The Boy Revived in the Cremation Ground

Verse 1 (skanda.8.120.1)

व्यास उवाच । अतः परं स भगवान् यथागात्परमेश्वरः । यज्ञेन यजमानं तं समीक्ष्य कथयस्व नः

vyāsa uvāca | ataḥ paraṁ sa bhagavān yathāgātparameśvaraḥ | yajñena yajamānaṁ taṁ samīkṣya kathayasva naḥ

Vyasa said: After this, tell us how that blessed Supreme Lord, beholding him who performed the sacrifice, came to that place.

Verse 2 (skanda.8.120.2)

सनत्कुमार उवाच । स तु शूलधरो देवो भगवान् गोवृषध्वजः । कृष्णाष्टम्यामुवाचेदं देवीं हिमवतः सुताम्

sanatkumāra uvāca | sa tu śūladharo devo bhagavān govṛṣadhvajaḥ | kṛṣṇāṣṭamyāmuvācedaṁ devīṁ himavataḥ sutām

Sanatkumara said: That trident-bearing blessed god, whose banner bears the bull, on the eighth day of the dark fortnight, said this to the Goddess, daughter of Himavat -

Verse 3 (skanda.8.120.3)

देव्यद्य सुभगे लोके कृष्णपक्षाष्टमी शुभा । रजन्यामद्य यास्याव श्मशानान्यभिवीक्षितुम्

devyadya subhage loke kṛṣṇapakṣāṣṭamī śubhā | rajanyāmadya yāsyāva śmaśānānyabhivīkṣitum

O fortunate Goddess, today in this world is the auspicious eighth day of the dark fortnight. Tonight let the two of us go to survey the cremation grounds.

Verse 4 (skanda.8.120.4)

देव्युवाच । यथा ते रोचते देव तथा भवतु लोकप । तवेष्टं यन्महादेव ममापि द्विगुणं हि तत्

devyuvāca | yathā te rocate deva tathā bhavatu lokapa | taveṣṭaṁ yanmahādeva mamāpi dviguṇaṁ hi tat

The Goddess said: O God, O guardian of the world, let it be as pleases you. O Mahadeva, whatever is dear to you is twice as dear to me.

Verse 5 (skanda.8.120.5)

अथ तस्मिन्दिने व्यास उज्जयिन्यां महामुने । ब्राह्मणस्य सुतो बालः शुचिर्विद्वान्ममार ह

atha tasmindine vyāsa ujjayinyāṁ mahāmune | brāhmaṇasya suto bālaḥ śucirvidvānmamāra ha

O Vyasa, O great sage, on that very day in Ujjayini, the son of a brahmin, a pure and learned boy, died.

Verse 6 (skanda.8.120.6)

तं तेभिसंस्कृत्य तदा अलंकृत्य यथाविधि । क्रोशन्तश्च रुदन्तश्च श्मशानायैव निन्यिरे

taṁ tebhisaṁskṛtya tadā alaṁkṛtya yathāvidhi | krośantaśca rudantaśca śmaśānāyaiva ninyire

They duly prepared him with the proper rites and adorned him, and, crying out and weeping, carried him off to the cremation ground.

Verse 7 (skanda.8.120.7)

ते श्मशानं तदा नीत्वा बालं तं रक्तपादकम् । स्नेहाद् दुःखपरीताश्च रुरुदुर्बहुधा भृशम्

te śmaśānaṁ tadā nītvā bālaṁ taṁ raktapādakam | snehād duḥkhaparītāśca rurudurbahudhā bhṛśam

Having carried that red-footed boy to the cremation ground, they, overwhelmed with grief out of affection, wept greatly and in many ways.

Verse 8 (skanda.8.120.8)

तथा तान् रुदतो वीक्ष्य क्रुद्धो गृध्रः क्षुधान्वितः । प्राज्ञवत् स तु संदिश्य तानुवाच द्विजाँस्तदा

tathā tān rudato vīkṣya kruddho gṛdhraḥ kṣudhānvitaḥ | prājñavat sa tu saṁdiśya tānuvāca dvijām̐stadā

Seeing them weeping thus, a vulture, hungry and irritated, gesturing as though sagely, then addressed those brahmins -

Verse 9 (skanda.8.120.9)

विप्राः शृणुत मे वाक्यं मानुषा यद्वदामि वः । बुद्धिहीनाः स्थ सुव्यक्तं निशामयत मद्वचः

viprāḥ śṛṇuta me vākyaṁ mānuṣā yadvadāmi vaḥ | buddhihīnāḥ stha suvyaktaṁ niśāmayata madvacaḥ

O brahmins, O humans, hear what I say to you. You are, quite plainly, devoid of understanding - attend carefully to my words.

Verse 10 (skanda.8.120.10)

मृत एष हि कालेन किं शोचथ यथाबुधाः । रुदितो नैष जीवेत स्वार्थं कुरुत विज्वराः

mṛta eṣa hi kālena kiṁ śocatha yathābudhāḥ | rudito naiṣa jīveta svārthaṁ kuruta vijvarāḥ

This boy has died through the working of Time; why do you grieve like fools? He will not live again through weeping - attend to your own tasks, and be free of anguish.

Verse 11 (skanda.8.120.11)

सनत्कुमार उवाच । तस्य तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा तदा त्यक्त्वा सुतं ययुः । मुहुर्मुहुर्निरीक्षन्त अथ तान् जम्बुकोब्रवीत्

sanatkumāra uvāca | tasya tadvacanaṁ śrutvā tadā tyaktvā sutaṁ yayuḥ | muhurmuhurnirīkṣanta atha tān jambukobravīt

Sanatkumara said: Hearing his words, they then began to leave, abandoning the boy, looking back again and again. Just then a jackal spoke to them -

Verse 12 (skanda.8.120.12)

अहो धिङ् मानुषाः सर्वे वीक्षध्वं बुद्धिवर्जिताः । निःस्नेहाश्चाकृतज्ञाश्च त्यक्त्वैनं याथ वै कथम्

aho dhiṅ mānuṣāḥ sarve vīkṣadhvaṁ buddhivarjitāḥ | niḥsnehāścākṛtajñāśca tyaktvainaṁ yātha vai katham

Ah, shame upon all you humans! Look at yourselves, devoid of sense. You are without love and ungrateful - how can you leave him behind and go?

Verse 13 (skanda.8.120.13)

दुःखेन लभ्यते पुत्रस्तथा चैव प्रसूयते । दुःखेन च पुनः क्रूरा वर्द्धते व्याध्युपद्रुतः

duḥkhena labhyate putrastathā caiva prasūyate | duḥkhena ca punaḥ krūrā varddhate vyādhyupadrutaḥ

A son is obtained with much suffering, and is likewise born amid suffering. And again, harried by cruel diseases, it is amid suffering that he grows to manhood.

Verse 14 (skanda.8.120.14)

विस्मृतानि हि वस्तानि चाटूनि सुबहूनि वै । अकरोद्यान्ययं बाल अहो निःस्नेहता हि वः

vismṛtāni hi vastāni cāṭūni subahūni vai | akarodyānyayaṁ bāla aho niḥsnehatā hi vaḥ

You have forgotten, it seems, the many sweet, endearing things this child once did for you. Ah, how utterly lacking in affection you are!

Verse 15 (skanda.8.120.15)

सनत्कुमार उवाच । ततस्ते जम्बुकवचः श्रुत्वा व्यास समागताः । परिवार्य रुदन्तश्च तस्थुः पितृवने तदा

sanatkumāra uvāca | taste jambukavacaḥ śrutvā vyāsa samāgatāḥ | parivārya rudantaśca tasthuḥ pitṛvane tadā

Sanatkumara said: O Vyasa, hearing the jackal's words, they returned, and, gathering around him, weeping, remained there in that cremation grove.

Verse 16 (skanda.8.120.16)

अथागान्निशि देवेशः कपर्दी प्रियया सह । गणैः सर्वैर्वृतो देवः सह नन्दीश्वरेण च

athāgānniśi deveśaḥ kapardī priyayā saha | gaṇaiḥ sarvairvṛto devaḥ saha nandīśvareṇa ca

Then, in the night, the matted-locked lord of the gods arrived, together with his beloved, surrounded by all his hosts, and accompanied by Nandishvara.

Verse 17 (skanda.8.120.17)

स तानीशः समभ्येत्य सर्वभूतसुखावहः । वरदोस्मीति तांस्तत्र रुदतः प्रत्युवाच ह

sa tānīśaḥ samabhyetya sarvabhūtasukhāvahaḥ | varadosmīti tāṁstatra rudataḥ pratyuvāca ha

That Lord, who brings happiness to all beings, approaching them, said to those weeping people there: I am one who grants boons.

Verse 18 (skanda.8.120.18)

सनत्कुमार उवाच । ततस्ते दीनया वाचा वाष्पपर्याकुलेक्षणाः । ऊचुर्जीवः सुतो नोयं भवेद्देवाज्ञया तव

sanatkumāra uvāca | taste dīnayā vācā vāṣpaparyākulekṣaṇāḥ | ūcurjīvaḥ suto noyaṁ bhavedevājñayā tava

Sanatkumara said: Then they, their eyes brimming with tears, said in a piteous voice: O God, by your command, let this our son live.

Verse 19 (skanda.8.120.19)

तेषां स भगवांस्तत्र जीवयित्वा सुतं शिशुम् । गणेशत्वं ददौ दिव्यं वासं तत्रैव चाक्षयम्

teṣāṁ sa bhagavāṁstatra jīvayitvā sutaṁ śiśum | gaṇeśatvaṁ dadau divyaṁ vāsaṁ tatraiva cākṣayam

Then the blessed Lord there brought their child back to life, and bestowed upon him the divine rank of a gana-lord, together with an imperishable dwelling there itself.

Verse 20 (skanda.8.120.20)

सनत्कुमार उवाच । एवं स तां निशां प्राप्य श्मशानानि यथाविधि । गत्वा जगाम वैदूर्यं कूटं हिमवतः शुभम्

sanatkumāra uvāca | evaṁ sa tāṁ niśāṁ prāpya śmaśānāni yathāvidhi | gatvā jagāma vaidūryaṁ kūṭaṁ himavataḥ śubham

Sanatkumara said: Thus, having duly traversed the cremation grounds that night, Shiva then went on to the auspicious Vaidurya peak of the Himalaya.

Verse 21 (skanda.8.120.21)

स दीप्ततेजा विभुरव्ययात्मा पिनाकधृक् पर्वतकूटवासी । उवाच तान् यज्ञवरेण दीक्षितान् वरं वृणीध्वं त्रिदिवैकसंश्रयाः

sa dīptatejā vibhuravyayātmā pinākadhṛk parvatakūṭavāsī | uvāca tān yajñavareṇa dīkṣitān varaṁ vṛṇīdhvaṁ tridivaikasaṁśrayāḥ

That blazing, radiant, imperishable-souled wielder of the Pinaka bow, dweller upon the mountain peak, said to those consecrated for that excellent sacrifice: Choose your boon, O you who are the sole refuge of the heavens.