Skandapurāṇa: Revākhaṇḍa (revised text) · Chapter 65

iti śrīskandapurāṇe revākhaṇḍe viṣṇukīrtanaṃ nāma catuḥṣaṣṭitamo 'dhyāyaḥ ||
RKS adhyāya 65
mārkaṇḍeya uvāca:
narmadāyāmyabhāge tu tīrthaṃ pāpapraṇāśanam /
māṇḍavyasyāśramaṃ puṇyaṃ siddhagandharvasevitam

vibhāṇḍakaś ca gārgyaś ca ṛṣyaśṛṅgādayas tathā /
tasmin sahasrasaṃkhyātā munayaḥ śaṃsitavratāḥ

aśokavanikāṃ rājan chṛṇu sāmpratamuttamam /
tatra sannihito deva umayā sahito haraḥ

āviṣṭaś cāśrame tatra viśoko vimalaḥ śivaḥ /
viśokayā saricchreṣṭhā narmadā yatra saṅgatā

tatra snātā divaṃ yānti ye mṛtā na punarbhavāḥ /
aśokeśvaraliṅgam ca pratyakṣaṃ siddhiśaṅkaram

śāpabhraṣṭā dvijās tatra nāradena vimocitāḥ /
tasya tīrthasya māhātmyāt modante divi devatāḥ

nānāvṛkṣaphalaiḥ puṣpaiḥ sarvakāmasamanvitaiḥ /
nānā pakṣigaṇairjuṣṭaṃ nānāvṛkṣaniṣevitam

siddhavidyādharair yakṣair gandharvaiḥ kinnarais tathā /
veṇuvīṇāninādena śaṅkhavāditraniḥsvanaiḥ

śobhate sarvadā rājan narmadā vindhyasaṅgamaḥ /
aśokā devatā yatra brahmaśakrapurogamāḥ

viśvedevāśramaṃ taddhi sarvadevanamaskṛtam /
viśvāyāś ca tathā putrā viśvedevāḥ prakīrtitāḥ

aśokavanikāyāṃ ca janayāmāsa kaśyapaḥ /
vaivasvate 'ntare prāpte tretāyāṃ narasattama

pañcāyutāni tāni tīrthāni nivasanti śubhāni ca /
tatra siddhā ca sāvitrī devamātāditis tathā

devayānī tathendrāṇī rohiṇī saṃbharāyaṇī /
dākṣāyaṇī lokavandyā lopāmudrā mahāyaśā

ratnāvalī sūryabhāryā dhruvā tārā gaṇeśvarī /
aśokās tena vihitās tatrasthāḥ śatasaṃkhyakāḥ

asya tīrthasya māhātmyān mucyate kilbiṣān naraḥ /
śuklapakṣe caturdaśyām āśvine māsi bhārata

aputriṇī tathā bandhyā durbhagā bhartṛvarjitā /
pañcaratnaphalaiḥ snātā divyakumbhaiḥ samarcayet

sahasrajanma sā bhūyaḥ putriṇī subhagā bhavet /
aśokavanikā kṣetre tatra gauryā varaḥ kṛtaḥ

yasmin vahati sā devī narmadā saptakalpagā /
tatreṣṭaṃ dharmarājena varuṇena mahātmanā

nairṛtyena tathānyaiś ca lokapālair yathā vidhi /
pratyakṣo havyavāhaś ca lokapālānupāgataḥ

atrir marīciḥ kaśyapaś cakrus tatra makhottamam /
anyakṣetrāc chataguṇā tatra dānādikā kriyā

vārāṇasī kurukṣetraṃ gayā vai naimiṣaṃ tathā /
māyāpurī puṣkaraṃ ca prayāgaḥ śaśibhūṣaṇam

kāśyapī sarvatīrthāni yatra tiṣṭhati kalpagā /
aśokavanikāyās tu nānyat tīrthaṃ samaṃ viduḥ

iṣṭaṃ yatra purā rājan hayamedhaṃ makhottamam /
brahmaṇā mocitāḥ pūrvaṃ viprāḥ kauleyayonitaḥ

asya tīrthasya māhātmyāt pāṭalīputravāsinaḥ /
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca:
hayamedhamakheneṣṭaṃ kathaṃ tāta svayambhuvā

kathaṃ ca mocitā viprāḥ pūrvaṃ kauleyayonitaḥ /
ko vā rājā purā brahman devarājasamo 'bhavat

etat sarvaṃ yathā nyāyaṃ śaṃsa me munisattama /
mārkaṇḍeya uvāca:
śṛṇu rājan mahābhāga samākhyānaṃ purātanam

aśokavanikā tīrthaṃ kalpagā taṭamāśritam /
na jānanti mahāmūḍhā manujāḥ pāpamohitāḥ

guptād guptataraṃ tīrthaṃ sarvatīrthottamottamam /
viśokeśvaraliṅgaṃ tu tasmin paramasiddhidam

pūjyate siddhagandharvair na tat paśyanti mānuṣāḥ /
darśanāt sparśanāt tasya brahmahatyāṃ vyapohati

svāyambhuve 'ntare prāpte ādikalpe kṛte yuge /
raviś candro mahārāja cakravartī mahāyaśāḥ

somavaṃśe janiṃ prāptaḥ kāñcīpurapatis tathā /
śaśāsa pṛthivīṃ sarvāṃ yathā śakras triviṣṭapam

gatas tu pṛthivīpālo nānāvṛkṣasamākulam /
nānāpakṣigaṇairjuṣṭaṃ nānāmuniniṣevatam

yatrāgastyeśvaraṃ nāma śambhorāyatanaṃ śubham /
sevyate munibhiḥ sarvair agastyād yais tapodhanaiḥ

rāhusūryasamāyoge raviścandro nṛpottamaḥ /
saptakalpavahā yatra śailaścāmarakaṇṭakaḥ

hastyaśvarathapādātaiḥ sakośabalavāhanaiḥ /
tapasyantaṃ mahātmānaṃ munisaṅghaiḥ samāvṛtam

maitrāvaruṇikaṃ nāma jvalantamiti pāvakam /
teṣāṃ madhye samutthāya śāṇḍilyaś ca mahātapāḥ

urasā pṛthivīṃ gatvā so 'gastiṃ paripṛcchati /
raviścandro mahātejāḥ samāyātas tavāśramam

purohito 'ham asyāsmi jānīhi tvaṃ taponidhe /
tvat pādārcanam ākāṅkṣī manyase ced anugrahaḥ

agastya uvāca:
āgacchatu nṛpaśreṣṭhaḥ śīghraṃ siṃhāsane sthitaḥ /
āgatas tad anujñātaḥ pādau jagrāha tasya ca

arghapādyaiś ca sampūjya papraccha kuśalaṃ muniḥ /
kuśalaṃ te mahābhāga sāntaḥ puraparicchadaḥ

uvāca vacanaṃ rājā munīndraṃ prati bhārata /
adya me saphalaṃ janma rājyaṃ jīvanam eva ca

muktaś ca kilbiṣād asmāt tvātpādāmbujadarśanāt /
sarvatra kalpagā puṇyā sarvatīrthamayī śubhā

kasmin sthāne yaje yajñaṃ śaṃsa me munisattama /
yathā saṃsiddhyate yajñaḥ surāṇāṃ tṛptir akṣayā

etat sarvaṃ yathā nyāyaṃ trikālajña nivedaya /
agastya uvāca:
śṛṇu rājan mahābhāga kathyamānaṃ nibodha ca

śivena kathitaṃ pūrvaṃ pārvatyāḥ ṣaṇmukhasya ca /
brahmaviṣṇvādidevānāmanyeṣāṃ ca divaukasām

mayā tatra śrutaṃ rājan mārkaṇḍena cirāyuṣā /
tatte 'haṃ kathayiṣyāmi mekalātīrthasambhavam

śṛṇudhvaṃ munayaḥ sarve yat praṣṭavyāvatāraṇam /
kasya śaktir mahārāja varjayitvā maheśvaram

pramāṇaṃ sarvatīrthānāṃ saṃkhyāṃ vā kartum āditaḥ /
uddeśamātravaktā 'haṃ mārkaṇḍasya mahāmuneḥ

etat te kathitaṃ rājan yathāvṛttaṃ purātanam