The Glory of Worshipping the Lord at the Gomati-bank Field

Verse 1 (skanda.7.468.1)

श्रीप्रह्लाद उवाच। शिवलिङ्गमलंघ्यं हि बुद्धिपूर्वं हतो ह्यहम्। उवाच कृष्णं दनुजश्छलितोऽहं त्वयाऽनघ

śrīprahlāda uvāca| śivaliṅgamalaṅghyaṁ hi buddhipūrvaṁ hato hyaham| uvāca kṛṣṇaṁ danujaśchalito'haṁ tvayā'nagha

Shri Prahlada said: 'A Shivalinga cannot be transgressed — I have indeed been slain deliberately, by design.' That demon said to Krishna: 'O sinless one, you have deceived me.'

Verse 2 (skanda.7.468.2)

श्रीविष्णुरुवाच। परितुष्टोऽस्मि ते दैत्य शौर्येण शिवसंश्रयात्। वरं वरय भद्रं ते यदिच्छसि महामते

śrīviṣṇuruvāca| parituṣṭo'smi te daitya śauryeṇa śivasaṁśrayāt| varaṁ varaya bhadraṁ te yadicchasi mahāmate

Shri Vishnu said: O demon, I am well pleased with your valour, and with your taking refuge in Shiva. Blessings upon you, O wise one — ask for whatever boon you desire.

Verse 3 (skanda.7.468.3)

कुश उवाच। यथा पूज्यो महादेवो मम त्वं च तथा हरे। एक एव द्विधामूर्तिस्तस्मात्त्वां वरयाम्यहम्

kuśa uvāca| yathā pūjyo mahādevo mama tvaṁ ca tathā hare| eka eva dvidhāmūrtistasmāttvāṁ varayāmyaham

Kusha said: As Mahadeva is worthy of my worship, so are you too, O Hari. You two are but a single reality in two forms; therefore it is you I choose as my boon.

Verse 4 (skanda.7.468.4)

शिवलिंगं त्वया नाथ स्थापितं यन्ममोपरि। मम नाम्ना भवतु च कुशेश्वर इति स्मृतम्

śivaliṅgaṁ tvayā nātha sthāpitaṁ yanmamopari| mama nāmnā bhavatu ca kuśeśvara iti smṛtam

O Lord, that Shivalinga which you have established over me — may it be known and remembered by my own name, as Kusheshvara.

Verse 5 (skanda.7.468.5)

अनुग्राह्यो यद्यहं ते मम कीर्तिर्भवत्वियम्। एवं भविष्यतीत्युक्तस्तत्रैवावस्थितोऽसुरः

anugrāhyo yadyahaṁ te mama kīrtirbhavatviyam| evaṁ bhaviṣyatītyuktastatraivāvasthito'suraḥ

'If I am worthy of your grace, let this be my glory.' Told, 'So shall it be,' that asura remained established right there.

Verse 6 (skanda.7.468.6)

ततोऽन्यदानवान्सर्वान्प्रेषयामास माधवः। रसातलगताः केचित्केचिद्विष्णुं समागताः

tato'nyadānavānsarvānpreṣayāmāsa mādhavaḥ| rasātalagatāḥ kecitkecidviṣṇuṁ samāgatāḥ

Then Madhava sent forth all the other demons. Some of them went down to the netherworld, and some came to take refuge in Vishnu.

Verse 7 (skanda.7.468.7)

अनंतः संस्थितस्तत्र विष्णुश्च तदनंतरम्। ज्ञात्वा विमुक्तिदं तीर्थं दुर्वासा मुनिपुंगवः

anaṁtaḥ saṁsthitastatra viṣṇuśca tadanaṁtaram| jñātvā vimuktidaṁ tīrthaṁ durvāsā munipuṁgavaḥ

Ananta remained established there, and thereafter Vishnu too. Knowing this tirtha to be a bestower of liberation, the foremost of sages, Durvasas, also settled there.

Verse 8 (skanda.7.468.8)

गोमत्यां चक्रतीर्थे च भगवांश्च त्रिविक्रमः। तेन तन्मुक्तिदं मत्वा दुर्वासास्तत्र संस्थितः

gomatyāṁ cakratīrthe ca bhagavāṁśca trivikramaḥ| tena tanmuktidaṁ matvā durvāsāstatra saṁsthitaḥ

At the Chakra Tirtha on the Gomati, the Lord Trivikrama too took his place. Regarding it as a bestower of liberation, Durvasas settled there.

Verse 9 (skanda.7.468.9)

एवं त्रिविक्रमः स्वामी तदाप्रभृति संस्थितः। कलौ पुनः कलान्यासात्कृष्णत्वमगमत्प्रभुः

evaṁ trivikramaḥ svāmī tadāprabhṛti saṁsthitaḥ| kalau punaḥ kalānyāsātkṛṣṇatvamagamatprabhuḥ

Thus the Lord Trivikrama has remained established there ever since. In the Kali age, once again, through the investiture of divine portions, the Lord attained the state of Krishna.

Verse 10 (skanda.7.468.10)

प्रह्लाद उवाच। पूजाविधिं हरेर्विप्राः शृणुध्वं सुसमाहिताः। विशेषात्फलदः प्रोक्तः पूजितो मधुमाधवे

prahlāda uvāca| pūjāvidhiṁ harerviprāḥ śṛṇudhvaṁ susamāhitāḥ| viśeṣātphaladaḥ proktaḥ pūjito madhumādhave

Prahlada said: O brahmins, listen with focused minds to the mode of worshipping Hari. He is said to be especially fruitful to worship at Madhumadhava.

Verse 11 (skanda.7.468.11)

मधुसूदनीं नरो यस्तु द्वारवत्यां करोति च। पूजयेत्कृष्णदेवं च स्नापयित्वा विलिप्य च

madhusūdanīṁ naro yastu dvāravatyāṁ karoti ca| pūjayetkṛṣṇadevaṁ ca snāpayitvā vilipya ca

The man who performs the Madhusudani rite at Dvaravati should worship the god Krishna, bathing and anointing the image,

Verse 12 (skanda.7.468.12)

गन्धैश्च वाससाऽऽच्छाद्य धूपैर्दीपैरनेकधा। नैवेद्यैर्भूषणैश्चैव तांबूलेन फलेन च

gaṁdhaiśca vāsasā'ācchādya dhūpairdīpairanekadhā| naivedyairbhūṣaṇaiścaiva tāṁbūlena phalena ca

with fragrance, covering the deity with a garment, with many kinds of incense and lamps, with food-offerings, ornaments, betel, and fruit,

Verse 13 (skanda.7.468.13)

आरार्तिकेन संपूज्य दण्डवत्प्रणिपत्य च। घृतेन दीपकं दत्त्वा रात्रौ जागरणं तथा। कुर्य्याच्च गीतवादित्रैस्तथा पुस्तकवाचकैः

āratrikena saṁpūjya daṇḍavatpraṇipatya ca| ghṛtena dīpakaṁ dattvā rātrau jāgaraṇaṁ tathā| kuryācca gītavāditraistathā pustakavācakaiḥ

worshipping with the waving of lamps, prostrating full-length, offering a lamp of ghee, and keeping vigil through the night with songs, music, and readers of sacred texts.

Verse 14 (skanda.7.468.14)

कृत्वा चैवं विधिं भक्त्या सर्वान्कामानवाप्नुयात्

kṛtvā caivaṁ vidhiṁ bhaktyā sarvānkāmānavāpnuyāt

Performing this rite with devotion, a man obtains all his desires.

Verse 15 (skanda.7.468.15)

तथा नभसि सम्पूज्य पवित्रारोपणेन च। पितॄणां चाक्षया तृप्तिः सफलाः स्युर्मनोरथाः

tathā nabhasi sampūjya pavitrāropaṇena ca| pitṝṇāṁ cākṣayā tṛptiḥ saphalāḥ syurmanorathāḥ

Likewise, worshipping in the month of Bhadrapada with the offering of the sacred thread brings imperishable satisfaction to the ancestors, and one's heartfelt wishes are fulfilled.

Verse 16 (skanda.7.468.16)

प्रबोधवासरे प्राप्ते कार्तिके द्विज सत्तमाः। संपूज्य कृष्णं देवेशं परां गतिमवाप्नुयात्

prabodhavāsare prāpte kārtike dvija sattamāḥ| saṁpūjya kṛṣṇaṁ deveśaṁ parāṁ gatimavāpnuyāt

O best of brahmins, on the day of Prabodhini in the month of Kartika, worshipping the god Krishna, a man attains the highest state.

Verse 17 (skanda.7.468.17)

तथा नभस्ये संपूज्य पवित्रारोपणेन च। सर्वान्कामानवाप्नोति विष्णुलोकं च गच्छति

tathā nabhasye saṁpūjya pavitrāropaṇena ca| sarvānkāmānavāpnoti viṣṇulokaṁ ca gacchati

Likewise, worshipping in the month of Shravana with the offering of the sacred thread, a man obtains all his desires and goes to the world of Vishnu.

Verse 18 (skanda.7.468.18)

युगादिषु च संपूज्य ह्ययने दक्षिणोत्तरे। आषाढज्येष्ठमाघेषु पौषादिद्वादशीषु च

yugādiṣu ca saṁpūjya hyayane dakṣiṇottare| āṣāḍhajyeṣṭhamāgheṣu pauṣādidvādaśīṣu ca

Worshipping on the yugadi days, at the turning of the sun's southward and northward course, and on the twelfth-day tithis of Ashadha, Jyeshtha, Magha, and Pausha,

Verse 19 (skanda.7.468.19)

कलौ कृष्णं पूजयित्वा गोमत्युदधिसंगमे। विमलं लोकमाप्नोति यत्र गत्वा न शोचति

kalau kṛṣṇaṁ pūjayitvā gomatyudadhisaṁgame| vimalaṁ lokamāpnoti yatra gatvā na śocati

worshipping Krishna, in the Kali age, at the confluence of the Gomati and the ocean, one attains a stainless world, going to which one grieves no more.