Kashyapa's Becoming the Earth

Verse 1 (skanda.8.124.1)

सनत्कुमार उवाच । जामदग्न्येन सा दत्ता तथा पृथ्वी महात्मने । गिरिशृङ्गं इवापातादधस्तात् सा तदाव्रजत्

sanatkumāra uvāca | jāmadagnyena sā dattā tathā pṛthvī mahātmane | giriśṛṅgaṁ ivāpātādadhastāt sā tadāvrajat

Sanatkumara said: Thus given by Jamadagnya to that great-souled one, the earth then began to sink downward, like a mountain-peak falling.

Verse 2 (skanda.8.124.2)

तामुवाच मुनिःक्रुद्धस्तिष्ठतिष्ठ वसुन्धरे । किमर्थं मां परित्यज्य अधस्ताद् व्रजसे शुभे

tāmuvāca muniḥkruddhastiṣṭhatiṣṭha vasundhare | kimarthaṁ māṁ parityajya adhastād vrajase śubhe

The enraged sage said to her: 'Stay, stay, O Vasundhara! Why, forsaking me, do you go downward, O auspicious one?'

Verse 3 (skanda.8.124.3)

पृथिव्युवाच । जामदग्न्यं विना रामं प्रियं पतिमतिद्युतिम । न शक्नोमि मुने स्थातुं तद्गुणाहृतचेतना

pṛthivyuvāca | jāmadagnyaṁ vinā rāmaṁ priyaṁ patimatidyutima | na śaknomi mune sthātuṁ tadguṇāhṛtacetanā

The Earth said: 'Without Jamadagnya Rama, my dear and most radiant lord, I cannot remain, O sage; my mind has been carried away by his qualities.'

Verse 4 (skanda.8.124.4)

यदि मा यच्छसेद्य त्वं रामाय मुनिपुङ्गव । यास्याम्यहमधो नाथ न तिष्ठेयमतोन्यथा

yadi mā yacchasedya tvaṁ rāmāya munipuṅgava | yāsyāmyahamadho nātha na tiṣṭheyamatonyathā

'If today you do not give me to Rama, O bull among sages, I shall go downward, my lord; I shall not remain otherwise.'

Verse 5 (skanda.8.124.5)

सनत्कुमार उवाच । तस्यास्तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा कश्यपस्तप्यतां वरः । उवाच वसुधां क्रुद्धो दहन्निव तदौजसा

sanatkumāra uvāca | tasyāstadvacanaṁ śrutvā kaśyapastapyatāṁ varaḥ | uvāca vasudhāṁ kruddho dahanniva tadaujasā

Sanatkumara said: Hearing her words, Kashyapa, best among ascetics, enraged, spoke to the Earth as if scorching her with his own fiery power.

Verse 6 (skanda.8.124.6)

कश्यप उवाच । गच्छ त्वं सुदुराचारे अधः पुनरवाग्गतिम् । वसुधाहं भविष्यामि पश्य मे तपसो बलम्

kaśyapa uvāca | gaccha tvaṁ sudurācāre adhaḥ punaravāggatim | vasudhāhaṁ bhaviṣyāmi paśya me tapaso balam

Kashyapa said: 'Go, you of very evil conduct, downward again, on your downward course. I myself shall become the earth — behold the power of my austerity!'

Verse 7 (skanda.8.124.7)

सनत्कुमार उवाच । ततस्स भगवान् व्यास योगं परममास्थितः । पृथिवीत्वमनुप्राप्तो धारयामास मानुषान्

sanatkumāra uvāca | tatassa bhagavān vyāsa yogaṁ paramamāsthitaḥ | pṛthivītvamanuprāpto dhārayāmāsa mānuṣān

Sanatkumara said: O Vyasa, then that blessed one, established in supreme yoga, having attained the state of the earth, sustained mankind.

Verse 8 (skanda.8.124.8)

बहून्यब्दसहस्राणि यदसौ पृथिवी बभौ । तदा पृथ्वी विषण्णा तं प्रसादयत कश्यपम

bahūnyabdasahasrāṇi yadasau pṛthivī babhau | tadā pṛthvī viṣaṇṇā taṁ prasādayata kaśyapama

For many thousands of years he remained as the earth; then the [true] Earth, distressed, set about propitiating that Kashyapa.

Verse 9 (skanda.8.124.9)

पृथिव्युवाच । भगवन् तपसा तुभ्यं योगेन च बलेन च । न कश्चिदपि तुल्योस्ति दिवि वा भुवि वा विभो

pṛthivyuvāca | bhagavan tapasā tubhyaṁ yogena ca balena ca | na kaścidapi tulyosti divi vā bhuvi vā vibho

The Earth said: 'O Lord, O mighty one, in austerity, in yoga, and in strength, none whatever is your equal, whether in heaven or on earth.'

Verse 10 (skanda.8.124.10)

प्रसादये त्वां शिरसा दृष्ट्न्ते बलमुत्तमम् । यन्मयापकृतं किञ्चित्तत् क्षमस्व महामुने

prasādaye tvāṁ śirasā dṛṣṭnte balamuttamam | yanmayāpakṛtaṁ kiñcittat kṣamasva mahāmune

'Having seen your supreme strength, I bow my head to propitiate you. Whatever offense I have committed, forgive it, O great sage.'

Verse 11 (skanda.8.124.11)

अहमेव हि लोकेषु पृथिवी स्यां तवाज्ञया । दीनाया मम विप्रेन्द्र प्रसादं कर्तुमर्हसि

ahameva hi lokeṣu pṛthivī syāṁ tavājñayā | dīnāyā mama viprendra prasādaṁ kartumarhasi

'Let me myself, by your command, be the earth among the worlds; O lord of brahmins, you ought to show grace to me, thus humbled.'

Verse 12 (skanda.8.124.12)

सनत्कुमार उवाच । तां तथोपस्थितां दृष्ट्वा भगवानृषिसतमः । उवाच प्रहसन् देवीं पृथिवीं प्रणतां तदा

sanatkumāra uvāca | tāṁ tathopasthitāṁ dṛṣṭvā bhagavānṛṣisatamaḥ | uvāca prahasan devīṁ pṛthivīṁ praṇatāṁ tadā

Sanatkumara said: Seeing her thus come before him, that blessed best of sages, smiling, spoke to the goddess Earth, then bowed before him.

Verse 13 (skanda.8.124.13)

कश्यप उवाच । तवैव ह्यपचारेण मयेदं कृतमीदृशम् । त्वमिदानीं मया दत्तं पृथिवीत्वं समाचर

kaśyapa uvāca | tavaiva hyapacāreṇa mayedaṁ kṛtamīdṛśam | tvamidānīṁ mayā dattaṁ pṛthivītvaṁ samācara

Kashyapa said: 'It was because of your own offense that I did this. Now resume the state of earth that I grant you.'

Verse 14 (skanda.8.124.14)

मम त्वं दुहितृत्वं च गत्वा कश्यपवंशजा । काश्यपी विदिता लोके भविष्यसि वसुन्धरे

mama tvaṁ duhitṛtvaṁ ca gatvā kaśyapavaṁśajā | kāśyapī viditā loke bhaviṣyasi vasundhare

'And, becoming my daughter, born of the line of Kashyapa, you shall be known in the world as Kashyapi, O Vasundhara.'

Verse 15 (skanda.8.124.15)

सनत्कुमार उवाच । एवं सा पृथिवी व्यास अधोगत्वा पुनः स्थिता । पृथिवीत्वं समासाद्य बभूव विगतज्वरा

sanatkumāra uvāca | evaṁ sā pṛthivī vyāsa adhogatvā punaḥ sthitā | pṛthivītvaṁ samāsādya babhūva vigatajvarā

Sanatkumara said: O Vyasa, thus that Earth, having gone downward, again became settled; having regained the state of earth, she became free from affliction.

Verse 16 (skanda.8.124.16)

य इमं पृथिवीभावं कश्यपस्य महामुनेः । पृथिव्यागमनञ्चैव पुनर्भावं तथैव च

ya imaṁ pṛthivībhāvaṁ kaśyapasya mahāmuneḥ | pṛthivyāgamanañcaiva punarbhāvaṁ tathaiva ca

This account of the great sage Kashyapa's becoming the earth, and of the Earth's coming, and likewise her return to her own state —

Verse 17 (skanda.8.124.17)

शृणुयात्पठते वापि शुचिर्भूत्वा सदैव हि । स लभेताक्षयाँल्लोकान् पृथिवीफलमेव च

śṛṇuyātpaṭhate vāpi śucirbhūtvā sadaiva hi | sa labhetākṣayā~llokān pṛthivīphalameva ca

— whoever, always remaining pure, hears or recites this, obtains imperishable worlds and also the fruit of the gift of the earth.

Verse 18 (skanda.8.124.18)

तां सर्वलोकप्रभवामनेकशो मुने प्रणम्येह सदा नरोत्तमः । प्रकीर्त्तयेद्यो वसुधां वसुप्रदां स लोकमाप्नोति ऋषेरथाक्षयम्

tāṁ sarvalokaprabhavāmanekaśo mune praṇamyeha sadā narottamaḥ | prakīrttayedyo vasudhāṁ vasupradāṁ sa lokamāpnoti ṛṣerathākṣayam

O sage, that best of men who, having repeatedly bowed here to her, the source of all worlds, ever proclaims the wealth-bestowing Earth, attains the imperishable world of that sage.