The Glory of Maha-Prabhasa (the Fifth Prabhasa)

Verse 1 (skanda.7.198.1)

ईश्वर उवाच। ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि महाप्रभासमुत्तमम्। जलप्रभासतो याम्ये यममार्गविघातकम्

īśvara uvāca| tato gacchenmahādevi mahāprabhāsamuttamam| jalaprabhāsato yāmye yamamārgavighātakam

Ishvara said: Then, O great Goddess, one should go to that supreme Maha-Prabhasa, situated to the south of Jala-Prabhasa, which obstructs the path to Yama's realm.

Verse 2 (skanda.7.198.2)

शृणु तस्यैव माहात्म्यं यथा जातं धरातले

śṛṇu tasyaiva māhātmyaṁ yathā jātaṁ dharātale

Hear its glory, how it came to be upon the earth.

Verse 3 (skanda.7.198.3)

पूर्वं त्रेतायुगे देवि स्पर्शलिंगं तु तत्स्मृतम्। दिव्यं तेजोमयं नृणां स्पर्शनान्मुक्तिदायकम्

pūrvaṁ tretāyuge devi sparśaliṅgaṁ tu tatsmṛtam| divyaṁ tejomayaṁ nṛṇāṁ sparśanānmuktidāyakam

Long ago, in the Treta Yuga, O Goddess, it was known as the 'Touch-Linga' — divine, radiant, bestowing liberation on men by mere touch.

Verse 4 (skanda.7.198.4)

अथ काले च कस्मिंश्चिद्वज्रिणाच्छादितं प्रिये। इन्द्रेणागत्य वसुधां भयाक्रांतेन सुन्दरि

atha kāle ca kasmiṁścidvajriṇācchāditaṁ priye| indreṇāgatya vasudhāṁ bhayākrāṁtena sundari

Then, at a certain time, O beloved, the thunderbolt-wielder Indra, gripped by fear, came down to the earth, O lovely one, and covered it over.

Verse 5 (skanda.7.198.5)

उष्मा तदुद्भवो देवि निर्गच्छन्नवरोधितः। दशकोटिप्रविस्तीर्णं ज्वालाग्रं लिंगरूपधृक्

uṣmā tadudbhavo devi nirgacchannavarodhitaḥ| daśakoṭipravistīrṇaṁ jvālāgraṁ liṅgarūpadhṛk

O Goddess, the heat that arose from it, being obstructed, began forcing its way out — a blazing tip spread across ten crores of leagues, taking the form of a linga.

Verse 6 (skanda.7.198.6)

प्रभासक्षेत्रमास्थाय भित्त्वाऽऽविर्भावमास्थितम्। वज्रेण रुंधिते देवि भित्त्वा चैव वसुंधराम्

prabhāsakṣetramāsthāya bhittvāvirbhāvamāsthitam| vajreṇa ruṁdhite devi bhittvā caiva vasuṁdharām

Taking its stand in the field of Prabhasa, it manifested itself by splitting the earth; O Goddess, even though blocked by the thunderbolt, it split the earth open all the same.

Verse 7 (skanda.7.198.7)

धूमसंघैः समेतं तु व्यापयामास तज्जगत्। ततस्त्रैलोक्यमखिलं ज्वालाभिर्व्याकुलीकृतम्

dhūmasaṁghaiḥ sametaṁ tu vyāpayāmāsa tajjagat| tatastrailokyamakhilaṁ jvālābhirvyākulīkṛtam

Wreathed in billows of smoke, it spread throughout the world; then the entire triple world was thrown into turmoil by those flames.

Verse 8 (skanda.7.198.8)

ततः सुरगणाः सर्व ऋषयो वेदपारगाः। अस्तुवन्विविधैः सूक्तैर्वेदोक्तैः शशिशेखरम्

tataḥ suragaṇāḥ sarva ṛṣayo vedapāragāḥ| astuvanvividhaiḥ sūktairvedoktaiḥ śaśiśekharam

Then all the hosts of gods and the sages versed in the Vedas began to praise the Moon-crested Lord with various Vedic hymns.

Verse 9 (skanda.7.198.9)

संहरस्व सुरश्रेष्ठ तेजः स्वदहनात्मकम्। त्रैलोक्यं व्याकुलीभूतमेवं सर्वं चराचरम्। न यावत्प्रलयं याति तावद्रक्ष सुरेश्वर

saṁharasva suraśreṣṭha tejaḥ svadahanātmakam| trailokyaṁ vyākulībhūtamevaṁ sarvaṁ carācaram| na yāvatpralayaṁ yāti tāvadrakṣa sureśvara

O best of gods, withdraw this burning radiance of yours; thus the entire triple world, with all its moving and unmoving beings, has been thrown into distress. O lord of gods, protect it before it comes to total destruction.

Verse 10 (skanda.7.198.10)

ईश्वर उवाच। एवमाभाषमाणेषु त्रिदिवेषु सुरेश्वरि। तत्तेजः पञ्चधाविष्टं व्याप्याशेषं जगत्त्रयम्

īśvara uvāca| evamābhāṣamāṇeṣu tridiveṣu sureśvari| tattejaḥ pañcadhāviṣṭaṁ vyāpyāśeṣaṁ jagattrayam

Ishvara said: While the celestials in heaven were thus pleading, O queen of the gods, that radiance, having pervaded the entire threefold world, divided itself fivefold.

Verse 11 (skanda.7.198.11)

पञ्चप्रभासरूपेण भित्त्वा तत्र वसुन्धराम्। येन मार्गेण निष्क्रान्तं तन्मार्गे च महन्महः

pañcaprabhāsarūpeṇa bhittvā tatra vasundharām| yena mārgeṇa niṣkrāntaṁ tanmārge ca mahanmahaḥ

In the form of five Prabhasas it split open the earth there; and along the very path by which that great radiance came forth, it remained established.

Verse 12 (skanda.7.198.12)

तत्र तैः स्थापितं द्वारं सुप्रदेशेऽश्मजं प्रिये। पिहितेऽथ च रंध्रेऽस्मिन्धूमो नाशमुपेयिवान्

tatra taiḥ sthāpitaṁ dvāraṁ supradeśe'śmajaṁ priye| pihite'tha ca raṁdhre'smindhūmo nāśamupeyivān

There, O beloved, they set up a stone doorway in that excellent spot; and when this aperture was closed, the smoke too came to nothing.

Verse 13 (skanda.7.198.13)

स्वस्थाश्चैवाभवँल्लोकास्तेजस्तत्रैव संस्थितम्। एवं मया प्रेरितास्ते लिंगं तत्र समादधुः

svasthāścaivābhavaṁllokāstejastatraiva saṁsthitam| evaṁ mayā preritāste liṅgaṁ tatra samādadhuḥ

Thus the worlds became tranquil once more, and that radiance came to rest right there; and so, at my prompting, they established the linga in that place.

Verse 14 (skanda.7.198.14)

तन्महस्तत्र देवेशि विश्राममकरोत्तदा। ततो महाप्रभासेति कीर्त्यते देवदानवैः

tanmahastatra deveśi viśrāmamakarottadā| tato mahāprabhāseti kīrtyate devadānavaiḥ

O queen of gods, that great splendor then took its rest there; hence it is proclaimed as Maha-Prabhasa by gods and demons alike.

Verse 15 (skanda.7.198.15)

यस्तं पूजयते भक्त्या लिंगं पुष्पैः पृथग्विधैः। स याति परमं स्थानं जरामरणवर्जितम्

yastaṁ pūjayate bhaktyā liṅgaṁ puṣpaiḥ pṛthagvidhaiḥ| sa yāti paramaṁ sthānaṁ jarāmaraṇavarjitam

Whoever worships that linga with devotion using flowers of various kinds attains the supreme abode, free from old age and death.

Verse 16 (skanda.7.198.16)

दृष्टेन तेन देवेशि मुच्यते पातकैर्नरः। लभते वाञ्छितान्कामान्मनसा चेप्सितान्प्रिये

dṛṣṭena tena deveśi mucyate pātakairnaraḥ| labhate vāñchitānkāmānmanasā cepsitānpriye

O queen of gods, by merely beholding it, a man is freed from sins; O beloved, he obtains all the desires cherished in his mind.

Verse 17 (skanda.7.198.17)

हिरण्यं तत्र दातव्यं ब्राह्मणे शंसितव्रते। गोदानं विधिवत्तत्र देयं चैव द्विजन्मने

hiraṇyaṁ tatra dātavyaṁ brāhmaṇe śaṁsitavrate| godānaṁ vidhivattatra deyaṁ caiva dvijanmane

There one should give gold to a Brahmin of firm vows, and duly give the gift of a cow as well to the twice-born.

Verse 18 (skanda.7.198.18)

एवं कृत्वा महादेवि लभते जन्मनः फलम्। राजसूयाश्वमेधानां प्राप्नुयात्फलमूर्जितम्

evaṁ kṛtvā mahādevi labhate janmanaḥ phalam| rājasūyāśvamedhānāṁ prāpnuyātphalamūrjitam

By doing so, O great Goddess, one obtains the fruit of his birth, and attains the potent fruit of the Rajasuya and Ashvamedha sacrifices.