भार्यान्वितस् तथा चक्रे कश्यपो मुनिसत्तमः ततः प्रभृति तत् तीर्थम् उभयोः संगमं विदुः सर्वपापप्रशमनं सर्वक्रतुफलप्रदम्
Thus, accompanied by his wives, the great sage Kaśyapa acted; from that time, that sacred place is known as the confluence of the two, the destroyer of all sins and the bestower of all sacrificial rewards.
पुरूरवसम् आख्यातं तीर्थं वेदविदो विदुः स्मरणाद् एव पापानां नाशनं किं तु दर्शनात्
The sacred place called Purūravas is known to those learned in the Vedas; by merely remembering it, sins are destroyed, and even more so by seeing it.
पुरूरवा ब्रह्मसदः प्राप्य तत्र सरस्वतीम् यदृच्छया देवनदीं हसन्तीं ब्रह्मणो ऽन्तिके तां दृष्ट्वा रूपसंपन्नाम् उर्वशीं प्राह भूपतिः
Pururavas, having reached the assembly of Brahma, there by chance saw Sarasvati, the divine river, laughing near Brahma. Seeing her, radiant in beauty, the king addressed Urvashi.
केयं रूपवती साध्वी स्थितेयं ब्रह्मणो ऽन्तिके सर्वासाम् उत्तमा योषिद् दीपयन्ती सभाम् इमाम्
"Who is this beautiful and virtuous woman, standing near Brahma? She outshines all women here and illumines this entire assembly."
उर्वशी प्राह राजानम् इयं देवनदी शुभा सरस्वती ब्रह्मसुता नित्यम् एति च याति च तच् छ्रुत्वा विस्मितो राजा आनयेमां ममान्तिकम्
Urvashi said to the king, "This auspicious divine river is Sarasvati, daughter of Brahma. She always comes and goes here." Hearing this, the king was amazed and said, "Bring her to me."
उर्वशी पुनर् अप्य् आह राजानं भूरिदक्षिणम्
Urvashi again spoke to the generous king.
आनीयते महाराज तस्याः सर्वं निवेद्य च
"She will be brought, O great king, and everything will be conveyed to her."
ततस् तां प्राहिणोत् तत्र राजा प्रीत्या तदोर्वशीम् सा गत्वा राजवचनं न्यवेदयद् अथोर्वशी
Then the king, pleased, sent Urvashi there. She went and delivered the king's message, and then Urvashi—
सरस्वत्य् अपि तन् मेने उर्वश्या यन् निवेदितम् सा तथेति प्रतिज्ञाय प्रायाद् यत्र पुरूरवाः
Sarasvati accepted what Urvashi conveyed and, agreeing to it, went to where Pururavas was.
सरस्वत्यास् ततस् तीरे स रेमे बहुलाः समाः सरस्वान् अभवत् पुत्रो यस्य पुत्रो बृहद्रथः
On the bank of Sarasvati, he dwelt for many years. Sarasvant was born as his son, and his son was Brihadratha.
तां गच्छन्तीं नृपगृहं नित्यम् एव सरस्वतीम् सरस्वन्तं ततो लक्ष्म ज्ञात्वान्येषु तथा कृतम्
As Sarasvati always went to the king's house, O Lakshma, Sarasvant was thus known among others.
तस्यै ददाव् अहं शापं भूया इति महानदी मच्छापभीता वागीशा प्रागाद् देवीं च गौतमीम्
To her I gave a curse: 'Become a great river again.' Fearing my curse, the goddess of speech went eastward and became the Gautami.
कमण्डलुभवां पूतां मातरं लोकपावनीम् तापत्रयोपशमनीम् ऐहिकामुष्मिकप्रदाम्
Born from the water-pot, pure, the mother who purifies the worlds, who soothes the threefold suffering, who grants both worldly and otherworldly rewards.
सा गत्वा गौतमीं देवीं प्राह मच्छापम् आदितः गङ्गापि माम् उवाचेदं विशापां कर्तुम् अर्हसि
She went to the goddess Gautami and spoke of my curse from the beginning. Ganga also said to me, 'You should remove the curse.'
न युक्तं यत् सरस्वत्याः शापं त्वं दत्तवान् असि स्त्रीणाम् एष स्वभावो वै पुंस्कामा योषितो यतः
"It is not right that you have given a curse to Sarasvati. Such is the nature of women, for women desire men."
स्वभावचपला ब्रह्मन् योषितः सकला अपि त्वं कथं तु न जानीषे जगत्स्रष्टाम्बुजासन
"All women, O Brahma, are fickle by nature. How is it that you, O lotus-seated creator of the world, do not know this?"
विडम्बयति कं वा न कामो वापि स्वभावतः ततो विशापम् अवदं दृश्यापि स्यात् सरस्वती
"Who is not deceived by desire, which arises naturally? Therefore, I declared: 'Let Sarasvati be visible as well.'"
तस्माच् छापान् नदी मर्त्ये दृश्यादृश्या सरस्वती यत्रैषा संगता देवी गङ्गायां शापविह्वला
Therefore, because of the curse, Sarasvati appears and disappears among mortals. Wherever this goddess, afflicted by the curse, joins the Ganga—
तत्र प्रायान् नृपवरो धार्मिकः स पुरूरवाः तपस् तप्त्वा समाराध्य देवं सिद्धेश्वरं हरम्
There, the righteous king Pururavas went, performed austerities, and worshipped the accomplished lord Hara.
सर्वान् कामान् अथावाप गङ्गायाश् च प्रसादतः ततः प्रभृति तत् तीर्थं पुरूरवसम् उच्यते
He obtained all his desires by the grace of Ganga. From then on, that holy place is called Pururavasa.
सरस्वतीसंगमं च ब्रह्मतीर्थं तद् उच्यते सिद्धेश्वरो यत्र देवः सर्वकामप्रदं तु तत्
The confluence of Sarasvati is called the Brahma Tirtha, where the lord of perfection dwells; that place grants all desires.
सावित्री चैव गायत्री श्रद्धा मेधा सरस्वती एतानि पञ्च तीर्थानि पुण्यानि मुनयो विदुः
Savitri, Gayatri, Shraddha, Medha, and Sarasvati—these five holy tirthas are known by sages as sacred.
तत्र स्नात्वा तु पीत्वा तु मुच्यते सर्वकल्मषात् सावित्री चैव गायत्री श्रद्धा मेधा सरस्वती
There, by bathing and drinking, one is freed from all impurities; Savitri, Gayatri, Shraddha, Medha, and Sarasvati.
एता मम सुता ज्येष्ठा धर्मसंस्थानहेतवः सर्वासाम् उत्तमां कांचिन् निर्ममे लोकसुन्दरीम्
These are my eldest daughters, established for the sake of dharma; among them, I created one supreme, a beauty among worlds.
तां दृष्ट्वा विकृता बुद्धिर् ममासीन् मुनिसत्तम गृह्यमाणा मया बाला सा मां दृष्ट्वा पलायिता
Seeing her, my mind became disturbed, O best of sages; as I tried to take the young girl, she saw me and fled.
मृगीभूता तु सा बाला मृगो ऽहम् अभवं तदा मृगव्याधो ऽभवच् छंभुर् धर्मसंरक्षणाय च
That young girl became a deer, and I became a deer then; Shambhu became a hunter to protect dharma.
ता मद्भीताः पञ्च सुता गङ्गाम् ईयुर् महानदीम् ततो महेश्वरः प्रायाद् धर्मसंरक्षणाय सः
My five daughters, frightened by me, went to the great river Ganga; then Maheshvara went to protect dharma.
धनुर् गृहीत्वा सशरम् ईशो ऽपि मृगरूपिणम् माम् उवाच वधिष्ये त्वां मृगव्याधस् तदा हरः
Taking up a bow with an arrow, the lord addressed me, who had taken the form of a deer: 'I will slay you,' said Hara, the hunter.
तत्कर्मणो निवृत्तो ऽहं प्रादां कन्यां विवस्वते सावित्र्याद्याः पञ्च सुता नदीरूपेण संगताः
Ceasing from that act, I gave the maiden to Vivasvat; the five daughters beginning with Savitri joined together in the form of rivers.
ता आगताः पुनश् चापि स्वर्गं लोकं ममान्तिकम् यत्र ताः संगता देव्या पञ्च तीर्थानि नारद
They came again to my heavenly realm; where those goddesses gathered, O Narada, are five tirthas.