यं समुद्दिश्य यद्दत्तं तदक्षयतरं भवेत्
Whatever is given, dedicated to whomsoever, that becomes imperishable.
यस्य नाम्ना नरः स्नाति पिशाचत्वात्स मुच्यते
By bathing in her name, a man is freed from demonhood.
तस्य वै शाश्वती मुक्तिः कुले प्रेतो न जायते
For him there is eternal liberation; in his lineage, none is born as a ghost.
मुच्यते सर्वपापेभ्यः कंचुकेन फणी यथा
He is freed from all sins, as a serpent from its slough.
त्यक्त्वा यमगृहं व्यास रुद्रलोकं स गच्छति
Leaving Yama's abode, O Vyasa, he goes to Rudra's world.
सोऽश्वमेधफलं व्यास लभते नात्र संशयः
He attains the fruit of an Ashvamedha sacrifice, O Vyasa; of this there is no doubt.
देवस्तेन समाख्यातो नाम्ना डमरुकेश्वरः
That god is known by the name Damarukeshvara.
नैव व्याधिभयं तस्य मृतः शिवपुरं व्रजेत् 5.1.20.
He has no fear of disease, and when dead, he goes to Shiva's city.
राज्यं स लभते स्वर्गं यथा देवः पुरंदरः
He attains a kingdom and heaven, just as the god Indra did.
कल्पकोटिशतं साग्रं भोगयुक्तस्तु मोदते
Endowed with enjoyment, he delights for a full hundred crore aeons.
सोत्रैव लभते सिद्धिं जयं सर्वत्र मानवः
Even here, a man attains success and victory everywhere.
स्वर्णेन पूजयेद्देवं सर्वपापैः प्रमुच्यते
By worshipping the god with gold, he is freed from all sins.
सर्पतो न भयं तस्य दारिद्यं नैव जायते
He has no fear of serpents, nor does poverty arise for him.
विष्णुमायाविनिर्मुक्तः स याति परमं पदम्
Freed from the illusion of Viṣṇu, he attains the supreme state.
स मुच्येत महापापैर्यद्यपि ब्रह्महा भवेत्
He is released from great sins, even if he were a slayer of a Brahmin.
दर्शनात्तस्य देवस्य शतयज्ञफलं भवेत्
By seeing that god, one obtains the fruit of a hundred sacrifices.
इतिश्रीस्कांदे महापुराण एकाशीतिसाहस्र्यां संहितायां पञ्चम आवंत्यखण्डेऽवन्तीक्षेत्रमाहात्म्ये चतुर्दशतीर्थयात्रावर्णनंनाम विंशोऽध्यायः
Thus ends the twentieth chapter, named 'Description of the Pilgrimage to the Fourteen Holy Places,' in the section on the greatness of the Avanti region, in the fifth book of the eighty-eight-thousand-verse Skanda Mahāpurāṇa.
हनुमत्केश्वरंनाम भुक्तिमुक्तिफलप्रदम्
There is a place called Hanumatkeśvara, bestower of the fruits of enjoyment and liberation.
शैवे सरसि यः स्नात्वा पश्येद्धनुमत्केश्वरम्
Whoever, having bathed in the Śaiva lake, beholds Hanumatkeśvara—
कथां कथय ह्येतस्य वृत्तपूर्वां सनातनीम्
Tell the story of this, the ancient tale of what happened before.
विष्णुना रामरूपेण लंकायां विनिपातितः
By Viṣṇu, in the form of Rāma, he was struck down in Laṅkā.
घातयित्वा तु तं दुष्टं सीतामादाय जानकीम्
Having slain that wicked one, he took Sītā, the daughter of Janaka.
तत्र राज्यमनुप्राप्य ऋषिभिः परिवारितः
There, having attained the kingdom, surrounded by sages—
पप्रच्छ च द्वयोर्वीर्यं शंभुवातजयोस्तदा
He then asked about the prowess of the two, Śaṃbhu and the Wind-born.
अनौपम्यो यथा देवो युद्धे शौर्यं? महेश्वरः
Just as the god Maheśvara is incomparable in valor in battle—
एतच्छुत्वाथ हनुमान्यद्धरेणो पमा मम
Hearing this, Hanumān said, 'Among monkeys, I am the equal.'
गमिष्ये नगरीं लंकां लिंगमेकं प्रयाचितुम् 5.1.21.
I will go to the city of Lanka to request a liṅga.
ततो गतः स लंकायां विभीषणमुवाच ह
Then, having gone to Lanka, he spoke to Vibhīṣaṇa.
उक्तं च राक्षसेन्द्रेण गृहाणैतद्यथा रुचि
And the king of the Rākṣasas said, 'Take this as you wish.'
त्रैलोक्यविजयात्पूर्वं मम भ्रात्रा महात्मना तत्प्रयच्छामि तेऽद्यैव सत्यमेतत्प्लवंगम
Before the conquest of the three worlds, my noble brother gave this; I now give it to you today, O monkey—this is the truth.