Skanda Purana · Chapter 6.1

ॐnamaḥ puruṣottamāya//
//atha skānde mahāpurāṇe ṣaṣṭhanāgarakhaṇḍaprārambhaḥ//
//vyāsa uvāca//
sa dhūrjaṭi jaṭājūṭo jāyatāṃ vijayāya vaḥ/
yatraikapalitabhrāṃtiṃ karotyadyāpi jāhnavī

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ/
harasya pūjyate liṃgaṃ kasmādatanmahāmate
viśeṣātsaṃparityajya śeṣāṃgāni surāsuraiḥ

tasmādetanmahābāho yathāvadvaktumarhasi/
sāṃprataṃ sūta kārtsnyena paraṃ kautūhalaṃ hi naḥ

sūta uvāca/
praśnabhāro mahāneṣa yo bhavadbhirudāhṛtaḥ/
kīrtayiṣye tathāpyenaṃ namaskṛtya svayaṃbhuve

ānartaviṣaye cāsti vanaṃ munijanāśrayam/
manojñaṃ sarvasattvānāṃ sarvartuphalitadrumam

tatrāśramapadaṃ ramyaṃ saumyasattvaniṣevitam//
asti tāpasasaṃkīrṇaṃ vedadhvanivirājitam

abbhakṣairvāyubhakṣaiśca śīrṇaparṇāśibhistathā/
dantolūkhalibhirvipraiḥ sevitaṃ cāśmakuṭṭakaiḥ

snānahomaparaiścaiva japasvādhyāyatatparaiḥ/
vānaprasthaistridaṇḍaiśca haṃsaiścāpi kuṭīcaraiḥ

snātakairyatibhirdāntaistathā paṃcāgnisādhakaiḥ/
kasyacittvatha kālasya bhagavāṃstripurāṃtakaḥ

satīviyogasaṃtapto bhramamāṇa itastataḥ/
tasminvane samāyātaḥ saumyasattvaniṣevite

krīḍaṃti nakulā yatra sārdhaṃ sarpaiḥpraharṣitāḥ/
pañcānanāśca mātaṃgairvṛṣadaṃśāstathākhubhiḥ/
kākāḥ kauśikasaṃghaiśca vairabhāvavivarjitāḥ

tataśca bhagavānrudro dṛṣṭvāśramapadaṃ tadā/
nagnaḥ kapālamādāya bhikṣārthaṃ praviveśa saḥ

atha tasya samālokya rūpaṃ gātrasamudbhavam/
adṛṣṭapūrvaṃ tāpasyaḥ sarvāḥ kāmavaśaṃ gatāḥ

gṛhakarma parityajya guruśuśrūṣaṇāni ca/
mithaḥ saṃbhāṣaṇaṃ cakruḥ sthānesthāne ca tāḥ sthitāḥ

ekā sā kāpi dhanyā yā cakre tasyāvagūhanam/
viśrabdhā sarvagātreṣu tāpasasya mahātmanaḥ

tathānyāḥ kautukāviṣṭā dhāvaṃtyaḥ sarvatodiśam/
dṛśyaṃte taṃ samuddiśya vistāritavilocanāḥ

kāścidarddhānuliptāṃgyaḥ kāścidekāṃjitekṣaṇāḥ/
ardhasaṃyamitaiḥ kaiśaistathānyāstyaktabālakāḥ

evamālokyamānaḥ sa kāminībhirmaheśvaraḥ/
babhrāma rājamārgeṇa bhikṣāṃ dehīti kīrtayan

atha te munayo dṛṣṭvā taṃ tathā vigatāṃbaram/
kāmodbhavakaraṃstrīṇāṃ procuḥ kopāruṇekṣaṇāḥ

yasmātpāpa tvayāsmākamāśramo'yaṃ viḍaṃbitaḥ/
tasmālliṃgaṃ patatvāśu tavaiva vasudhātale

etasminnaṃtare bhūmau liṃgaṃ tasya papāta tat/
bhittvātha dharaṇīpṛṣṭhaṃ pātālaṃ praviveśa ha

so'pi liṃgaparityakto lajjāyukto maheśvaraḥ/
gartāṃ gurvīṃ samāśritya bhrūṇarūpaḥ samāviśat

atha liṃgasya pātena trailokyabhayaśaṃsinaḥ/
utpātā dāruṇāstasthuḥ sarvatra dvijasattamāḥ

śīryate giriśṛṅgāṇi pataṃtyulkā divāpi ca/
tyajaṃti sāgarāḥ sarve maryādāṃ ca śanaiḥ śanaiḥ

atha devagaṇāḥ sarve bhayasaṃtrastamānasāḥ/
śakraviṣṇumukhā jagmuryatra devaḥ pitāmahaḥ

procuśca praṇatāḥ stutvā stotraiḥ suśrutisaṃbhavaiḥ/
trailokye sṛṣṭirūpaṃ yatkamalāsanasaṃsthitam

kimidaṃ kimidaṃ deva vartate hyadharottaram/
trailokyaṃ sakalaṃ yena vyākulatvamupāgatam

pralayasyeva cihnāni dṛśyaṃte padmasaṃbhava/
kiṃ sāṃpratamakāle'pi bhaviṣyati parikṣayaḥ

sarveṣāṃ suramartyānāṃ daityānāṃ mantrakovidaḥ/
gatirbhayārtadehānāṃ sarvalokapitāmahaḥ

teṣāṃ tadvacanaṃ śrutvā devānāṃ caturānanaḥ/
uvāca suciraṃ dhyātvā jñātvā divyena cakṣuṣā

pralayasya na kālo'yaṃ sāṃprataṃ surasattamāḥ/
śṛṇudhvaṃ yannimittotthā mahotpātā bhavantyamī

ṛṣibhiḥ pātitaṃ liṃgaṃ devadevasya śūlinaḥ/
śāpenānartake deśe kalatrārthe mahātmabhiḥ

tenaitadvyākulībhūtaṃ trailokyaṃ sacarācaram/
tasmādgacchāmahe tatra yatra devo maheśvaraḥ

yenāsmadvacanācchīghraṃ talliṃgaṃ nidadhāti saḥ/
no cedbhaviṣyati vyaktamakāle cāpi saṃkṣayaḥ/
trailokyasyāpi kṛtsnasya satyametanmayoditam

atha devagaṇāḥ sarve brahmaviṣṇupuraḥsarāḥ/
ādityā vasavo rudrā viśvedevāstathāśvinau

prajagmustvaritāstatra yatra devo maheśvaraḥ/
gartāmadhyagataḥ supto lajjayā parayā vṛtaḥ

devā ūcuḥ/
namaste devadeveśa bhaktānāmabhayaprada/
namaste jagadādhāra śaśirājitaśekhara

tvaṃ yajñastvaṃ vaṣaṭkārastvamāpastvaṃ mahī vibho/
tvayā sṛṣṭamidaṃ sarvaṃ trailokyaṃ sacarācaram

tvaṃ pāsi ca suraśreṣṭha tathā nāśaṃ nayiṣyasi/
tvaṃ viṣṇustvaṃ caturvaktrastvaṃ caṃdrastvaṃ divākaraḥ

tvayā vinā mahādeva na kiṃcidiha vidyate/
api kṛtvā mahatpāpaṃ naro deva dharātale

tava nāmāpi saṃkīrtya prayāti tridivālayam/
mahādeva mahādeva mahādeveti kīrtanāt

koṭayo brahmahatyānāmagamyāgamakoṭayaḥ/
sadyaḥ pralayamāyāṃti mahādeveti kīrtanāt

vipro yathā manuṣyāṇāṃ nadīnāṃ vā mahārṇavaḥ/
tathā tvaṃ sarvadevānāmādhipatye vyavasthitaḥ

nakṣatrāṇāṃ yathā caṃdraḥ pradīptānāṃ divākaraḥ/
tathā tvaṃ sarvadevānāmādhipatye vyavasthitaḥ

dhātūnāṃ kāṃcanaṃ yadvadgaṃdharvāṇāṃ ca nāradaḥ/
tathā tvaṃ sarvadevānāmādhipatye vyavasthitaḥ

oṣadhīnāṃ yathā sasyaṃ nagānāṃ hemaparvataḥ/
tathā tvaṃ sarvadevānāmādhipatye vyavasthitaḥ

tasmātkuru prasādaṃ naḥ sarveṣāṃ ca nṛṇāṃ vibho/
saṃdhāraya punarliṃgaṃ svakīyaṃ surasattama

nocejjagattrayaṃ deva nūnaṃ nāśamamupeṣyati/
yadyetadbhūtale liṅgaṃ patati sthāsyati prabho

sūta uvāca/
teṣāṃ tadvacanaṃ śrutvā bhagavānbṛṣabhadhvajaḥ/
provāca praṇatānsarvāṃstāndevānvrīḍayānvitaḥ

mayā satīviyogārtiyuktena surasattama/
liṃgametatparityaktaṃ śāpavyājāddvijanmanām

ko'laṃ pātayituṃ liṃgaṃ mamaitadbhuvanatraye/
devo vā brāhmaṇo vāpi vettha yūyamapi sphuṭam

tasmānnaiva dhariṣyāmi liṃgametaddharātalāt/
kimanena kariṣyāmi bhāryayā parivarjitaḥ

devā ūcuḥ/
tava kāṃtā satī nāma yā mṛtā prāksurottama/
sā jātā menakāgarbhe gaurī nāma himācalāt

bhaviṣyati punarbhāryā tavaiva tripurāṃtaka/
tasmālliṃgaṃ samādāya kuru kṣemaṃ divaukasām

devadeva uvāca/
adyaprabhṛti me liṃgaṃ yadi devā dvijātayaḥ/
pūjayaṃti prayatnena tarhīdaṃ dhārayāmyaham

brahmovāca/
ahaṃ tava svayaṃ liṃgaṃ pūjayiṣyāmi śaṃkara/
tathānye vibudhāḥ sarve kiṃ punarbhuvi mānavāḥ

tataḥ praviśya pātālaṃ devaiḥ sārdhaṃ pitāmahaḥ/
svayamevākarotpūjāṃ tasya liṃgasya bhaktitaḥ

tasmādanaṃtaraṃ viṣṇuḥ śraddhāpūtena cetasā/
tathānye vibudhāḥ sarve śakrādyāḥ śraddhayānvitāḥ

tatastuṣṭo mahādevaḥ pitāmahamidaṃ vacaḥ/
provāca vāsudevaṃ ca vinayāvanataṃ sthitam

bhavadbhyāṃ parituṣṭo'smi tasmānmattaḥ pragṛhyatām/
varamiṣṭaṃ mahābhāgau yadyapi syātsudurlabham

tāvūcatuḥ/
yadi tuṣṭosi deveśa tribhāgena samāśrayam/
āvābhyāṃ dehi liṃgena yenaikatrāśrayo bhavet

sūta uvāca/
sa tatheti pratijñāya liṃgamādāya ca prabhuḥ/
sthāne niyojayāmāsa sarvadevādhipūjitam

tato hāṭakamādāya tadākāraṃ pitāmahaḥ/
kṛtvā liṃgaṃ svayaṃ tatra sthāpayāmāsa harṣitaḥ

provāca cātha bho viprāḥ sādhunādena nādayan/
lokatrayaṃ samastānāṃ śṛṇvatāṃ tridivaukasām

mayā hyādyaṃ tvidaṃ liṃgaṃ hāṭakena vinirmitam/
khyātiṃ yāsyati sarvatra pātāle hāṭakeśvaram

tathānye manujā ye ca hāṭakādīni bhaktitaḥ/
maṇimuktāsuratnaiśca kṛtvā liṃgāni kṛtsnaśaḥ

trikālaṃ pūjayiṣyaṃti te yāsyaṃti parāṃ gatim/
mṛnmayaṃ saṃparityajya nīcadhātumayaṃ tathā

evamuktvā caturvaktraḥ saha sarvairdivālayaiḥ/
jagāma tridivaṃ so'pi kailāsaṃ śaśiśekharaḥ

etasmātkāraṇālliṃgaṃ pūjyate'tra surāsuraiḥ/
harasya cottamāṃgāni parityajya viśeṣataḥ

tataḥ prabhṛti talliṃgaṃ svayaṃ brahmā vyavasthitaḥ/
bhagavānvāsudevaśca tena pūjyaṃ śivaṃ hi tat

yastu pūjayate nityaṃ śraddhāyuktena cetasā/
tryaṃbakācyutabrahmādyāstena syuḥ pūjitāstrayaḥ

tasmātsarvaprayatnena śivaliṃgaṃ prapūjayet/
sparśayedīkṣayennityaṃ kīrtayecca dvijottamāḥ

iti śrīskānde mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ ṣaṣṭhe nāgarakhaṇḍe hāṭakeśvarakṣetramāhātmye liṃgotpattivarṇanaṃ nāma prathamo'dhyāyaḥ