How strange—utterly deluded by pride, he met his death through that very pride.'

Verse 15 (skanda.5.9.15)

एतस्मिन्नंतरे व्यास तत्कपालात्सुभैरवाः। दीप्तास्या मातरः सर्वाः प्रचंडास्त्रा महाबलाः

etasminnaṁtare vyāsa tatkapālātsubhairavāḥ| dīptāsyā mātaraḥ sarvāḥ pracaṁḍāstrā mahābalāḥ

Meanwhile, O Vyasa, from that skull-bowl there sprang forth all the Mother-goddesses, most terrible, their faces ablaze, wielding fierce weapons, of great strength...

Verse 16 (skanda.5.9.16)

अभ्यधावंस्तमुद्देशं महादेवं निवेद्य वै। दैत्यं ता भक्षयंति स्म भित्त्वा भित्त्वा महाबलाः

abhyadhāvaṁstamuddeśaṁ mahādevaṁ nivedya vai| daityaṁ tā bhakṣayaṁti sma bhittvā bhittvā mahābalāḥ

...they rushed toward that place, and, having reported to Mahadeva, those mighty Mothers began to devour the demon, tearing him apart again and again.

Verse 17 (skanda.5.9.17)

कपालमातरस्तस्मात्ख्याताः क्षेत्रे महाबलाः। महाकपालस्तस्माद्वै तादृशः परिकीर्तितः

kapālamātarastasmātkhyātāḥ kṣetre mahābalāḥ| mahākapālastasmādvai tādṛśaḥ parikīrtitaḥ

For this reason they became renowned in the sacred field as the Kapala-Mothers, mighty of strength; and for the same reason that skull came to be proclaimed as Mahakapala, the great skull.

Verse 18 (skanda.5.9.18)

स्थापितस्य कपालस्य भित्त्वा समभवत्पुरा। ख्यातं शिवतडागं च सर्वपापप्रणाशनम्

sthāpitasya kapālasya bhittvā samabhavatpurā| khyātaṁ śivataḍāgaṁ ca sarvapāpapraṇāśanam

From the shattering of that established skull there arose, in ancient times, that lake renowned as Shivatadaga, the destroyer of every sin.

Verse 19 (skanda.5.9.19)

तदद्यापि महद्दिव्यं सरस्तत्र प्रकाशते। त्रिषु लोकेषु विख्यातं गणगंधर्वसेवितम्

tadadyāpi mahaddivyaṁ sarastatra prakāśate| triṣu lokeṣu vikhyātaṁ gaṇagaṁdharvasevitam

That great and divine lake shines forth there even today; renowned in all three worlds, and frequented by the ganas and gandharvas.

Verse 20 (skanda.5.9.20)

पात्रस्थमुद्धुतं वापि शीतोष्णं क्वथितं जलम्। रौद्रं सरः पुनातीहाश्वमेधावभृथो यथा

pātrasthamuddhutaṁ vāpi śītoṣṇaṁ kvathitaṁ jalam| raudraṁ saraḥ punātīhāśvamedhāvabhṛtho yathā

Whether held in a vessel or drawn up, cold or hot or even boiled, that fierce lake's water purifies here in this world just as the ablution-bath of the Ashvamedha does.

Verse 21 (skanda.5.9.21)

प्रागाद्ब्रह्मापि तं देशं देवतानां शतैर्वृतः। स्वर्गलोकस्य निःश्रेणी कीर्तिता ब्रह्मणा स्वयम्

prāgādbrahmāpi taṁ deśaṁ devatānāṁ śatairvṛtaḥ| svargalokasya niḥśreṇī kīrtitā brahmaṇā svayam

Brahma too, surrounded by hundreds of deities, went to that place; and Brahma himself proclaimed it the very ladder to the world of heaven.

Verse 22 (skanda.5.9.22)

अत्र त्यजंति ये प्राणान्रुद्रलोकं व्रजंति ते। धन्या व्यास नरा मर्त्ये महाकालवने स्थिताः

atra tyajaṁti ye prāṇānrudralokaṁ vrajaṁti te| dhanyā vyāsa narā martye mahākālavane sthitāḥ

Those who give up their lives here go to the world of Rudra; blessed indeed, O Vyasa, are those men in the mortal world who dwell in Mahakalavana.

Verse 23 (skanda.5.9.23)

रौद्रे सरसि ये स्नांति जलं वापि पिबंति ये। स्वधर्माचारनिरताः पश्यंतीशानमीश्वरम्

raudre sarasi ye snāṁti jalaṁ vāpi pibaṁti ye| svadharmācāraniratāḥ paśyaṁtīśānamīśvaram

Those who bathe in that fierce lake, or who drink its waters, devoted to the conduct of their own duty, behold the Lord Ishana.

Verse 24 (skanda.5.9.24)

इति स्वर्गगता देवाः स्पृहां कुर्वंति नित्यशः

iti svargagatā devāḥ spṛhāṁ kurvaṁti nityaśaḥ

Thus even the gods dwelling in heaven ever long for this.

Verse 25 (skanda.5.9.25)

इदं शुभं दिव्यमधर्मनाशनं महाकपालं सुरदैत्यपूजितम्। महाप्रभं पापहरं सनातनं सुरेशलोकादपि दुर्लभं सदा

idaṁ śubhaṁ divyamadharmanāśanaṁ mahākapālaṁ suradaityapūjitam| mahāprabhaṁ pāpaharaṁ sanātanaṁ sureśalokādapi durlabhaṁ sadā

This auspicious, divine Mahakapala, destroyer of unrighteousness, is worshipped by gods and demons alike; of great splendour, remover of sin, eternal, and ever harder to attain than even the world of the lord of gods.

Verse 26 (skanda.5.9.26)

तपोरतैः सिद्धगणैरभिष्टुतं यथा नभःस्थं दिननाथमंडलम्। य एकचित्तः शृणुयात्प्रसादतस्त्रिविष्टपं गच्छति सोऽभिनंदितः

taporataiḥ siddhagaṇairabhiṣṭutaṁ yathā nabhaḥsthaṁ dinanāthamaṁḍalam| ya ekacittaḥ śṛṇuyātprasādatastriviṣṭapaṁ gacchati so'bhinaṁditaḥ

Just as the orb of the sun in the sky is praised by hosts of Siddhas devoted to austerity, so too is this praised; and whoever, single-minded, listens to it out of grace, goes, honoured, to the highest heaven.