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Kārttikamāsa-māhātmya · Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Unit 118 of 221Kārttikamāsa-māhātmya · Chapter 21Kārttikamāsa-māhātmya · Chapter 211 source entries

Kārttikamāsa-māhātmya · Chapter 21

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।। नारद उवाच ।। ।। विष्णुर्जलंधरं गत्वा तद्दैत्यपुटभेदनम् ।। पातिव्रत्यस्य भंगाय वृंदायाश्चाऽकरोन्मतिम् ।। १ ।। अथ वृंदारका देवी स्वप्नमध्ये ददर्श ह ।। भर्तारं महिषाऽऽरूढं तैलाभ्यक्तं दिगंम्बरम् ।। २।। कृष्णप्रसूनभूषाढ्यं क्रव्यादगणसेवितम् ।। दक्षिणाशागतं मुण्डं तमसाप्याऽऽवृतं तदा ।। ३ ।। स्वपुरं सागरे मग्नं सहसैवाऽऽत्मना सह ।। ततः प्रबुद्धा सा बाला तत्स्वप्नं प्रविचिन्वती ।। ४ ।। ददर्शोदितमादित्यं सच्छिद्रं निष्प्रभं मुहुः ।। तदनिष्टमिति ज्ञात्वा रुदती भयविह्वला ।। ५ ।। कुत्रचिन्नाऽलभच्छर्म गोपुराट्टालभूमिषु ।। ततः सखीद्वययुता नगरोद्यानमागमत् ।। ६ ।। तत्राऽपि साऽभ्रमद्बाला नाऽलभत्कुत्रचित्सुखम् ।। वनाद्वनांतरं याता नैव वेदात्मनस्तदा ।। ७ ।। ततः सा भ्रमती बाला ददर्शाऽतीवभीषणौ ।। राक्षसौ सिंहवदनौ दंष्ट्राऽऽननविभीषणौ ।। ८ ।। तौ दृष्ट्वा विह्वलाऽतीव पलायनपराऽभवत् ।। ददर्श तापसं शांतं सशिष्यं मौनमास्थितम् ।। ९ ।। ततस्तत्कण्ठमावृत्य निजां बाहुलतां भयात् ।। मुने मां रक्ष शरणमागताऽस्मीत्यभाषत ।। 2.4.21.१० ।। मुनिस्तां विह्वलां दृष्ट्वा राक्षसाऽनुगतां तदा ।। हुंकारेणैव तौ घोरौ चकार विमुखौ रुषा ।। ११ ।। तौ हुंकारभयत्रस्तौ दृष्ट्वा च विमुखौ गतौ ।। प्रणम्य दंडवद्भूमौ वृन्दा वचनमब्रवीत् ।। १२ ।। ।। वृन्दोवाच ।। ।। रक्षिताहं त्वया घोराद्भयादस्मात्कृपानिधे ।। किंचिद्विप्तुमिच्छामि कृपया तन्निशामय ।। १३ ।। जलंधरो हि मद्भर्ता रुद्रं योद्धुं गतः प्रभो ।। स तत्राऽस्ते कथं युद्धे तन्मे कथय सुव्रत ।। १४ ।। ।। नारद उवाच ।। ।। मुनिस्तद्वाक्यमाकर्ण्य कृपयोर्ध्वमवैक्षत ।। तावत्कपी समायातौ प्रणम्य चाग्रतः स्थितौ ।। १५ ।। ततस्तद्भ्रूलतासंज्ञानियुक्तौ गगनं गतौ ।। गत्वा क्षणार्द्धादागत्य प्रणतावग्रतः स्थितौ ।। शिरःकबन्धे हस्तौ च गृहीत्वा समुपस्थितौ ।। १६ ।। शिरःकबंधे हस्तौ च दृष्ट्वाऽब्धितनयस्य सा ।। पपात मूर्छिता भूमौ भर्तृव्यसनदुःखिता ।। १७ ।। कमंडलूदकैः सिक्त्वा मुनिनाऽऽश्वासिता तदा ।। स्वभर्तृभाले सा भालं कृत्वा दीना रुरोद ह ।। १८ ।। ।। वृन्दोवाच ।। ।। यः पुरा सुखसंवादे विनोदयसि मां प्रभो ।। स कथं न वदस्यद्य वल्लभा मामनागसम् ।। १९ ।। येन देवाः सगंधर्वा निर्जिता विष्णुना सह ।। स कथं तापसेनाऽद्य त्रैलोक्यविजयी हतः ।। 2.4.21.२० ।। ।। नारद उवाच ।। ।। रुदित्वेति तदा वृन्दा तं मुनिं वाक्यमब्रवीत् ।। ।। वृन्दोवाच ।। ।। कृपानिधे मुनिश्रेष्ठ जीवयैनं मम प्रियम् ।।२१।। त्वमेवास्य मुने शक्तो जीवनाय मतो मम ।। नारद उवाच ।। ।। इति तद्वाक्यमाकर्ण्य प्रहसन्मुनिरब्रवीत् ।। २२ ।। ।। मुनिरुवाच ।। ।। नाऽयं जीवयितुं शक्तो रुद्रेण निहतो युधि ।। तथाऽपि त्वत्कृपाविष्ट एनं संजीवयाम्यहम् ।। २३ ।। ।। नारद उवाच ।। ।। इत्युक्त्वांतर्दधे विप्रस्तावत्सागरनंदनः ।। वृंदामालिंग्य तद्वक्त्रं चुचुंब प्रीतमानसः ।। २४ ।। अथ वृन्दाऽपि भर्तारं दृष्ट्वा हर्षितमानसा ।। रेमे तद्वनमध्यस्था तद्युक्ता बहुवासरम् ।। २५ ।। कदाचित्सुरतस्यांते दृष्ट्वा विष्णुं तमेव च ।। निर्भर्त्स्य क्रोधसंयुक्ता वृन्दा वचनमब्रवीत् ।। २६ ।। ।। वृंदोवाच ।। ।। धिक्त्वदीयं हरे शीलं परदाराभिगामिनः ।। ज्ञातोऽसि त्वं मया सम्यङ्मायाप्रच्छन्नतापसः ।। २७ ।। यौ त्वया मायया द्वाःस्थौ स्वकीयौ दर्शितौ मम ।। तावेव राक्षसौ भूत्वा भार्यां तव हरिष्यतः ।।२८।। त्वं चाऽपि भार्यादुःखार्तो वने कपिसहायवान् ।। भ्रम सर्पेश्वरेणाऽयं यस्ते शिष्यत्वमागतः ।। २९।। इत्युक्त्वा सा तदा वृन्दा प्राविशद्धव्यवाहनम् ।। विष्णुना वार्यमाणाऽपि तस्यामासक्तचेतसा ।।2.4.21.३०।। ततो हरिस्तामनुसंस्मरन्मुहुर्वृंदान्वितोभस्मरजोवगुंठितः ।। तत्रैव तस्थौ सुरसिद्धसंघैः प्रबोध्यमानोऽपि ययौ न शांतिम् ।।३१।। इति श्रीस्कांदे महापुराण एकाशीतिसाहस्र्यां संहितायां द्वितीये वैष्णवखण्डे कार्तिकमासमाहात्म्ये जलंधरोपाख्याने वृन्दाग्निप्रवेशवर्णनंनामैकविंशोऽध्यायः ।। २१ ।।*

|| nārada uvāca || || viṣṇurjalaṃdharaṃ gatvā taddaityapuṭabhedanam || pātivratyasya bhaṃgāya vṛṃdāyāścā'karonmatim || 1 || atha vṛṃdārakā devī svapnamadhye dadarśa ha || bhartāraṃ mahiṣā''rūḍhaṃ tailābhyaktaṃ digaṃmbaram || 2|| kṛṣṇaprasūnabhūṣāḍhyaṃ kravyādagaṇasevitam || dakṣiṇāśāgataṃ muṇḍaṃ tamasāpyā''vṛtaṃ tadā || 3 || svapuraṃ sāgare magnaṃ sahasaivā''tmanā saha || tataḥ prabuddhā sā bālā tatsvapnaṃ pravicinvatī || 4 || dadarśoditamādityaṃ sacchidraṃ niṣprabhaṃ muhuḥ || tadaniṣṭamiti jñātvā rudatī bhayavihvalā || 5 || kutracinnā'labhaccharma gopurāṭṭālabhūmiṣu || tataḥ sakhīdvayayutā nagarodyānamāgamat || 6 || tatrā'pi sā'bhramadbālā nā'labhatkutracitsukham || vanādvanāṃtaraṃ yātā naiva vedātmanastadā || 7 || tataḥ sā bhramatī bālā dadarśā'tīvabhīṣaṇau || rākṣasau siṃhavadanau daṃṣṭrā''nanavibhīṣaṇau || 8 || tau dṛṣṭvā vihvalā'tīva palāyanaparā'bhavat || dadarśa tāpasaṃ śāṃtaṃ saśiṣyaṃ maunamāsthitam || 9 || tatastatkaṇṭhamāvṛtya nijāṃ bāhulatāṃ bhayāt || mune māṃ rakṣa śaraṇamāgatā'smītyabhāṣata || 2.4.21.10 || munistāṃ vihvalāṃ dṛṣṭvā rākṣasā'nugatāṃ tadā || huṃkāreṇaiva tau ghorau cakāra vimukhau ruṣā || 11 || tau huṃkārabhayatrastau dṛṣṭvā ca vimukhau gatau || praṇamya daṃḍavadbhūmau vṛndā vacanamabravīt || 12 || || vṛndovāca || || rakṣitāhaṃ tvayā ghorādbhayādasmātkṛpānidhe || kiṃcidviptumicchāmi kṛpayā tanniśāmaya || 13 || jalaṃdharo hi madbhartā rudraṃ yoddhuṃ gataḥ prabho || sa tatrā'ste kathaṃ yuddhe tanme kathaya suvrata || 14 || || nārada uvāca || || munistadvākyamākarṇya kṛpayordhvamavaikṣata || tāvatkapī samāyātau praṇamya cāgrataḥ sthitau || 15 || tatastadbhrūlatāsaṃjñāniyuktau gaganaṃ gatau || gatvā kṣaṇārddhādāgatya praṇatāvagrataḥ sthitau || śiraḥkabandhe hastau ca gṛhītvā samupasthitau || 16 || śiraḥkabaṃdhe hastau ca dṛṣṭvā'bdhitanayasya sā || papāta mūrchitā bhūmau bhartṛvyasanaduḥkhitā || 17 || kamaṃḍalūdakaiḥ siktvā muninā''śvāsitā tadā || svabhartṛbhāle sā bhālaṃ kṛtvā dīnā ruroda ha || 18 || || vṛndovāca || || yaḥ purā sukhasaṃvāde vinodayasi māṃ prabho || sa kathaṃ na vadasyadya vallabhā māmanāgasam || 19 || yena devāḥ sagaṃdharvā nirjitā viṣṇunā saha || sa kathaṃ tāpasenā'dya trailokyavijayī hataḥ || 2.4.21.20 || || nārada uvāca || || ruditveti tadā vṛndā taṃ muniṃ vākyamabravīt || || vṛndovāca || || kṛpānidhe muniśreṣṭha jīvayainaṃ mama priyam ||21|| tvamevāsya mune śakto jīvanāya mato mama || nārada uvāca || || iti tadvākyamākarṇya prahasanmunirabravīt || 22 || || muniruvāca || || nā'yaṃ jīvayituṃ śakto rudreṇa nihato yudhi || tathā'pi tvatkṛpāviṣṭa enaṃ saṃjīvayāmyaham || 23 || || nārada uvāca || || ityuktvāṃtardadhe viprastāvatsāgaranaṃdanaḥ || vṛṃdāmāliṃgya tadvaktraṃ cucuṃba prītamānasaḥ || 24 || atha vṛndā'pi bhartāraṃ dṛṣṭvā harṣitamānasā || reme tadvanamadhyasthā tadyuktā bahuvāsaram || 25 || kadācitsuratasyāṃte dṛṣṭvā viṣṇuṃ tameva ca || nirbhartsya krodhasaṃyuktā vṛndā vacanamabravīt || 26 || || vṛṃdovāca || || dhiktvadīyaṃ hare śīlaṃ paradārābhigāminaḥ || jñāto'si tvaṃ mayā samyaṅmāyāpracchannatāpasaḥ || 27 || yau tvayā māyayā dvāḥsthau svakīyau darśitau mama || tāveva rākṣasau bhūtvā bhāryāṃ tava hariṣyataḥ ||28|| tvaṃ cā'pi bhāryāduḥkhārto vane kapisahāyavān || bhrama sarpeśvareṇā'yaṃ yaste śiṣyatvamāgataḥ || 29|| ityuktvā sā tadā vṛndā prāviśaddhavyavāhanam || viṣṇunā vāryamāṇā'pi tasyāmāsaktacetasā ||2.4.21.30|| tato haristāmanusaṃsmaranmuhurvṛṃdānvitobhasmarajovaguṃṭhitaḥ || tatraiva tasthau surasiddhasaṃghaiḥ prabodhyamāno'pi yayau na śāṃtim ||31|| iti śrīskāṃde mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ dvitīye vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍe kārtikamāsamāhātmye jalaṃdharopākhyāne vṛndāgnipraveśavarṇanaṃnāmaikaviṃśo'dhyāyaḥ || 21 ||*

English translation

Nārada said :

1. Viṣṇu went to Jalandhara , the city of that Daitya . He resolved to violate the chastity of Vṛndā .

2. In the meantime, the queen Vṛndārakā (Vṛndā) saw in a dream her husband seated on a buffalo. [1] He was anointed with oil. He was stark naked.

3-6. He wore black flowers and ornaments. He was attended upon by carnivorous animals and demons. His head was completely shaven and he was proceeding towards the southern direction. She saw her own city enveloped in darkness and immersed in the sea suddenly along with herself. Then that young woman woke up pondering over that dream. She saw the rising sun with a hole in the middle without any lustre and saw this frequently.

Thinking that it foreboded evil, she began to cry. She was excessively frightened. She did not get happiness or mental peace anywhere in the ornamental arched gateways, attics, terraces etc. Then, accompanied by two friends, she went to the city park.

7. There also the young woman wandered but did not get happiness anywhere. She went from forest to forest without being aware of it herself.

8. While wandering thus she saw two Rākṣasas who were extremely terrifying. [2] They had leonine faces, extremely terrible on account of the curved teeth.

9. On seeing them she became much afflicted and ready to flee from there. She then saw a calm and tranquil ascetic who had resorted to the vow of silence. He had a disciple too.

10. Out of fear she put her tender arms round his neck and said: “O sage, protect me. I have sought refuge in you.”

11. On seeing her agitated and closely pursued by the Rākṣasas, he angrily made a loud hum sound whereby he turned back those terrible demons.

12. On seeing them turned and gone due to the fear of that hum sound, Vṛndā prostrated before the sage like a rod on the ground and spoke these words:

Vṛndā said :

13-14. O holy one, storehouse of mercy, I have been protected by you from this terrible fear. I wish to submit to you something. Kindly listen to it.

Jalandhara is my husband. O holy lord, he has gone to fight with Rudra . How does he fare in that battle? O holy lord of good holy rites, tell me.

Nārada said :

15. On hearing her words, the sage kindly looked up. By that time two monkeys came there, bowed down to him and stood by.

16. Directed by the gesture from his eyebrows they went up into the sky. Within half a moment they came back, bowed to him and stood in front of him. They were holding a pair of hands, a head and a headless trunk.

17. On noticing that the head, the trunk and the hands were those of the son of the Ocean (Jalandhara), she fell on the ground unconscious, miserable due to the distress of her husband.

18. After sprinkling her with the waters from his water pot the sage consoled her. Placing her forehead upon the forehead of her husband, she cried piteously.

Vṛndā said :

19. O my lord, formerly during our happy dialogue you used to humour me and delight me. I am your beloved and innocent wife. Why don’t you speak to me now?

20. You were the conqueror of the three worlds . Devas and Gandharvas along with Viṣṇu have been defeated by you. How did it happen that you have now been killed by a mere ascetic?

Nārada said :

21-22. After lamenting thus, Vṛndā spoke these words to the sage:

Vṛndā said :

O excellent sage, O storehouse of mercy, resuscitate this my lover and lord. You alone are capable of bringing him back to life, O sage, I believe.

Nārada said :

On hearing these words of hers, the sage said with a smile:

The sage said :

23. He has been killed in battle by Rudra. He cannot be made alive once again. Still, out of sympathy for you, I shall make him alive.

Nārada said :

24. After saying this, the Brāhmaṇa vanished. By that time, the son of the Ocean embraced Vṛndā and kissed her face with great mental pleasure and satisfaction.

25. Vṛndā too was extremely delighted in her mind on seeing her husband once again. Staying within the forest in his company for many days, she sported about.

26. Once at the conclusion of the sexual intercourse, she saw him in the form of Viṣṇu. Rebuking him angrily Vṛndā spoke these words:

Vṛndā said :

27. Fie upon your conduct, O Hari , you commit adultery! I know now well that you are a fake ascetic. [3]

28. The two, your own gatekeepers, who were shown to me by you by means of Māyā will be born as Rākṣasas. They will abduct your wife.

29. You will wander in forest, miserable due to the separation from your wife. Do wander along with this Lord of serpents, who has now been your disciple.

30. After saying this, Vṛndā entered fire, though Viṣṇu whose mind was attached to her, tried to prevent her.

31. Hari frequently remembered her. He was covered with the ashes to which Vṛndā was reduced. He stood there itself. Though he was pacified and advised by the groups of Suras and Siddhas, he did not get peace of mind.

[1]: [1] : VV 2-6 describe ill-omens indicating Jalandhara’s death.

[2]: [2] : VV 8 ff describe how Viṣṇu deluded Vṛndā by his Māyā power and violated her chastity.

[3]: [3] : Abduction of Sītā and such other events are shown to be the consequences of the curse given by Vṛndā.

Complete chapter-aligned witnesses. Sanskrit Wikisource page 13658, revision 302780 (2021-02-26T00:11:37Z). English is G. V. Tagare’s complete translation, controlled against its chapter page at https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-skanda-purana/d/doc371663.html and the archival publication witness. The witnesses are aligned at chapter level; no unsupported verse-by-verse equivalence is asserted.