ततो ऽसि वक्त्राद् विप्रर्षे द्रुतं निःसारितो मया आख्यातस् ते मया चात्मा दुर्ज्ञेयो हि सुरासुरैः
Then, O best of sages, I swiftly expelled you from my mouth; I have told you this, and my true nature is difficult for gods and demons to know.
यावत् स भगवान् ब्रह्मा न बुध्येत महातपाः तावत् त्वम् इह विप्रर्षे विश्रब्धश् चर वै सुखम्
Until that blessed Lord Brahmā, great in austerity, becomes aware, you, O best of sages, may dwell here confidently and happily.
ततो विबुद्धे तस्मिंस् तु सर्वलोकपितामहे एको भूतानि स्रक्ष्यामि शरीराणि द्विजोत्तम
Then, when the Grandfather of all worlds awakens, I alone, O best of twice-born, will create all beings and bodies.
आकाशं पृथिवीं ज्योतिर् वायुः सलिलम् एव च लोके यच् च भवेत् किंचिद् इह स्थावरजङ्गमम्
Space, earth, fire, wind, and water, and whatever else exists in the world, whether immobile or mobile, will be created here.
एवम् उक्त्वा तदा विप्राः पुनस् तं प्राह माधवः पूर्णे युगसहस्रे तु मेघगम्भीरनिस्वनः
Having spoken thus, O sages, Mādhava addressed him again, his voice deep as thunder, when a thousand ages had passed.
मुने ब्रूहि यदर्थं मां स्तुतवान् परमार्थतः वरं वृणीष्व यच् छ्रेष्ठं ददामि नचिराद् अहम्
O sage, tell me truly for what purpose you praised me; choose the best boon, for I shall grant it to you without delay.
आयुष्मान् असि देवानां मद्भक्तो ऽसि दृढव्रतः तेन त्वम् असि विप्रेन्द्र पुनर् दीर्घायुर् आप्नुहि
You are long-lived among the gods, devoted to me, firm in your vows; therefore, O best of Brāhmaṇas, you shall again obtain long life.
श्रुत्वा वाणीं शुभां तस्य विलोक्य स तदा पुनः मूर्ध्ना निपत्य सहसा प्रणम्य पुनर् अब्रवीत्
Hearing his auspicious words and beholding him, he at once bowed down with his head and, having offered obeisance, spoke again.
दृष्टं परं हि देवेश तव रूपं द्विजोत्तम मोहो ऽयं विगतः सत्यं त्वयि दृष्टे तु मे हरे
O Lord of gods, I have seen your supreme form, O best of Brāhmaṇas; this delusion has truly departed upon seeing you, O Hari.
एवम् एवम् अहं नाथ इच्छेयं त्वत्प्रसादतः लोकानां च हितार्थाय नानाभावप्रशान्तये
So it is, O Lord; by your grace, I desire only this: for the welfare of the worlds and the pacification of various disputes.
शैवभागवतानां च वादार्थप्रतिषेधकम् अस्मिन् क्षेत्रवरे पुण्ये निर्मले पुरुषोत्तमे
And for the refutation of the debates between Śaivas and Bhāgavatas, in this most sacred, pure, and excellent field, O Supreme Person.
शिवस्यायतनं देव करोमि परमं महत् प्रतिष्ठेय तथा तत्र तव स्थाने च शंकरम्
O God, I shall establish here a great and supreme shrine of Śiva, and likewise, I shall install Śaṅkara in your place.
ततो ज्ञास्यन्ति लोके ऽस्मिन्न् एकमूर्ती हरीश्वरौ प्रत्युवाच जगन्नाथः स पुनस् तं महामुनिम्
Then, in this world, people will know Hari and Īśvara as one form; the Lord of the universe thus replied again to that great sage.
यद् एतत् परमं देवं कारणं भुवनेश्वरम् लिङ्गम् आराधनार्थाय नानाभावप्रशान्तये
This supreme god, the cause and Lord of the worlds, this liṅga is for worship, for the pacification of various disputes.
ममादिष्टेन विप्रेन्द्र कुरु शीघ्रं शिवालयम् तत्प्रभावाच् छिवलोके तिष्ठ त्वं च तथाक्षयम्
By my command, O best of Brāhmaṇas, quickly establish a temple of Śiva; by its power, you shall abide eternally in the realm of Śiva.
शिवे संस्थापिते विप्र मम संस्थापनं भवेत् नावयोर् अन्तरं किंचिद् एकभावौ द्विधा कृतौ
When Śiva is established, O sage, my own establishment is accomplished; there is no difference between us—one essence appearing as two.
यो रुद्रः स स्वयं विष्णुर् यो विष्णुः स महेश्वरः उभयोर् अन्तरं नास्ति पवनाकाशयोर् इव
He who is Rudra is himself Viṣṇu; he who is Viṣṇu is Maheśvara. There is no difference between the two, just as between wind and space.
मोहितो नाभिजानाति य एव गरुडध्वजः वृषध्वजः स एवेति त्रिपुरघ्नं त्रिलोचनम्
Deluded, one does not recognize that he who bears the banner of Garuḍa is the same as he who bears the bull-banner, the slayer of Tripura, the three-eyed one.
तव नामाङ्कितं तस्मात् कुरु विप्र शिवालयम् उत्तरे देवदेवस्य कुरु तीर्थं सुशोभनम्
Therefore, O brāhmaṇa, establish a temple of Śiva bearing your name; in the north, create a beautiful sacred place for the Lord of gods.
मार्कण्डेयह्रदो नाम नरलोकेषु विश्रुतः भविष्यति द्विजश्रेष्ठ सर्वपापप्रणाशनः
The pond named Mārkaṇḍeya will become renowned among men, O best of twice-born; it will destroy all sins.
इत्य् उक्त्वा स तदा देवस् तत्रैवान्तरधीयत मार्कण्डेयं मुनिश्रेष्ठाः सर्वव्यापी जनार्दनः
Having spoken thus, the god at that moment vanished there itself—Janārdana, the all-pervading, to Mārkaṇḍeya, best of sages.
अतः परं प्रवक्ष्यामि पञ्चतीर्थविधिं द्विजाः यत् फलं स्नानदानेन देवताप्रेक्षणेन च
Now I shall explain the procedure of the five sacred waters, O twice-born, and the fruit gained by bathing, giving, and beholding the deity.
मार्कण्डेयह्रदं गत्वा नरश् चोदङ्मुखः शुचिः निमज्जेत् तत्र वारांस् त्रीन् इमं मन्त्रम् उदीरयेत्
Going to the Mārkaṇḍeya pond, facing north, pure, a man should immerse himself three times in the water and recite this mantra.
संसारसागरे मग्नं पापग्रस्तम् अचेतनम् त्राहि मां भगनेत्रघ्न त्रिपुरारे नमो ऽस्तु ते
O slayer of Bhaga's eye, O enemy of Tripura, I bow to you—rescue me, who am sunk in the ocean of worldly existence, seized by sin, and unconscious.
नमः शिवाय शान्ताय सर्वपापहराय च स्नानं करोमि देवेश मम नश्यतु पातकम्
Salutations to Śiva, the peaceful one, the remover of all sins; I bathe, O Lord of gods—may my sin be destroyed.
नाभिमात्रे जले स्नात्वा विधिवद् देवता ऋषीन् तिलोदकेन मतिमान् पितॄंश् चान्यांश् च तर्पयेत्
Having bathed in water up to the navel, according to the rite, one should satisfy the deities, sages, ancestors, and others with water mixed with sesame, with a focused mind.
स्नात्वा तथैव चाचम्य ततो गच्छेच् छिवालयम् प्रविश्य देवतागारं कृत्वा तं त्रिः प्रदक्षिणम्
After bathing and sipping water in the prescribed way, one should go to the temple of Śiva, enter the shrine, and circumambulate it three times.
मूलमन्त्रेण संपूज्य मार्कण्डेयस्य चेश्वरम् अघोरेण च भो विप्राः प्रणिपत्य प्रसादयेत्
With the root mantra, worship the Lord of Mārkaṇḍeya, O brāhmaṇas, and with the Aghora mantra, bow down and propitiate him.
त्रिलोचन नमस् ते ऽस्तु नमस् ते शशिभूषण त्राहि मां त्वं विरूपाक्ष महादेव नमो ऽस्तु ते
O three-eyed one, salutations to you; salutations to you, O wearer of the moon. Protect me, O Virūpākṣa, O great god, salutations to you.
मार्कण्डेयह्रदे त्व् एवं स्नात्वा दृष्ट्वा च शंकरम् दशानाम् अश्वमेधानां फलं प्राप्नोति मानवः
Having thus bathed in the Mārkaṇḍeya pond and seen Śaṃkara, a man obtains the fruit of ten Aśvamedha sacrifices.