The Glory of Shanda Tirtha

Verse 1 (skanda.7.273.1)

ईश्वर उवाच। ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि शंडतीर्थमनुत्तमम्। सर्वपापोपशमनं सर्वकामफलप्रदम्

īśvara uvāca| tato gacchenmahādevi śaṁḍatīrthamanuttamam| sarvapāpopaśamanaṁ sarvakāmaphalapradam

Ishvara said: Then, O great Goddess, one should go to the unsurpassed Shanda-tirtha, which pacifies all sins and grants the fruit of every desire.

Verse 2 (skanda.7.273.2)

तस्योत्पत्तिं प्रवक्ष्यामि शृणुष्वैकमनाः प्रिये। पुरा पंचशिरा आसीद्ब्रह्मा लोकपितामहः

tasyotpattiṁ pravakṣyāmi śṛṇuṣvaikamanāḥ priye| purā paṁcaśirā āsīdbrahmā lokapitāmahaḥ

I shall now relate its origin; listen, beloved, with a focused mind. Long ago Brahma, grandfather of all the worlds, had five heads.

Verse 3 (skanda.7.273.3)

शिरस्तस्य मया छिन्नं कस्मिंश्चित्कारणांतरे। तत्र गंधवती जाता ब्रह्मणः सा च शोणितैः

śirastasya mayā chinnaṁ kasmiṁścitkāraṇāṁtare| tatra gaṁdhavatī jātā brahmaṇaḥ sā ca śoṇitaiḥ

For a certain reason I severed one of his heads. There, from Brahma's blood, a river named Gandhavati was born.

Verse 4 (skanda.7.273.4)

तत्रोद्गता महातालास्तेन तालवनं स्मृतम्। अथ करतले लग्नं कपालं ब्रह्मणो मम

tatrodgatā mahātālāstena tālavanaṁ smṛtam| atha karatale lagnaṁ kapālaṁ brahmaṇo mama

Great palm trees sprang up there, and for that reason the place came to be known as Talavana. Then Brahma's skull became stuck fast to my palm.

Verse 5 (skanda.7.273.5)

शरीरं कृष्णतां यातं मम चैव वृषस्य च। अथ तीर्थान्यनेकानि गतोहं पापशंकया

śarīraṁ kṛṣṇatāṁ yātaṁ mama caiva vṛṣasya ca| atha tīrthānyanekāni gatohaṁ pāpaśaṁkayā

My own body, and that of my bull, turned black. Then, in fear of that killing, I wandered to many sacred fords.

Verse 6 (skanda.7.273.6)

न क्वचिद्व्रजते पापं ततः प्रभासमागतः। क्षेत्रे तत्र मया दृष्टा प्राची देवी सरस्वती

na kvacidvrajate pāpaṁ tataḥ prabhāsamāgataḥ| kṣetre tatra mayā dṛṣṭā prācī devī sarasvatī

Nowhere did the sin depart. At last I came to Prabhasa, and there, in that sacred field, I beheld the goddess Sarasvati flowing eastward as Prachi.

Verse 7 (skanda.7.273.7)

तत्र मे वृषभः स्नातुं प्रविष्टो जलमध्यतः। तत्क्षणाच्छ्वेतता प्राप्तो मुक्तोहमपि हत्यया

tatra me vṛṣabhaḥ snātuṁ praviṣṭo jalamadhyataḥ| tatkṣaṇācchvetatā prāpto muktohamapi hatyayā

There my bull went into the water to bathe and that very instant turned white; I too was released from that sin of slaying.

Verse 8 (skanda.7.273.8)

करमध्ये च मे लग्नं कपालं पतितं तदा। कपालमोचनश्चासौ लिंगरूपी स्थितोऽभवत्

karamadhye ca me lagnaṁ kapālaṁ patitaṁ tadā| kapālamocanaścāsau liṁgarūpī sthito'bhavat

And at that same moment the skull clinging to my hand fell away. That place became established there in the form of a linga, known as Kapalamochana.

Verse 9 (skanda.7.273.9)

तत्रापि यो ददेच्छ्राद्धं प्राचीदेव्यास्तु संनिधौ। मातृकं पैतृकं चैव तृप्तं कुलशतं तथा

tatrāpi yo dadecchrāddhaṁ prācīdevyāstu saṁnidhau| mātṛkaṁ paitṛkaṁ caiva tṛptaṁ kulaśataṁ tathā

Whoever performs shraddha there too, in the presence of the goddess Prachi, satisfies a hundred lineages of both the maternal and paternal sides.

Verse 10 (skanda.7.273.10)

भवेच्च तस्य तृप्तिस्तु यावत्कल्पास्तु सप्ततिः। मास आश्वयुजे देवि कृष्णपक्षे चतुर्दशी। तत्र दद्यात्तु यः श्राद्धं दक्षिणामूर्तिमाश्रितः

bhavecca tasya tṛptistu yāvatkalpāstu saptatiḥ| māsa āśvayuje devi kṛṣṇapakṣe caturdaśī| tatra dadyāttu yaḥ śrāddhaṁ dakṣiṇāmūrtimāśritaḥ

That satisfaction of his lasts for as long as seventy kalpas. O Goddess, whoever, on the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight of the month of Ashvina, performs shraddha there resorting to the form of Dakshinamurti —

Verse 11 (skanda.7.273.11)

यथावित्तोपचारेण सुपात्रे च यथाविधि। यावद्युगसहस्रं तु तृप्ताः स्युस्ते पितामहाः

yathāvittopacāreṇa supātre ca yathāvidhi| yāvadyugasahasraṁ tu tṛptāḥ syuste pitāmahāḥ

— offering due rites according to his means, giving to a worthy recipient in accordance with the rule, then his forefathers remain satisfied for a thousand yugas.

Verse 12 (skanda.7.273.12)

अन्नसुवर्णदानं च दधिकंबलमेव च। तत्र देयं विधानेन सर्वपापोपशुद्धये

annasuvarṇadānaṁ ca dadhikaṁbalameva ca| tatra deyaṁ vidhānena sarvapāpopaśuddhaye

Gifts of food and gold, and likewise of curd and a woolen blanket, should be given there according to rule, for the cleansing of all sins.

Verse 13 (skanda.7.273.13)

कृष्णरूपी वृषो देवि यदा श्वेतत्वमागतः। शंडतीर्थमितिख्यातं तेन त्रैलोक्यपूजितम्

kṛṣṇarūpī vṛṣo devi yadā śvetatvamāgataḥ| śaṁḍatīrthamitikhyātaṁ tena trailokyapūjitam

O Goddess, since that black bull turned white there, it became renowned as Shanda-tirtha, and for that reason it is worshipped throughout the three worlds.