Kedāra Khaṇḍa in Skanda Purāṇa’s Māheśvara Khaṇḍa
Kedāra Khaṇḍa, simply known as Kedara Khanda, Sanskrit: केदार खण्ड, Telugu: కేదార ఖండం, Hindi: केदार खंड.
The Kedāra Khaṇḍa is a sacred sub-section that forms the first major division of the Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, which itself is the beginning of the great Skanda Purāṇa. It has thirty-five chapters (adhyāyas). Its subject is the glory of Śiva, the Śivaliṅga and Kedāra tīrtha (place of pilgrimage). It is a guide to the holy ground of the Himālaya, above all the region around Kedārnātha, one of the twelve Jyotirliṅgas and a main site of the Cārdhāma Yātrā. It is a theological and geographical guide to the mountain abode of Bhagavān Śiva.
Through its narratives and its descriptions of mountains, rivers and forests, the Kedāra Khaṇḍa sets out the Himālaya as the highest refuge for tapas (austerity) and the final ground for reaching moksha (liberation). Its narratives show Śiva’s grace upon devotees from all walks of life: the destruction of Daksha’s yajña (fire rite), the churning of the ocean (samudra manthana), the birth of Kārttikeya, the defeat of Tārakāsura, and the chief vratas (vows) and forms of upāsanā (worship). To understand this Khaṇḍa is to grasp the holiness of the Himālaya as the physical form of Parameśvara.
Significance
The Kedāra Khaṇḍa holds great importance for all traditions, above all for the Śaiva tradition and for pilgrimage.
- Defining the holy ground: It gives scriptural authority and historical setting to the whole Uttarakhand region (Garhwal and Kumaon). It is a bedrock text for the importance of Kedārnātha and Badrināth (which it includes, joining the Śaiva and Vaishṇava traditions).
- Source of the Jyotirliṅga: It gives the narrative of the origin of the Kedārnātha Liṅga and its particular form, and affirms that Bhagavān Śiva dwells in the mountains.
- The Pāṇḍava connection: It sanctifies the region through the account of the Pāṇḍavas doing tapas here after the Mahābhārata war, to be freed from the pāpa (sin) of gotrahatyā (killing one’s kinsmen).
Narrator and audience
The teaching of the Kedāra Khaṇḍa comes down through a respected line of tellers. It is a dialogue within a dialogue.
- The frame narrative: The usual conversation of Sūta Romaharshaṇa with the ṛshis at Naimishāraṇya is the formal setting. Sūta speaks to Śaunaka and the ṛshis of Naimishāraṇya and quotes Lomaśa, who himself tells most of the episodes.
- Lomaśa at Naimishāraṇya: Naimishāraṇya is the foremost tīrtha. There Śaunaka and other ṛshis, who are performing a dīrghasatra (a long yajña session), welcome Lomaśa, a disciple of Vyāsa. The ṛshis ask about Śiva-dharma and the results of the different acts of worship. Lomaśa answers by telling the whole sequence of events on Śiva’s supremacy, the holiness of Śivaliṅga pūjā, and the narratives that show Śiva’s grace upon devotees from all walks of life (chapter 1).
- The core dialogue: The bulk of the Khaṇḍa is also given as the discourse of Vālmīki muni (the author of the Rāmāyaṇa) to the ṛshis, or as a teaching from Bhagavān Brahmā to Nārada Muni, all stressing the pre-eminence of the Himālayan tīrthas.
Structure
The Kedāra Khaṇḍa is arranged by place and by devotion, and leads the reader through the holy geography of the mountains:
- Gaṅgā and the confluences: The origin and descent of the Gaṅgā and the holiness of the Pañca Prayāgas (five holy confluences).
- Kshetra Māhātmya: The particular narratives and glorification of Kedārnātha and Badrinātha.
- Tapas and nīti: Narratives of the tapas done by the ṛshis of old and the code of conduct for a pilgrim.
- The Himālaya described: Detailed accounts of mountains, forests, rivers, and the beings (Yakshas, Kinnaras) who live there.
Contents
The descent of the Gaṅgā and the Pañca Prayāgas
The Khaṇḍa gives a grand description of the river Gaṅgā, whose waters are Śiva’s hair. It glorifies the Pañca Prayāgas, the five holy confluences where the streams of the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers meet:
- Vishṇuprayāg
- Nandaprayāg
- Karnaprayāg
- Rudraprayāg
- Devaprayāg
The Khaṇḍa says that bathing at these sites removes all pāpa and gives the puṇya (merit) of the Aśvamedha Yajña (horse yajña).
The glory of Kedārnātha
The heart of the section sets out the great holiness of the Kedāra Kshetra.
- The Liṅga’s origin: It tells how the Pāṇḍavas sought to atone after the war. Bhagavān Śiva at first avoided them and took the form of a bull. When the Pāṇḍavas caught the bull, it vanished into the earth and left behind its hump, which became the Kedārnātha Liṅga.
- Pūjā and ritual: It gives exact instructions for the pūjā of the Jyotirliṅga and the right conduct for pilgrims who visit this hard, high-altitude tīrtha.
Hari and Hara together
The Kedāra Khaṇḍa, while Śaiva, includes the glory of Bhagavān Vishṇu through Badarikāśrama (Badrināth). It sets out the holiness of the Badarikā forest and the importance of the pūjā of Nara-Nārāyaṇa (forms of Vishṇu and Kṛshṇa), who dwell there. It stresses the oneness (abheda) of Śiva and Vishṇu in the Himālaya.
Narratives of tapas and renunciation
The text is rich in narratives of ṛshis who did intense tapas in the mountains. These narratives show the power of tapas to overcome karma and win the grace of Parameśvara. It describes the āśramas set up by ṛshis such as Vasishṭha, Atri and Vyāsa in the remote Himālayan valleys. This section is an inspiration for a life of vairāgya (renunciation).
Phala śruti (fruits of recitation)
The study of the Kedāra Khaṇḍa brings the spiritual benefits of a hard Himālayan pilgrimage without the bodily hardships.
- Freedom from grave pāpa: Because the Pāṇḍavas sought atonement here, the Khaṇḍa promises complete freedom from pāpa such as gotrahatyā (slaying family members) and brahmahatyā (killing a brāhmaṇa).
- Reaching the higher lokas: The devotee gains puṇya equal to that of great yajñas and is assured a place in Śiva Loka (Kailāsa) or Vishṇu Loka (Vaikuṇṭha), according to their devotion.
- Clarity of mind: Knowledge of the holy geography and of the narratives on dharma gives the devotee nirmalatā (purity) and clarity of mind, and helps in meditation.
Character of the Khaṇḍa
- The Himālayan guide: The Kedāra Khaṇḍa gives itself wholly to the geography, narratives and pilgrimage route of the Garhwal region (modern Uttarakhand). It is the prime historical and religious reference for this area.
- Mountain and forest: Its focus is a forest and mountain tīrtha. It stresses the primal power of nature and the need for tapas.
- Śaiva and Vaishṇava together: It holds both Kedārnātha (Śiva) and Badrinātha (Vishṇu) in a single Khaṇḍa under the Śaiva banner, a strong statement of the unity of the highest Himālayan pilgrimage sites.
The thirty-five chapters
Adhyāya 1: Daksha’s śāpa and Nandi’s counter-śāpa
Daksha meets Śiva at Naimishāraṇya. He is enraged when Śiva does not rise to greet him, and he curses Śiva as unfit for yajñas. Nandi answers with a counter-śāpa (curse) on Daksha’s followers. Śiva calmly rebukes Nandi for cursing brāhmaṇas and brings him back to calm. Daksha leaves in anger and vows lasting enmity toward Śiva.
Adhyāya 2: Satī goes to the yajña
Daksha begins a great mahāyajña at Kanakhala (Kanakhala-tīrtha) on the Gaṅgā. All the devas, ṛshis and Prajāpatis are invited, except Śiva. Satī learns of it through Candra and insists on going. Śiva warns her not to go uninvited, but Satī overrules him. Śiva sends her with sixty thousand gaṇas (his attendants).
Adhyāya 3: Satī gives up her body; Vīrabhadra is born
Satī confronts Daksha, who abuses Śiva. Unable to go back to Śiva after hearing her husband insulted, Satī enters the yajña fire. Śiva hears of it from Nārada. He rises in fury and strikes his jaṭā (matted hair) on the mountain summit. From it arise Vīrabhadra and Kālikā with vast hosts.
Adhyāya 4: Vīrabhadra’s battle
Vīrabhadra’s forces clash with Indra, Vishṇu and the devas. At first the power of Bhṛgu’s mantra drives back the gaṇas. Then Vīrabhadra swallows Vishṇu’s Sudarśana cakra and makes it come back out. Vishṇu withdraws with grace and acknowledges Śiva’s supremacy.
Adhyāya 5: The yajña destroyed; Daksha brought back to life
The gaṇas rout all the devas, behead Daksha and throw his head into the fire. Brahmā pleads with Śiva at Kailāsa. Śiva relents. Because Daksha’s own head has burnt, his body is brought back to life with a goat’s head. Two more narratives are told:
- Indrasena: a king full of pāpa is freed because he used to cry “āhara, prahara” (“bring, strike”), words that contain Śiva’s name.
- Nandi Vaiśya and the Kirāta: a devotee’s sincere but unusual pūjā wins Śiva’s grace.
Adhyāya 6: Dāruvana; the endless Liṅga; the Jyotirliṅgas
After Satī’s death, Śiva wanders through Dāruvana as a naked ascetic. The wives of the ṛshis follow him, and the ṛshis curse his liṅga. The liṅga falls and grows into an endless pillar. Brahmā (going up into the sky) and Vishṇu (going down into pātāla) find neither its top nor its bottom. Brahmā lies and is cursed. The list of the twelve Jyotirliṅgas is given: Kedāreśvara, Viśveśvara (Kāśī), Mahākāla (Ujjain), Oṃkāra (Narmadā), Tryambaka (Brahmagiri), Somanātha (Saurāshṭra), Śikhareśvara (Śrīśaila), Amareśvara, Bhīmeśa, Drākshārāmeśvara (Gaṅgā-sāgara), Siṃhanātha, and others.
Adhyāya 7: Pāśupata dharma; the Pañcāksharī vidyā
The Pāśupata dharma is set up, with Nandi as the one who spreads it. The Pañcāksharī (Namaḥ Śivāya) and the Shaḍaksharī (Oṃ Namaḥ Śivāya) vidyā are taught as supreme. Two narratives show that any contact with Śiva’s holy space brings moksha: the princess Sundarī, reborn from a bird that by chance swept a Śiva temple, and a thief, freed by climbing the Śivaliṅga.
Adhyāya 8: Rāvaṇa’s pūjā; Nandī’s śāpa; the Rāma avatāra
Rāvaṇa does extreme tapas, offering his ten heads to Śiva over a thousand years. He wins invincibility and rule over the three worlds. Nandī curses Rāvaṇa that monkeys will destroy him. Vishṇu plans the Rāma avatāra: each deva takes a vānara form, Vishṇu is born as Rāma at Ayodhyā, and Brahma-vidyā is born as Sītā at Mithilā.
Adhyāya 9: Bṛhaspati insulted; Bali takes svarga; the churning begins
Indra fails to honour Bṛhaspati, and Bṛhaspati vanishes. Bali seizes svarga. Indra and the devas go to Vishṇu. The plan of the samudra manthana is made. The Kālakūṭa poison comes up and burns all the worlds.
Adhyāya 10: Gaṇeśa’s origin; Śiva swallows the Kālakūṭa
Gaṇeśa, son of Māyā (Prakṛti), battles Śiva, and Śiva cuts off his head. Paraśakti intercedes, and Śiva brings him back to life with a gaja (elephant) head. Gaṇeśa becomes lord of the gaṇas and of vighnas (obstacles). The devas appeal to Śiva through Gaṇeśa, and Śiva swallows the Kālakūṭa poison. His throat turns blue (Nīlakaṇṭha). The vidhi (method) of Gaṇeśa pūjā is taught.
Adhyāya 11: Gaṇeśa’s five-headed form; the churning goes on
Gaṇeśa’s pañcamukha (five-faced) form and his role as overseer of the cosmos are described. The churning starts again. Candra (the moon), Surabhi (the divine cow) and others come up from the ocean.
Adhyāya 12: Dhanvantari, Mohinī, Rāhu beheaded
Dhanvantari rises with the amṛta-kalaśa (pot of nectar). Vishṇu takes the form of Mohinī to give out the amṛta to the devas. Rāhu disguises himself among the devas. Sūrya and Candra expose him, and Vishṇu cuts off his head with the Sudarśana. The head becomes Rāhu and the body becomes Ketu.
Adhyāya 13: The war of devas and asuras; Kālanemi
The full war of the devas and asuras is told. Kālanemi leads the asuras in a terrible battle.
Adhyāya 14: Kālanemi slain; Bali brought back to life
Vishṇu kills Kālanemi. Śukrācārya uses the Mṛtasañjīvanī vidyā to bring Bali back to life again and again.
Adhyāya 15: Brahmahatyā; Nahusha as Indra
Indra is struck by brahmahatyā after killing Vṛtra, who had been a brāhmaṇa in a former birth. Nahusha is made Indra for a time. Nahusha’s pride grows. He offends Agastya and is cursed to become a serpent.
Adhyāya 16: The brahmahatyā shared out; Dadhīci’s bones; Suvarcā; Pippalāda
Indra’s brahmahatyā is shared out among trees, rivers, the earth and women (as menstrual blood). Dadhīci gives his bones, and Tvashṭā forges the Vajra and the Brahmaśiras from them. The narrative of Suvarcā and Pippalāda is told.
Adhyāya 17: Vṛtra’s origin; the Pradosha vrata; Vṛtra’s battle
In a former life Vṛtra was Citraratha, a gandharva. The Pradosha vrata is taught, with Śiva’s 100 names. Vṛtra battles the devas.
Adhyāya 18: Bali’s yajña; Aditi’s Payovrata; Vāmana appears
Bali performs a great yajña. Aditi keeps the Payovrata for twelve days, and Vishṇu appears as Vāmana. A narrative of pūjā of Śiva done by chance is told.
Adhyāya 19: Vāmana and Bali; Trivikrama; the Gaṅgā; Bali in Sutala
Vāmana asks for three steps of land, and Bali grants them. Vishṇu becomes Trivikrama and covers all the worlds in two steps. The Gaṅgā flows from Vishṇu’s foot (padodaka, the water of his foot). Bali is sent to Sutala, and Vishṇu becomes his doorkeeper.
Adhyāya 20: The teaching on the liṅga; Tārakāsura’s vara; Pārvatī’s birth
A discourse teaches that the liṅga is the ground of all creation. Tāraka does terrible tapas and receives a vara (boon) that makes him almost invincible. Pārvatī is born to Himavān and Menā.
Adhyāya 21: Pārvatī’s tapas; Manmatha burnt; Rati’s grief; Śambara
Pārvatī takes up tapas to win Śiva. Śiva sends Manmatha to awaken desire; Śiva opens his third eye and burns Manmatha to ashes. Rati mourns. The asura Śambara carries Rati away.
Adhyāya 22: Śiva comes to Pārvatī and shows himself
Śiva comes to Pārvatī disguised as a young ascetic (vāṭu). He tests her devotion, first by praising Śiva and then by finding fault with him. When Pārvatī stays firm, Śiva shows his true form.
Adhyāya 23: The ṛshis as Śiva’s envoys; the wedding prepared; Nārada invites all
Śiva sends ṛshis as envoys to Himavān. The wedding preparations begin at Kailāsa. Nārada travels the three worlds and invites all beings.
Adhyāya 24: Viśvakarmā builds the maṇḍapa; Śiva’s wedding procession
Viśvakarmā builds the wedding pavilion (maṇḍapa). Śiva’s grand wedding procession, a fearsome gathering of gaṇas, bhūtas and pramathas, reaches Himavān’s home.
Adhyāya 25: The wedding; Śiva’s kula and gotra; Nārada’s answer
The divine wedding takes place. Himavān and the other elders ask Śiva’s kula (family) and gotra (lineage). Nārada explains that these cannot be given: Śiva is the source of all kulas and gotras.
Adhyāya 26: The havana; the Vālkhilyas born; the wedding complete
The wedding havana (fire offering) is made. The Vālkhilya ṛshis are born from Brahmā during the ceremony. The wedding is completed, and Pārvatī leaves for Kailāsa.
Adhyāya 27: Birth of Kārttikeya
Śiva’s retas (seed) enters Agni. It is received by the devas, given to the Kṛttikā stars and placed in the Gaṅgā. Kārttikeya is born on the bank of the Gaṅgā. Senā (Devasenā) becomes his wife.
Adhyāya 28: Preparing for war; Mucukunda fights
The devas prepare for war against Tāraka. King Mucukunda fights for the devas.
Adhyāya 29: Vīrabhadra fights; Kārttikeya readies the Śakti
Vīrabhadra fights Tāraka at length. Kārttikeya makes ready the divine Śakti weapon that Śiva gave him.
Adhyāya 30: Kārttikeya kills Tāraka; the teaching on the Bāṇaliṅga
Kārttikeya hurls the Śakti weapon and Tāraka is slain. The victory is celebrated. Yama visits Śiva, and the teaching on the Bāṇaliṅga is given.
Adhyāya 31: Kārttikeya’s greatness; the advaita teaching to Yama
Kārttikeya’s mahimā (greatness) is told. Śiva teaches advaita (non-duality) to Yama: the nature of the ātmā, the unreality of saṃsāra (the round of births), and the path to moksha.
Adhyāya 32: King Śveta; Kāla burnt; Yama’s new rules
King Śveta, a devoted king, reaches moksha. Śiva burns Kāla (Death) and brings him back to life. Yama gives new rules to his dūtas (messengers): devotees of Śiva and devotees of Vishṇu are to be treated with full reverence.
Adhyāya 33: Śivarātri Māhātmya; Caṇḍa and Duḥsaha; the Kālacakra
The Śivarātri vrata is taught through the narrative of Caṇḍa, a hunter, and Duḥsaha. The Kālacakra, the match of each tithi (lunar day) to its deva and the order of holy time, is set out in full.
Adhyāya 34: Nārada at Kailāsa; the game of dice; Bhṛṅgi cursed
Nārada visits Kailāsa. Śiva and Pārvatī play the game of dice (dyūta). Bhṛṅgi goes around Śiva alone, and Pārvatī curses him to lose all his flesh. Śiva withdraws to the forest.
Adhyāya 35: Pārvatī as Śabarī; Śiva and Pārvatī reunited; end of the Khaṇḍa
Pārvatī disguises herself as a tribal woman (Śabarī). Śiva is drawn to her, and they are reconciled. The Kedāra Khaṇḍa closes with a summary of its phalaśruti (the fruit of hearing it).
Main themes
- Śiva as Parabrahman in the form of the liṅga (liṅga-rūpa)
- The Daksha yajña as the pattern of pride and what it brings
- The Pāśupata dharma and Śivaliṅga pūjā as the highest path
- The samudra manthana, the churning of the ocean for amṛta
- The birth and battles of Kārttikeya
- Śivarātri and Pradosha as the chief vratas
- Advaita teaching woven into the narrative
Read Kedāra Khaṇḍa in Skanda Purāṇa’s Māheśvara Khaṇḍa Online
Sources
- Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kedāra Khaṇḍa (Telugu commentary edition), chapters 1–35