The Skanda Purana
by G. V. Tagare | 1950 | 2,545,880 words
This page describes Glory of Bharateshvara (Bharata-ishvara) which is chapter 172 of the English translation of the Skanda Purana, the largest of the eighteen Mahapuranas, preserving the ancient Indian society and Hindu traditions in an encyclopedic format, detailling on topics such as dharma (virtous lifestyle), cosmogony (creation of the universe), mythology (itihasa), genealogy (vamsha) etc. This is the one hundred seventy-second chapter of the Prabhasa-kshetra-mahatmya of the Prabhasa Khanda of the Skanda Purana.
Chapter 172 - Glory of Bharateśvara (Bharata-īśvara)
[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]
Īśvara said:
1-3. Thereafter, O great goddess, a devotee should go to the shrine of Bharateśvara Liṅga which is situated not far from it (i.e. Daśaratheśvara) on the northern corner.
There was a great king named Bharata on the earth. He was the son of Agnīdhra. This Bhāratavarṣa is named after him.
O my beloved Pārvatī, after installing Maheśvara in this Kṣetra he performed a terrible penance for a period of a thousand years according to the divine reckoning.
4. The most excellent among men worshipped Śaṅkara with a desire for (getting) a son. The Lord who was pleased became eager to grant sons.
5. He granted him eight sons and a renowned daughter. The king became contented and blessed after attaining his desire.
6. He divided Bhārata into nine parts and gave a part to each of them. The continents were named after them.
7-8. They are Indra Dvīpa, Kaseru, Tāmravarṇa, Gabhastimān, Nāga Dvīpa, Saumya, Gāndharva and Aruṇa. O my beloved, this is the ninth one named by the Kumārī. The earlier eight Dvīpas were flooded by the ocean.
9. Along with the villages, regions etc., they remained within the ocean. Now only one among them named Kumārī, remains steady.
10. It extends to a thousand Yojanas to the south of Bindusaras[1] and north of the ocean.
11. The length is glorified as extending to nine thousand Yojanas. This, O goddess, indicates the expansion of that noble-souled Bharata.
12. He performed fifty-six Aśvamedhas on the bank of Gaṅgā and thirty near Yamunā. Thus he became honoured by the people of the world.
13. With the favour of the Lord, he rejoices in heaven like Devas.
14. He who worships the Bharata Liṅga installed by him, will certainly attain the benefits of all Yajñas and Dānas.
15. One who visits the shrine on the Kārttikī Full-Moon day in conjunction with the constellation Kṛttikā will never see even in his dream the extremely terrible Naraka.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Bindusaras: A sacred pool situated on Rudra Himalayas. (De 387)