The Glory of Ajogandheshwara at Pushkara

Verse 1 (skanda.7.294.1)

ईश्वर उवाच। ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि कौबेरात्पूर्वसंस्थितम्। गव्यूतिपंचके देवि पुष्करंनाम नामतः। यत्र सिद्धो महादेवि कैवर्तो मत्स्यघातकः

īśvara uvāca| tato gacchenmahādevi kauberātpūrvasaṁsthitam| gavyūtipaṁcake devi puṣkaraṁnāma nāmataḥ| yatra siddho mahādevi kaivarto matsyaghātakaḥ

Ishvara said: Then go, O great Goddess, to the place situated east of Kaubera, at a distance of five gavyutis, named Pushkara, where a fisherman, a slayer of fish, attained perfection.

Verse 2 (skanda.7.294.2)

देव्युवाच। सविस्तरं मम ब्रूहि कथं स सिद्धिमाप वै। कथयस्व प्रसादेन देवदेव महेश्वर

devyuvāca| savistaraṁ mama brūhi kathaṁ sa siddhimāpa vai| kathayasva prasādena devadeva maheśvara

The Goddess said: Tell me in detail how he attained that perfection; explain it to me by your grace, O God of gods, Maheshvara.

Verse 3 (skanda.7.294.3)

ईश्वर उवाच। शृणु त्वं यत्पुरावृत्तं देवि स्वारोचिषेंतरे। आसीत्कश्चिद्दुराचारः कैवर्तो मत्स्यघातकः

īśvara uvāca| śṛṇu tvaṁ yatpurāvṛttaṁ devi svārociṣeṁtare| āsītkaściddurācāraḥ kaivarto matsyaghātakaḥ

Ishvara said: Listen, O Goddess, to what happened long ago in the Svarochisha era: there was a certain wicked fisherman, a slayer of fish.

Verse 4 (skanda.7.294.4)

स कदाचिच्चरन्पापः पुष्करे तु जगाम वै। ददर्श शांकरं वेश्म लतापादपसंकुलम्

sa kadāciccaranpāpaḥ puṣkare tu jagāma vai| dadarśa śāṁkaraṁ veśma latāpādapasaṁkulam

That sinner, once wandering about, went to Pushkara; he saw a temple of Shankara, overgrown with creepers and trees.

Verse 5 (skanda.7.294.5)

स माघमासे शीतार्त्तः क्लिन्नजालसमन्वितः। प्रासादमारुरोहार्त्तः सूर्यतापजिघृक्षया

sa māghamāse śītārttaḥ klinnajālasamanvitaḥ| prāsādamārurohārttaḥ sūryatāpajighṛkṣayā

In the month of Magha, tormented by cold, burdened with his wet net, distressed, he climbed onto the temple's spire, wishing to catch the sun's warmth.

Verse 6 (skanda.7.294.6)

ततः स क्लिन्नजालं तच्छोषणाय रवेः करैः। प्रासादध्वजदंडाग्रे संप्रसारितवांस्तदा

tataḥ sa klinnajālaṁ tacchoṣaṇāya raveḥ karaiḥ| prāsādadhvajadaṁḍāgre saṁprasāritavāṁstadā

Then, to dry that wet net in the sun's rays, he spread it out on the tip of the temple's flagstaff.

Verse 7 (skanda.7.294.7)

ततः प्रासादतो देवि जाड्यात्संपतितः क्रमात्। स मृतः सहसा देवि तस्मिन्क्षेत्रे शिवस्य च

tataḥ prāsādato devi jāḍyātsaṁpatitaḥ kramāt| sa mṛtaḥ sahasā devi tasminkṣetre śivasya ca

Then, O Goddess, through numbness he gradually fell from the temple, and died suddenly there in that very field of Shiva.

Verse 8 (skanda.7.294.8)

जालं तस्य प्रभूतेन जीर्णकालेन यत्तदा। ध्वजा बद्धा यतो जालैः प्रासादे सा शुभेऽभवत्

jālaṁ tasya prabhūtena jīrṇakālena yattadā| dhvajā baddhā yato jālaiḥ prāsāde sā śubhe'bhavat

His net, which had grown worn with the passage of much time, was thereafter fashioned into a banner that was auspiciously tied upon the temple.

Verse 9 (skanda.7.294.9)

ततोऽसौ ध्वजमाहात्म्याज्जातोऽवन्यां नराधिपः। ऋतध्वजेति विख्यातः सौराष्ट्रविषये सुधीः। स हि स्फूर्जद्ध्वजाग्रेण रथेन पर्यटन्महीम्

tato'sau dhvajamāhātmyājjāto'vanyāṁ narādhipaḥ| ṛtadhvajeti vikhyātaḥ saurāṣṭraviṣaye sudhīḥ| sa hi sphūrjaddhvajāgreṇa rathena paryaṭanmahīm

Then, by the glory of that banner, he was born on earth as a king in the Saurashtra country, renowned by the name Ritadhvaja, wise; he indeed traveled the earth in a chariot with a flashing banner-tip,

Verse 10 (skanda.7.294.10)

कामभोगाभिभूतात्मा राज्यं चक्रे प्रतापवान्। ततोऽसौ भवने शंभोर्ददौ शोभासमन्विताम्। ध्वजां शुभ्रां विचित्रां च नान्यत्किंचिदपि प्रभुः

kāmabhogābhibhūtātmā rājyaṁ cakre pratāpavān| tato'sau bhavane śaṁbhordadau śobhāsamanvitām| dhvajāṁ śubhrāṁ vicitrāṁ ca nānyatkiṁcidapi prabhuḥ

His soul overcome by sensual enjoyments, that mighty king ruled his realm; then he offered, in the abode of Shambhu, a banner adorned with beauty—white and wondrous—and nothing else at all, that lord.

Verse 11 (skanda.7.294.11)

ततो जातिस्मरो राजा प्रभासक्षेत्रमागतः। तत्रायतनं ध्वजाजालसमन्वितम्

tato jātismaro rājā prabhāsakṣetramāgataḥ| tatrāyatanaṁ dhvajājālasamanvitam

Then that king, remembering his former birth, came to the field of Prabhasa; there he found a shrine hung with a net-like, worn banner—

Verse 12 (skanda.7.294.12)

अजोगन्धस्य देवस्य पूर्वमाराधितस्य च। प्रासादं कारयामास शिवोपकरणानि च

ajogandhasya devasya pūrvamārādhitasya ca| prāsādaṁ kārayāmāsa śivopakaraṇāni ca

of the god Ajogandha, who had been worshipped there in former times; he had a temple built there, and also provided the implements for Shiva's worship.

Verse 13 (skanda.7.294.13)

नित्यं पूजयते भक्त्या तल्लिंगं पापनाशनम्। दशवर्षसहस्राणि राज्यं चक्रे महामनाः

nityaṁ pūjayate bhaktyā talliṁgaṁ pāpanāśanam| daśavarṣasahasrāṇi rājyaṁ cakre mahāmanāḥ

He ever worshipped that sin-destroying linga with devotion; for ten thousand years that great-souled one ruled his kingdom.

Verse 14 (skanda.7.294.14)

तल्लिंगस्य प्रभावेन ततः कालाद्दिवं गतः। तस्मात्तत्र प्रयत्नेन गत्वा लिंगं प्रपूजयेत्

talliṁgasya prabhāvena tataḥ kālāddivaṁ gataḥ| tasmāttatra prayatnena gatvā liṁgaṁ prapūjayet

By the power of that linga he thereafter, in time, went to heaven; therefore one should go there with effort and duly worship that linga.

Verse 15 (skanda.7.294.15)

स्नात्वा पश्चिमतः कुण्डे पुष्करे पापतस्करे। यत्र ब्रह्माऽयजत्पूर्वं यज्ञैर्विपुलदक्षिणैः

snātvā paścimataḥ kuṇḍe puṣkare pāpataskare| yatra brahmā'yajatpūrvaṁ yajñairvipuladakṣiṇaiḥ

Having bathed in the western tank at Pushkara, which steals away sins, where Brahma formerly performed sacrifices with abundant fees—

Verse 16 (skanda.7.294.16)

समाहूय च तीर्थानि पुष्करात्तत्र भामिनि। तस्मिन्कुण्डे तु विन्यस्य अजोगन्ध समीपतः। प्रतिष्ठाप्य महालिंगमजोगन्धेति नामतः

samāhūya ca tīrthāni puṣkarāttatra bhāmini| tasminkuṇḍe tu vinyasya ajogandha samīpataḥ| pratiṣṭhāpya mahāliṁgamajogandheti nāmataḥ

having summoned there, O lovely one, the tirthas from Pushkara, and placed them in that tank near Ajogandha, one should establish the great linga named Ajogandha.

Verse 17 (skanda.7.294.17)

त्रिपुष्करे महादेवि कुण्डे पातकनाशने। सौवर्णं कमलं तत्र दद्याद्ब्राह्मणपुंगवे

tripuṣkare mahādevi kuṇḍe pātakanāśane| sauvarṇaṁ kamalaṁ tatra dadyādbrāhmaṇapuṁgave

O great Goddess, at the sin-destroying tank of Tripushkara, one should there give a golden lotus to an excellent brahmin.

Verse 18 (skanda.7.294.18)

देवं संपूज्य विधिवद्गन्धपुष्पाक्षतादिभिः। मुच्यते पातकैः सर्वैः सप्तजन्मार्जितैरपि

devaṁ saṁpūjya vidhivadgandhapuṣpākṣatādibhiḥ| mucyate pātakaiḥ sarvaiḥ saptajanmārjitairapi

Having duly worshipped that god with sandal-paste, flowers, unbroken rice and the rest, one is freed from all sins, even those accumulated over seven births.