Skanda Purana · Chapter 5.122

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca -
tato gacchenmahīpāla kohanasveti viśrutam /
sarvapāpaharaṃ puṇyaṃ tīrthaṃ mṛtyuvināśanam

purā tatra dvijaḥ kaścidvedavedāṅgapāragaḥ /
patnīputrasuhṛdvargaiḥ svakarmanirato'vasat

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca -
brāhmaṇasya tu yatkarma utpattiḥ kṣatriyasya tu /
vaiśyasyāpi ca śūdrasya tatsarvaṃ kathayasva me

dharmasyārhasya kāmasya mokṣasya ca paraṃ vidhim /
nikhilaṃ jñātumicchāmi nānyo vettā matirmama

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca -
utpattikāraṇaṃ brahmā devadevaḥ prakīrtitaḥ /
prathamaṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ carācarajagadguruḥ

dvijātayo mukhājjātāḥ kṣatriyā bāhuyantrataḥ /
ūrupradeśādvaiśyāstu śūdrāḥ pādeṣvathābhavan

tatastvanye pṛthagvarṇāḥ pṛthagdharmān samācaran /
paryāyeṇa samutpannā hyanulomavilomataḥ

teṣāṃ dharmaṃ pravakṣyāmi śrutismṛtyarthacoditam /
yena samyakkṛtenaiva sarve yānti parāṃ gatim

gatirdhyānaṃ vinā bhaktairbrāhmaṇaiḥ prāpyate nṛpa /
adhyāpayanyato vedānvedaṃ vāpi yathāvidhi

kulajāṃ rūpasampannāṃ sarvalakṣaṇalakṣitām /
udvāhayettataḥ patnīṃ guruṇānumate tadā

tataḥ smārtaṃ vivāhāgniṃ śrautaṃ vā pūjayetkramāt /
pratigrahadhano bhūtvā dambhalobhavivarjitaḥ

pañcayajñavidhānāni kārayedvai yathāvidhi /
vanaṃ gacchettataḥ paścāddvitīyāśramasevanāt

putreṣu bhāryāṃ nikṣipya sarvasaṅgavivarjitaḥ /
iṣṭāṃllokānavāpnoti na ceha jāyate punaḥ

kṣatriyastu sthito rājye pālayitvā vasuṃdharām /
śaśvaddharmamanāścaiva prāpnoti paramāṃ gatim

vaiśyadharmo na sandehaḥ kṛṣigorakṣaṇe rataḥ /
satyaśaucasamopeto gacchate svargamuttamam

na śūdrasya pṛthagdharmo vihitaḥ parameṣṭhinā /
na mantro na ca saṃskāro na vidyāparisevanam

na śabdavidyāsamayo devatābhyarcanāni ca /
yathā jātena satataṃ vartitavyamaharniśam

sa dharmaḥ sarvavarṇānāṃ purā sṛṣṭaḥ svayambhuvā /
mantrasaṃskārasampannāstrayo varṇā dvijātayaḥ

teṣāṃ matamanādṛtya yadi varteta kāmataḥ /
sa mṛto jāyate śvā vai gatirūrdhvā na vidyate

na teṣāṃ preṣaṇaṃ nityaṃ teṣāṃ matamanusmaran /
yaśobhāgī svadharmasthaḥ svargabhāgī sa jāyate

evaṃ guṇagaṇākīrṇo'vasadvipraḥ sa bhārata /
hanasveti hanasveti śṛṇoti vākyamīdṛśam

tato nirīkṣate cordhvamadhaścaiva diśo daśa /
vepamānaḥ sa bhītaśca praskhalaṃśca pade pade

śṛṅkhalāyudhahastaiśca pāśaiścaiva sudāruṇaiḥ /
veṣṭitaṃ mahiṣārūḍhaṃ naraṃ paśyati manmukham

kṛṣṇāṃjanacayaprakhyaṃ kṛṣṇāmbaravibhūṣitam /
raktākṣamāyatabhujaṃ sarvalakṣaṇalakṣitam

dṛṣṭvā taṃ tu samāyāntaṃ nirīkṣyātmānamātmanā /
japañjāpyaṃ ca paramaṃ śatarudrīyasaṃstavam

tataḥ provāca bhagavānyamaḥ saṃyamano mahān /
śṛṇu vākyamato brahmanyamo'haṃ sarvajantuṣu

saṃharasva mahābhāga rudrajāpyaṃ sudurbhidam /
yenāhaṃ kālapāśaistvāṃ saṃyamāmi gatavyathaḥ

tacchrutvā niṣṭhuraṃ vākyaṃ yamasya mukhanirgatam /
mahābhayasamopeto brāhmaṇaḥ prapalāyitaḥ

tasya mārge gatāḥ sarve yamena saha kiṃkarāḥ /
tiṣṭha tiṣṭheti taṃ vipramūcuste so'pyadhāvata

tvaramāṇaḥ pariśrānto hā hato'haṃ durātmabhiḥ /
rakṣa rakṣa mahādeva śaraṇāgatavatsala

evamuktvāpatadbhūmau liṅgamāliṅgya bhārata /
gatasattvaḥ sa viprendraḥ samāśritya sureśvaram

taṃ dṛṣṭvā patitaṃ bhūmau devadevo maheśvaraḥ /
ko haniṣyati mābhaistvaṃ huṅkāramakarottadā

tena te kiṃkarāḥ sarve yamena saha bhārata /
huṅkāreṇa gatāḥ sarve meghā vātahatā yathā

tadāprabhṛti tattīrthaṃ kohanasveti viśrutam /
sarvapāpaharaṃ puṇyaṃ sarvatīrtheṣvanuttamam

tatra tīrthe tu yaḥ snātvā pūjayetparameśvaram /
agniṣṭomasya yajñasya phalamāpnotyanuttamam

tatra tīrthe tu rājendra prāṇatyāgaṃ karoti yaḥ /
na paśyati yamaṃ devamityevaṃ śaṅkaro'bravīt

agnipraveśaṃ yaḥ kuryājjale vā nṛpasattama /
agniloke vasettāvadyāvatkalpaśatatrayam

evaṃ varuṇaloke'pi vasitvā kālamīpsitam /
iha lokamanuprāpto mahādhanapatirbhavet

// iti śrīskānde mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pañcama āvantyakhaṇḍe revākhaṇḍe kohanatīrthamāhātmyavarṇanaṃ nāma dvāviṃśatyuttaraśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ //