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Vāsudeva-māhātmya · Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Unit 196 of 221Vāsudeva-māhātmya · Chapter 7Vāsudeva-māhātmya · Chapter 71 source entries

Vāsudeva-māhātmya · Chapter 7

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।। स्कन्द उवाच ।। भूमध्यगः स राजाऽथ स्वकृतं कर्म गर्हयन् ।। अनुतप्यमानश्च भृशं मानयंस्ताबृहन्मुनीन् ।। जजाप भगवन्मन्त्रं त्र्यक्षरं मनसा सदा ।। १ ।। तत्रापि परया भक्त्या पञ्चकालं स्वचेतसा ।। अयजद्धरिं सुरपतिं भूमेर्विवर आदरात् ।। २ ।। ततोऽस्य तुष्टो भगवान्वासुदेवो जगत्पतिः ।। आपद्यपि यथाकालं यथाशास्त्रं स्वमर्चतः ।। ३ ।। वरदो भगवान्विष्णुः समीपस्थं द्विजोत्तमम् ।। गरुत्मन्तं महावेगमाबभाषे स्वयं ततः ।। ४ ।। श्रीभगवानुवाच ।। द्विजोत्तम महाभाग गम्यतां वचनान्मम ।। सम्राड्राजा वसुर्नाम धर्मात्मा मां समाश्रितः ।। ५ ।। ब्रह्मातिक्रमदोषेण प्रविष्टो वसुधातलम् ।। तन्मानना कृता तेन तद्गच्छाद्य तदन्तिकम् ।। ६ ।। भूमेर्विवरसंगुप्तं गरुडैनं ममाज्ञया ।। अधश्चरं नृपश्रेष्ठं खेचरं कुरु मा चिरम् ।। ७ ।। स्कन्द उवाच ।। गरुत्मानथ विक्षिप्य पक्षौ मारुतवेगवान् ।। विवेश विवरं भूम्या यत्रास्ते वाग्यतो वसुः ।। ८ ।। तत एनं समुत्क्षिप्य स्वचञ्च्वा विनता सुतः ।। उत्पपात नभस्तूर्णं तत्र चैनममुञ्चत ।। ९ ।। तस्मिन्मुहूर्त्ते संजज्ञे राजोपरिचरः पुनः ।। सशरीरो गतः स्वर्गं परमं सुखमाप्तवान् ।। 2.9.7.१० ।। एवं तेनापि ब्रह्मर्षे वाग्दोषात्सदवज्ञया ।। प्राप्ता गतिरयज्वार्हा धर्मज्ञेन महात्मना ।। ११ ।। केवलं पुरुषस्तेन सेवितो हरिरीश्वरः ।। ततः शीघ्रं जहौ पापं स्वर्गलोकमवाप च ।। १२ ।। भुञ्जानो विविधं सौख्यं मनोभीष्टं च तत्र सः ।। उवासान्यो यथा शक्रो गीयमानयशाः सुरैः ।। १३ ।। तमेकदा विमानेन चरन्तं सूर्यसन्निभम् ।। अद्रिकाप्सरसा युक्तमच्छोदा समवैक्षत ।। १४ ।। सा हि सोमपदस्थानां पितॄणां मानसी सुता ।। अग्निष्वात्ताभिधानानाममूर्त्तानां महात्मनाम् ।। १५ ।। अमूर्त्तत्वात्पितॄन्स्वान्सा न जानन्ती शुचिस्मिता ।। तं वसुं पितरं मेने स च तामात्मजामिव ।। १६ ।। तौ ततः पितरः शेपुर्भावं दृष्ट्वेदृशं तयोः ।। कन्ये त्वमस्य नृपतेर्भुवि कन्या भविष्यसि ।। १७ ।। वसो त्वं मानुषो भूत्वा सुतामेनां स्वयोषिति ।। अस्यामेवाप्सरायां त्वं जनयिष्यसि निश्चितम् ।। १८ ।। इत्थं तौ पितृभिः शप्तौ शापमोक्षाय तास्ततः ।। प्रार्थयामासतुर्न्नत्वा तदोचुस्ते कृपालवः ।। १९ ।। अवश्यमित्थं भावित्वाद्युवाभ्यामुपलम्भितः ।। शापोऽयं तत्र युवयोः श्रेय एव भविष्यति ।। 2.9.7.२० ।। अष्टाविंशे द्वापरे तु वसो त्वं भुवि भूपतेः ।। कृतयज्ञस्य तनयो भवितासि महात्मनः ।। २१ ।। तत्रापि च यथेदानीं तथा त्वं सकलैर्गुणैः ।। जुष्टश्च खचरो भाव्यो महाभागवताग्रणीः ।। २२ ।। पञ्चरात्रोक्तविधिना विष्णुमभ्यर्च्य भक्तितः ।। तच्छेषेण सुरांश्चास्मानर्चयिष्यसि सप्रजः ।। २३ ।। ततस्त्वं दिव्यदेहेन स्वर्गलोकमवाप्स्यसि ।। दिव्यान्भोगांस्तत्र भुक्त्वा प्राप्स्यसे वैष्णवं पदम् ।। ।। २४ ।। अच्छोदे त्वमपि क्षोण्यां नाम्ना कालीति विश्रुता ।। स्वांशेन मत्स्यदेहायामद्रिकायां जनिष्यसे ।। २५ ।। पराशरात्तत्र सुतं कन्येव प्राप्स्यसे हरिम् ।। प्रसादादेव तस्य त्वं भुक्तिं मुक्तिं च लप्स्यसे ।। २६ ।। स्कन्द उवाच ।। इत्थं स पितृभिः शप्तोऽनुगृहीतश्च भूपतिः ।। कृतयज्ञादिह जनिं प्राप्याऽभूद्विश्रुतो गुणैः ।। २७ ।। यथा पूर्वं कृष्णभक्तो दैवपित्र्यविधानवित् ।। सख्ये तस्मै महेन्द्रश्च प्रादात्प्रचुरसंपदः ।। २८ ।। श्वेतद्वीपे वासुदेवात्प्राप्तो यो विजयध्वजः ।। पुरा स्वेनारिनाशार्थं तस्मा इन्द्रस्तमप्यदात् ।।२९।। अन्तरिक्षगती राजा भौमान्भोगान्सुदुर्लभान् ।। भुक्त्वान्ते स्वर्गलोकं च दिव्यदेहेन लब्धवान् ।। 2.9.7.३० ।। प्राक्पुण्यशेषस्य फलं भुञ्जन्स्वमनसेप्सितान्।। तत्र भोगान्बहुविधांस्तीव्रं वैराग्यमाप्तवान् ।। ३१ ।। मेरोः शृङ्गेऽथ विजने शुचिः कृतदृढासनः ।। दध्यौ स्वहृदयाम्भोजे स्वेष्टदेवं रमापतिम् ।। ३२ ।। त्यक्त्वा देववपुः सोऽथ योगधारणया मुनिः ।। ततः सूक्ष्मशरीरेण प्राप भास्करमण्डलम् ।। यदाहुर्नैष्ठिकानां च मुक्तिद्वारं हि योगिनाम् ।। ३३ ।। तत्तेजोदग्धसूक्ष्माङ्गः सच्चिदूपोऽतिनिर्मलः।। स बभूव महाभागः संक्षीणाशेषवासनः।।३४।। ततस्तन्मण्डलगतैरातिवाहिकदैवतैः।। स निन्ये वैष्णवं धाम श्वेतद्वीपाख्यमद्भुतम् ।। ३५ ।। स हि द्वीपो भुविस्थोपि भवत्यप्राकृतो मुने ।। हरिभक्तजनावासः प्राप्य एकान्तभक्तिभिः ।। ३६ ।। स गोलोकब्रह्मपुरवैकुण्ठानां च सुव्रत ।। द्वारभूतोस्ति भक्तानां तल्लिप्सूनां महात्मनाम् ।। ३७ ।। यस्य यद्धाम्न इच्छा स्याद्भजतस्तं तदेव हि ।। प्रापयन्ति श्वेतमुक्ता मुने प्रागुक्तलक्षणाः ।। ३८ ।। दिव्यदेहोऽभवत्तत्र धाम्न्यऽसौ श्वेतमुक्तवत् ।। प्राप्य गोलोकधामाऽथ परमानन्दमाप्तवान् ।। ३९ ।। इत्थमेकान्तिकेनैव धर्मेणाराधयन्ति ये ।। नारायणं परं ब्रह्म श्वेतमुक्ता भवंति ते ।। 2.9.7.४० ।। एतत्ते सर्वमाख्यातं पृष्टवान्यद्भवान्मुने ।। स्थितिरेकांतभक्तानां श्वेतधाम्नश्च लक्षणम् ।। ४१ ।। इति श्रीस्कान्दे महापुराण एकाशीतिसाहस्र्यां संहितायां द्वितीये वैष्णवखण्डे श्रीवासुदेवमाहात्म्य उपीरचरवसुमोक्षनिरूपणं नाम सप्तमोऽध्यायः ।। ७ ।।

|| skanda uvāca || bhūmadhyagaḥ sa rājā'tha svakṛtaṃ karma garhayan || anutapyamānaśca bhṛśaṃ mānayaṃstābṛhanmunīn || jajāpa bhagavanmantraṃ tryakṣaraṃ manasā sadā || 1 || tatrāpi parayā bhaktyā pañcakālaṃ svacetasā || ayajaddhariṃ surapatiṃ bhūmervivara ādarāt || 2 || tato'sya tuṣṭo bhagavānvāsudevo jagatpatiḥ || āpadyapi yathākālaṃ yathāśāstraṃ svamarcataḥ || 3 || varado bhagavānviṣṇuḥ samīpasthaṃ dvijottamam || garutmantaṃ mahāvegamābabhāṣe svayaṃ tataḥ || 4 || śrībhagavānuvāca || dvijottama mahābhāga gamyatāṃ vacanānmama || samrāḍrājā vasurnāma dharmātmā māṃ samāśritaḥ || 5 || brahmātikramadoṣeṇa praviṣṭo vasudhātalam || tanmānanā kṛtā tena tadgacchādya tadantikam || 6 || bhūmervivarasaṃguptaṃ garuḍainaṃ mamājñayā || adhaścaraṃ nṛpaśreṣṭhaṃ khecaraṃ kuru mā ciram || 7 || skanda uvāca || garutmānatha vikṣipya pakṣau mārutavegavān || viveśa vivaraṃ bhūmyā yatrāste vāgyato vasuḥ || 8 || tata enaṃ samutkṣipya svacañcvā vinatā sutaḥ || utpapāta nabhastūrṇaṃ tatra cainamamuñcata || 9 || tasminmuhūrtte saṃjajñe rājoparicaraḥ punaḥ || saśarīro gataḥ svargaṃ paramaṃ sukhamāptavān || 2.9.7.10 || evaṃ tenāpi brahmarṣe vāgdoṣātsadavajñayā || prāptā gatirayajvārhā dharmajñena mahātmanā || 11 || kevalaṃ puruṣastena sevito harirīśvaraḥ || tataḥ śīghraṃ jahau pāpaṃ svargalokamavāpa ca || 12 || bhuñjāno vividhaṃ saukhyaṃ manobhīṣṭaṃ ca tatra saḥ || uvāsānyo yathā śakro gīyamānayaśāḥ suraiḥ || 13 || tamekadā vimānena carantaṃ sūryasannibham || adrikāpsarasā yuktamacchodā samavaikṣata || 14 || sā hi somapadasthānāṃ pitṝṇāṃ mānasī sutā || agniṣvāttābhidhānānāmamūrttānāṃ mahātmanām || 15 || amūrttatvātpitṝnsvānsā na jānantī śucismitā || taṃ vasuṃ pitaraṃ mene sa ca tāmātmajāmiva || 16 || tau tataḥ pitaraḥ śepurbhāvaṃ dṛṣṭvedṛśaṃ tayoḥ || kanye tvamasya nṛpaterbhuvi kanyā bhaviṣyasi || 17 || vaso tvaṃ mānuṣo bhūtvā sutāmenāṃ svayoṣiti || asyāmevāpsarāyāṃ tvaṃ janayiṣyasi niścitam || 18 || itthaṃ tau pitṛbhiḥ śaptau śāpamokṣāya tāstataḥ || prārthayāmāsaturnnatvā tadocuste kṛpālavaḥ || 19 || avaśyamitthaṃ bhāvitvādyuvābhyāmupalambhitaḥ || śāpo'yaṃ tatra yuvayoḥ śreya eva bhaviṣyati || 2.9.7.20 || aṣṭāviṃśe dvāpare tu vaso tvaṃ bhuvi bhūpateḥ || kṛtayajñasya tanayo bhavitāsi mahātmanaḥ || 21 || tatrāpi ca yathedānīṃ tathā tvaṃ sakalairguṇaiḥ || juṣṭaśca khacaro bhāvyo mahābhāgavatāgraṇīḥ || 22 || pañcarātroktavidhinā viṣṇumabhyarcya bhaktitaḥ || taccheṣeṇa surāṃścāsmānarcayiṣyasi saprajaḥ || 23 || tatastvaṃ divyadehena svargalokamavāpsyasi || divyānbhogāṃstatra bhuktvā prāpsyase vaiṣṇavaṃ padam || || 24 || acchode tvamapi kṣoṇyāṃ nāmnā kālīti viśrutā || svāṃśena matsyadehāyāmadrikāyāṃ janiṣyase || 25 || parāśarāttatra sutaṃ kanyeva prāpsyase harim || prasādādeva tasya tvaṃ bhuktiṃ muktiṃ ca lapsyase || 26 || skanda uvāca || itthaṃ sa pitṛbhiḥ śapto'nugṛhītaśca bhūpatiḥ || kṛtayajñādiha janiṃ prāpyā'bhūdviśruto guṇaiḥ || 27 || yathā pūrvaṃ kṛṣṇabhakto daivapitryavidhānavit || sakhye tasmai mahendraśca prādātpracurasaṃpadaḥ || 28 || śvetadvīpe vāsudevātprāpto yo vijayadhvajaḥ || purā svenārināśārthaṃ tasmā indrastamapyadāt ||29|| antarikṣagatī rājā bhaumānbhogānsudurlabhān || bhuktvānte svargalokaṃ ca divyadehena labdhavān || 2.9.7.30 || prākpuṇyaśeṣasya phalaṃ bhuñjansvamanasepsitān|| tatra bhogānbahuvidhāṃstīvraṃ vairāgyamāptavān || 31 || meroḥ śṛṅge'tha vijane śuciḥ kṛtadṛḍhāsanaḥ || dadhyau svahṛdayāmbhoje sveṣṭadevaṃ ramāpatim || 32 || tyaktvā devavapuḥ so'tha yogadhāraṇayā muniḥ || tataḥ sūkṣmaśarīreṇa prāpa bhāskaramaṇḍalam || yadāhurnaiṣṭhikānāṃ ca muktidvāraṃ hi yoginām || 33 || tattejodagdhasūkṣmāṅgaḥ saccidūpo'tinirmalaḥ|| sa babhūva mahābhāgaḥ saṃkṣīṇāśeṣavāsanaḥ||34|| tatastanmaṇḍalagatairātivāhikadaivataiḥ|| sa ninye vaiṣṇavaṃ dhāma śvetadvīpākhyamadbhutam || 35 || sa hi dvīpo bhuvisthopi bhavatyaprākṛto mune || haribhaktajanāvāsaḥ prāpya ekāntabhaktibhiḥ || 36 || sa golokabrahmapuravaikuṇṭhānāṃ ca suvrata || dvārabhūtosti bhaktānāṃ tallipsūnāṃ mahātmanām || 37 || yasya yaddhāmna icchā syādbhajatastaṃ tadeva hi || prāpayanti śvetamuktā mune prāguktalakṣaṇāḥ || 38 || divyadeho'bhavattatra dhāmnya'sau śvetamuktavat || prāpya golokadhāmā'tha paramānandamāptavān || 39 || itthamekāntikenaiva dharmeṇārādhayanti ye || nārāyaṇaṃ paraṃ brahma śvetamuktā bhavaṃti te || 2.9.7.40 || etatte sarvamākhyātaṃ pṛṣṭavānyadbhavānmune || sthitirekāṃtabhaktānāṃ śvetadhāmnaśca lakṣaṇam || 41 || iti śrīskānde mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ dvitīye vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍe śrīvāsudevamāhātmya upīracaravasumokṣanirūpaṇaṃ nāma saptamo'dhyāyaḥ || 7 ||

English translation

Skanda said :

1. Then the king who was in the bowels of the earth, censured his own act (of giving a false judgement). He deeply repented and paid respect to those great sages. In his mind he muttered the three-syllabled Mantra of the Lord.

2. There, even in the chasm of the earth, the king respectfully and with great devotion, mentally worshipped Hari , the Lord of Devas , five times a day.

3. Then, Lord Vāsudeva , the protector of the world, was pleased with him ( Vasu ) who, even in adverse circumstances, worshipped him at the proper time and in accordance with the Śāstric injunctions.

4. Lord Viṣṇu , the conferer of boons, spoke of his own accord to Garuḍa , the best of birds, and of great velocity, who was standing near him.

The Lord said :

5-7. O highly fortunate, excellent bird, go by my order. King Vasu, the paramount sovereign of men, a pious soul who has resorted to me, has entered the nether worlds due to his fault of transgressing the Veda (Vedic injunction regarding sacrifices). Respectful prayer has been made by him. Therefore, approach him today, O Garuḍa. By my order make the king capable of moving through the sky—the king who is concealed in the chasm of the earth and is able only to move beneath (the earth). Don’t delay.

Skanda said :

8. Then Garuḍa, of the speed of wind, spread out his wings and entered the chasm of the earth, where Vasu of controlled speech was staying.

9. The son of Vinatā (Garuḍa) lifted him up with his beak and immediately flew up in the sky and left him there.

10. At that very moment, the king regained consciousness and again became one moving in higher regions. Along with his (physical) body he went to Svarga and got the supreme bliss.

11. O Brāhmaṇa -sage, in this way, on account of his disrespect for the truth (or saintly people), by his sinful transgressive speech, a state undeserving to performers of sacrifices was attained by that noble-souled knower of Dharma .

12. Only Lord Hari, the Supreme Man, was served by him (through devotion). Thereby, he got absolved of sins quickly, and obtained (stay in) Svarga.

13. There, he enjoyed different kinds of pleasures as desired by him. He lived there like another Indra , with his praises sung by Suras .

14. On one occasion, Acchodā saw him moving in an aerial car, bright like the sun, accompanied by a divine damsel called Adrikā . [1]

15. She was the mental daughter of the noble-souled, formless manes called Agniśvātta, who dwell in the domain of Soma .

16. The lady of pure smiles did not know her own ancestors due to their formlessness. She thought (king) Vasu as being her father. He too regarded her as his own daughter.

17-18. Seeing their mutual feelings of such (filial) nature, the manes cursed them: “O daughter, you will be the veritable daughter of this king on the earth.

O Vasu, it is definite that you will be (born as) a human being on the earth and give birth to this (daughter of ours) as your daughter from this very divine lady as your wife.

19. Both of them who were thus cursed by the manes ( Pitṛs ), bowed down to them, and prayed to them for absolving them from the curse. Then those compassionate ones spoke:

20. “It was due to the inevitability of such events that this curse was incurred by you. But that will contribute to welfare of you both.

21. O Vasu, in the twenty-eighth Dvāpara Yuga , you will be the son of noble-souled King Kṛtayajña on the earth.

22. Even there (on the earth), you will be endowed with all your present qualities, capable of moving in the sky, a leader of the great devotees of the Lord.

23. Having devoutly worshipped Viṣṇu as per procedure of the Pāñcarātra , you, along with your progeny, will worship Devas and us (Pitṛs) with the remnants (of Viṣṇu worship).

24. Then you will attain Svarga with a divine body. Having enjoyed heavenly pleasures, you will get to the domain of Viṣṇu.

25. O Acchodā, you too will be born with a part of yours from Adrikā in the form of a (female) fish. You will be well-known on the earth as Kālī .

26. There, in your girlhood (in an unmarried state), you will have Hari as your son from Parāśara . Through his grace alone you will get enjoyment in life and liberation (after death).”

Skanda said :

27. The king who was both imprecated and blessed by the Pitṛs, having been born of Kṛtayajña on the earth, became famous on account of his virtues.

28. As before (in his previous life), that knower of the procedure of worship of Devas and Pitṛs was a devotee of Kṛṣṇa . The great Indra gave his friend (Vasu) abundant wealth.

29. Indra gave him even the Flag of Victory ( Vijayadhvaja ) which was formerly obtained by him from Vāsudeva in Śveta-dvīpa , for destroying his enemies.

30. The king who could move about in the sky enjoyed very rare earthly pleasures. In the end he attained the celestial world (endowed) with a heavenly body.

31. Asa fruit of the balance of his meritorious acts in his previous birth, he enjoyed various kinds of pleasures as desired by his mind. He (then) developed intense aversion to worldly pleasures.

32. In a solitary place, on a peak of Meru , being pure, and sitting firmly on his seat, he meditated in the lotus of his heart on the consort of Ramā , the god worshipped by him with sacrifices.

33. Abandoning that celestial body, the sage, by his Yogic concentration of the mind, reached the disc of the Sun with his subtle body—the disc which is called the gate to salvation to perfectly firm Yogins .

34. His subtle body was burnt down by solar heat and lustre. He became extremely pure and of (i.e. endowed with) a body consisting of existence and consciousness. That blessed one became one whose ail residual traces of actions were wiped out.

35. Then by deities faster than wind, who are in the disc (of the sun), he was taken to the wonderful abode of Viṣṇu, called Śveta - dvīpa .

36 37. O sage, though the island is on the earth, it is extraordinary. After having reached this residence of the devotees of Hari by exclusive devotion to the Lord, it serves as a gateway to Goloka , Brahmapura , Vaikuṇṭha to those noble-souled devotees desiring to get to them.

38. O sage, those released from Śveta-dvīpa whose characteristics have been described before, resort to that particular domain for which they cherish a desire.

39. He became endowed with a divine body in that domain when released from Śveta-dvīpa. After reaching the world called Goloka, he obtained supreme delight.

40. In ṃis way, those who propitiate Nārāyaṇa , the Supreme Brahman , by the Ekāntika Dharma (undivided devotion solely to Viṣṇu) become the liberated ones from Śveta.

41. Thus I have explained, O sage, whatever was asked by you regarding the state of the devotees exclusively attached to the Lord ( Ekāntabhakta ) and the description of Śveta-dvīpa.

[1]: [1] : Pre-birth has been a popular motif in ancient Indian stories to explain the events of the present times. The Jātaka Tales (Buddhist and Jaina) are examples of the use of this motif in non-Bhahmanical literature. Brahmanical Purāṇas abound in such tales. The present episode explains the birth of Vyāsa from Parāśara in unmarried state to Satyavatī and her marriage with Śantanu. The curse of Agniśvātta parents to their daughter Acchodā is used as a motif to explain a “future inevitable event” viz. Vyāsa’s birth from Satyavatī in an unmarried state. In Mbh, Ādi 63.58 Adrikā became a fish by Brahma’s curse and not by that of Agniśvāttas, the parents of Acchodā.

Complete chapter-aligned witnesses. Sanskrit Wikisource page 23178, revision 71856 (2016-06-24T10:08:41Z). English is G. V. Tagare’s complete translation, controlled against its chapter page at https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-skanda-purana/d/doc371746.html and the archival publication witness. The witnesses are aligned at chapter level; no unsupported verse-by-verse equivalence is asserted.