न चास्याभविता दोषः कर्मणानेन कर्हिचित्। श्रुत्वा वाक्यं तदा विष्णोःप्रणिपत्य ययुस्तदा
Nor will there ever be any fault in her because of this act; hearing these words of Vishnu, they then bowed down and departed.
एवमेष वरो देव यो दत्तो भविता हि मे। अवतारः कुलेस्माकं कर्तव्यो धर्मसाधनः
O god, let this boon you have granted truly come to pass for me; an incarnation must be made in our lineage for the establishment of dharma.
भवतो दर्शनादेव भवामः स्वर्गवासिनः। शुभदा कन्यका चैषा तारिणी मे कुलैः सह
By your very sight, we become dwellers in heaven; and this maiden, the giver of auspiciousness, will carry my lineage across.
एवं भवतु देवेश वरदानं विभो तव। अनुनीतास्तदा गोपाः स्वयं देवेन विष्णुना
So be it, Lord of gods; your granting of the boon, O mighty one. Then the cowherds were appeased by Lord Vishnu himself.
ब्रह्मणाप्येवमेवं तु वामहस्तेन भाषितम्। त्रपान्विता दर्शने तु बन्धूनां वरवर्णिनी
In the same way, Brahma also spoke with his left hand; the beautiful one, modest before her relatives, was present at the sight.
कैरहं तु समाख्याता येनेमं देशमागताः। दृष्ट्वा तु तांस्ततः प्राह गायत्री आभीरकन्यका
By whom have I been named, and by whom have I come to this place? Seeing her, Gayatri, the Abhira maiden, then spoke.
वामहस्तेन तान्सर्वान्प्राणिपातपुरःसरम्। अत्र चाहं स्थिता मातर्ब्रह्माणं समुपागता
With her left hand, she bowed down before them all; here I stand, mother, having approached Brahma.
भर्ता लब्धो मया देवः सर्वस्याद्योजगत्पतिः। नाहंशोच्या भवत्यातु न पित्रा न च बान्धवैः
I have obtained as husband the god, the ancient lord of all the worlds; I am not to be grieved for, neither by you nor by my father or relatives.
सखीगणश्च मे यातु भगिन्यो दारकैः सह। सर्वेषां कुशलं वाच्यं स्थितास्मि सह दैवतैः
Let my circle of friends, my sisters along with their children, depart; convey my well-being to all, for I remain here together with the gods.
गतेषु तेषु सर्वेषु गायत्री सा सुमध्यमा। ब्रह्मणा सहिता रेजे यज्ञवाटं गता सती
When they had all departed, that Gayatri of beautiful form, shining together with Brahma, entered the sacrificial enclosure.
याचितो ब्राह्मणैर्ब्रह्मा वरान्नो देहि चेप्सितान्। यथेप्सितं वरं तेषां तदाब्रह्माप्ययच्छत
Then Brahma, being requested by the brahmins, 'Grant us the boons we desire,' gave them whatever boons they wished.
तया देव्या च गायत्र्या दत्तं तच्चानुमोदितम्। सा तु यज्ञे स्थिता साध्वीदेवतानां समीपगा
And what was given by the goddess Gayatri was approved; she, the virtuous one, remained at the sacrifice, close to the deities.
दिव्यंवर्षशतं साग्रं स यज्ञो ववृधे तदा। यज्ञवाटं कपर्दीतु भिक्षार्थं समुपागतः
Then that sacrifice flourished for more than a hundred divine years; O Kapardin, you arrived at the sacrificial enclosure seeking alms.
बृहत्कपालं संगृह्य पञ्चमुण्डैरलंकृतः। ऋत्विग्भिश्च सदस्यैश्च दूरात्तिष्ठन्जुगुप्सितः
Holding a large skull, adorned with five heads, you stood at a distance from the officiating priests and participants, shunned by them.
कथं त्वमिह सम्प्राप्तो निन्दितो वेदवादिभिः। एवं प्रोत्सार्यमाणोपि निन्द्यमानः स तैर्द्विजैः
'How have you come here, you who are condemned by those versed in the Vedas?'—thus, though being driven away and reproached by those brahmins,
उवाच तान्द्विजान्सर्वान्स्मितं कृत्वा महेश्वरः। अत्र पैतामहे यज्ञे सर्वेषां तोषदायिनि
Maheshvara, smiling, spoke to all those brahmins: 'At this ancestral sacrifice, which brings satisfaction to all—'
कश्चिदुत्सार्य तेनैव ऋतेमां द्विजसत्तमाः। उक्तः स तैःकपर्दी तु भुक्त्वा चान्नंततो व्रज
Some tried to drive him away, but the best of brahmins said to Kapardin, 'After eating food, then depart.'
कपर्दिना च ते उक्ता भुक्त्वा यास्यामि भो द्विजाः। एवमुक्त्वा निषण्णः सकपालं न्यस्य चाग्रतः
Kapardin replied to them, 'O brahmins, after eating I shall depart.' Having spoken thus, he sat down, placing the skull before him.
तेषां निरीक्ष्य तत्कर्म चक्रे कौटिल्यमीश्वरः। मुक्त्वा कपालं भूमौ तु तान्द्विजानवलोकयन्
Observing his action, Ishvara acted with cunning; leaving the skull on the ground, he looked at those brahmins.
उवाच पुष्करं यामि स्नानार्थं द्विजसत्तमाः। तूर्णं गच्छेति तैरुक्तः स गतः परमेश्वरः
He said, 'I am going to Pushkara to bathe, O best of brahmins.' Urged by them to go quickly, the Supreme Lord departed.
वियत्स्थितः कौतुकेन मोहयित्वा दिवौकसः। स्नानार्थं पुष्करं याते कपर्दिनि द्विजातयः
Remaining in the sky out of curiosity, having bewildered the gods, when Kapardin went to Pushkara for bathing, the brahmins—
कथं होमोत्र क्रियते कपाले सदसि स्थिते। कपालान्तान्यशौचानि पुरा प्राह प्रजापतिः
'How is the oblation to be performed here, with a skull present in the assembly? Long ago, Prajapati declared that skulls are impure.'
विप्रोभ्यधात्सदस्येकः कपालमुत्क्षिपाम्यहं। उद्धृतं तु सदस्येन प्रक्षिप्तं पाणिना स्वयम्
One of the assembly, a brahmin, said, 'I shall remove the skull.' Lifted up by the assembly member, it was thrown away by his own hand.
तावदन्यत्स्थितं तत्र पुनरेव समुद्धृतम्। एवं द्वितीयं तृतीयं विंशतिस्त्रिंशदप्यहो
Yet another appeared there in its place, and again it was removed; thus a second, a third, twenty, thirty—indeed!
पञ्चाशच्च शतं चैव सहस्रमयुतं तथा। एवं नान्तः कपालानां प्राप्यते द्विजसत्तमैः
Fifty, a hundred, a thousand, even ten thousand—thus, O best of brahmins, there was no end to the skulls.
नत्वा कपर्दिनं देवं शरणं समुपागताः। पुष्करारण्यमासाद्य जप्यैश्च वैदिकैर्भृशम्
Having bowed to Kapardin, the god, they sought refuge in him; reaching the Pushkara forest, they earnestly recited Vedic prayers.
तुष्टुवुः सहिताः सर्वे तावत्तुष्टो हरः स्वयम्। ततः सदर्शनं प्रादाद्द्विजानां भक्तितः शिवः
All of them together offered praise, and then Hara himself was pleased; out of devotion, Śiva granted the brāhmaṇas a vision of himself.
उवाच तांस्ततो देवो भक्तिनम्रान्द्विजोत्तमान्। पुरोडाशस्य निष्पत्तिः कपालं न विना भवेत्
Then the god spoke to those foremost brāhmaṇas, who were bowed in devotion: 'The completion of the puroḍāśa offering cannot be without the skull.'
कुरुध्वं वचनं विप्राः भागः स्विष्टकृतो मम। एवं कृते कृतं सर्वं मदीयं शासनं भवेत्
'Follow my instruction, O brāhmaṇas; the share of the sviṣṭakṛt belongs to me. If this is done, all my command will be fulfilled.'
तथेत्यूचुर्द्विजाश्शम्भुं कुर्मो वै तव शासनम्। कपालपाणिराहेशो भगवन्तं पितामहम्
The brāhmaṇas replied to Śambhu, 'So be it; we will carry out your command.' Then the Lord, holding the skull in his hand, approached the blessed Pitāmaha.