तद् देववचनं श्रुत्वा तदर्थं तु तपो महत् स्तुतिं चकार गङ्गाया भक्त्या प्रयतमानसः
Hearing the words of the god, he performed great austerity for that purpose, and with a devoted and concentrated mind, he composed a hymn to Gaṅgā.
तस्या अपि प्रसादं च प्राप्य बालो ऽप्य् अबालवत् गङ्गां महेश्वरात् प्राप्ताम् आदायागाद् रसातलम्
Having obtained her favor, though still a child, he, as if not a child, took Gaṅgā, received from Maheśvara, and went to the netherworld.
न्यवेदयत् स मुनये कपिलाय महात्मने यथोदितप्रकारेण गङ्गां संस्थाप्य यत्नतः
He carefully established Gaṅgā as prescribed and reported it to the great-souled sage Kapila.
प्रदक्षिणम् अथावर्त्य कृताञ्जलिपुटो ऽब्रवीत्
Then, having circumambulated with joined palms, he spoke.
देवि मे पितरः शापात् कपिलस्य महामुनेः प्राप्तास् ते विगतिं मातस् तस्मात् तान् पातुम् अर्हसि
O goddess, my ancestors, by the curse of the great sage Kapila, have met their end. Therefore, Mother, you ought to purify them.
तथेत्य् उक्त्वा सुरनदी सर्वेषाम् उपकारिका लोकानाम् उपकारार्थं पितॄणां पावनाय च
Saying, 'So be it,' the divine river, benefactress of all, for the welfare of the worlds and the purification of the ancestors, [agreed].
अगस्त्यपीतस्याम्भोधेः पूरणाय विशेषतः स्मरणाद् एव पापानां नाशाय सुरनिम्नगा
For the special purpose of filling the ocean drunk by Agastya, merely remembering the divine river destroys sins.
भगीरथोदितं चक्रे रसातलतले स्थितान् भस्मीभूतान् नृपसुतान् सागरांश् च विशेषतः
Bhagiratha caused the river to flow, especially for the ashes of the princes and the parts of the ocean that lay in the netherworld.
विनिर्दग्धान् अथाप्लाव्य खातपूरम् अथाकरोत् ततो मेरुं समाप्लाव्य स्थितां बालो ऽब्रवीन् नृपः
After purifying those who had been burned, he made a channel; then, having flooded Mount Meru, the child king spoke.
कर्मभूमौ त्वया भाव्यं तथेत्य् आगाद् धिमालयम् हिमवत्पर्वतात् पुण्याद् भारतं वर्षम् अभ्यगात्
You must accomplish this on the field of action; thus, she went to the Himalayas, and from the sacred mountain entered the land of Bharata.
तन्मध्यतः पुण्यनदी प्रायात् पूर्वार्णवं प्रति एवम् एषापि ते प्रोक्ता गङ्गा क्षात्रा महामुने
From its midst, the sacred river proceeded toward the eastern ocean; thus, O great sage, this is the account of the royal Ganga told to you.
माहेश्वरी वैष्णवी च सैव ब्राह्मी च पावनी भागीरथी देवनदी हिमवच्छिखराश्रया
She is the purifier, Maheshvari, Vaishnavi, and also Brahmi; Bhagirathi, the divine river, dwells among the peaks of the Himalayas.
महेश्वरजटावारि एवं द्वैविध्यम् आगतम् विन्ध्यस्य दक्षिणे गङ्गा गौतमी सा निगद्यते उत्तरे सापि विन्ध्यस्य भागीरथ्य् अभिधीयते
The water in Shiva's matted hair thus became twofold: south of the Vindhya she is called Gautami Ganga, and north of the Vindhya she is known as Bhagirathi.
न मनस् तृप्तिम् आधत्ते कथाः शृण्वत् त्वयेरिताः पृथक् तीर्थफलं श्रोतुं प्रवृत्तं मम मानसम्
My mind does not find satisfaction, hearing the stories you have told; it is eager to learn the fruits of the holy places.
क्रमशो ब्राह्मणानीतां गङ्गां मे प्रथमं वद पृथक् तीर्थफलं पुण्यं सेतिहासं यथाक्रमम्
Step by step, tell me first about the Ganga brought by the Brahmins, and separately, the fruits and merits of the holy places, along with their histories, in order.
तीर्थानां च पृथग् भावं फलं माहात्म्यम् एव च सर्वं वक्तुं न शक्नोमि न च त्वं श्रवणे क्षमः
I am unable to speak of the distinct nature, fruits, and greatness of all the holy places, nor are you able to listen to them all.
तथापि किंचिद् वक्ष्यामि शृणु नारद यत्नतः यान्य् उक्तानि च तीर्थानि श्रुतिवाक्यानि यानि च
Still, I will tell you something; listen carefully, O Narada, to the holy places and the statements of scripture that have been spoken.
तानि वक्ष्यामि संक्षेपान् नमस्कृत्वा त्रिलोचनम् यत्रासौ भगवान् आसीत् प्रत्यक्षस् त्र्यम्बको मुने
I will briefly tell you of those, after bowing to the Three-eyed One, where the blessed Lord was manifest, O sage, as Tryambaka.
त्र्यम्बकं नाम तत् तीर्थं भुक्तिमुक्तिप्रदायकम् वाराहम् अपरं तीर्थं त्रिषु लोकेषु विश्रुतम्
That holy place named Tryambaka grants enjoyment and liberation; another holy place, Varaha, is renowned in the three worlds.
तस्य रूपं प्रवक्ष्यामि नाम विष्णोर् यथाभवत् पुरा देवान् पराभूय यज्ञम् आदाय राक्षसः
I will describe its form and how it was named after Vishnu; once, having defeated the gods, a demon seized the sacrifice.
रसातलम् अनुप्राप्तः सिन्धुसेन इति श्रुतः यज्ञे तलम् अनुप्राप्ते निर्यज्ञा ह्य् अभवन् मही
He entered the netherworld, known as Sindhusena; when the sacrifice was taken to the netherworld, the earth became devoid of sacrifice.
नायं लोको ऽस्ति न परो यज्ञे नष्ट इतीत्वराः सुरास् तम् एव विविशू रसातलम् अनुद्विषम्
There is neither this world nor the next; with the sacrifice lost, the gods, anxious, entered the netherworld, following him.
नाशक्नुवंस् तु तं जेतुं देवा इन्द्रपुरोगमाः विष्णुं पुराणपुरुषं गत्वा तस्मै न्यवेदयन्
The gods, led by Indra, were unable to defeat him; they went to Vishnu, the ancient person, and reported the matter to him.
राक्षसस्य तु तत् कर्म यज्ञभ्रंशम् अशेषतः ततः प्रोवाच भगवान् वाराहं वपुर् आस्थितः
The demon's act was the complete destruction of the sacrifice; then the blessed Lord, assuming the form of Varaha, spoke.
शङ्खचक्रगदापाणिर् गत्वा चैव रसातलम् आनयिष्ये मखं पुण्यं हत्वा राक्षसपुंगवान्
Bearing the conch, discus, and mace in my hand, I will go to the netherworld and bring back the sacred sacrifice, having slain the foremost among the Rakshasas.
स्वः प्रयान्तु सुराः सर्वे व्येतु वो मानसो ज्वरः येन गङ्गा तलं प्राप्ता पथा तेनैव चक्रधृक्
Let all the gods return to heaven; may your mental distress subside. By the very path by which the Ganga reached the depths, by that path shall the wielder of the discus go.
जगाम तरसा पुत्र भुवं भित्त्वा रसातलम् स वराहवपुः श्रीमान् रसातलनिवासिनः
Then, O son, he swiftly went, piercing the earth and reaching the netherworld, that glorious one in the form of the Boar, among the dwellers of the nether regions.
राक्षसान् दानवान् हत्वा मुखे धृत्वा महाध्वरम् वाराहरूपी भगवान् मखम् आदाय यज्ञभुक्
Having slain the Rakshasas and Danavas, holding the great sacrifice in his mouth, the Lord, in the form of the Boar, the enjoyer of the sacrifice, took up the sacrificial rite.
येन प्राप तलं विष्णुः पथा तेनैव शत्रुजित् मुखे न्यस्य महायज्ञं निश्चक्राम रसातलात्
By the very path by which Vishnu reached the depths, by that same path, the conqueror of foes, placing the great sacrifice in his mouth, emerged from the netherworld.
तत्र ब्रह्मगिरौ देवाः प्रतीक्षां चक्रिरे हरेः पथस् तस्माद् विनिःसृत्य गङ्गास्रवणम् अभ्यगात्
There, on the Brahmagiri mountain, the gods awaited the path of Hari; from there, having emerged, he approached the source of the Ganga.