पतिं देहि जगन्माता राजानम् अतितेजसम्
'Grant us a husband, O Mother of the world, a king of great splendor.'
तदोवाच नदी गङ्गा ओषधीस् ता इदं वचः
Then the river Ganga spoke these words to the herbs:
अहं चामृतरूपास्मि ओषध्यो मातरो ऽमृताः तादृशं चामृतात्मानं पतिं सोमं ददामि वः
'I am of the nature of nectar, and you, O herbs, are immortal mothers. I shall give you Soma, whose soul is nectar, as your husband.'
देवाश् च ऋषयो वाक्यं मेनिरे सोम एव च ओषध्यश् चापि तद् वाक्यं ततो जग्मुः स्वम् आलयम्
The gods and sages, and Soma himself, accepted these words, and the herbs also; then they all returned to their own abodes.
यत्र चापुर् महौषध्यो राजानम् अमृतात्मकम् सोमं समस्तसंतापपापसंघनिवारकम्
There, the great herbs obtained as their king Soma, whose essence is immortality, who removes all suffering and heaps of sin.
सोमतीर्थं तु तत् ख्यातं सोमपानफलप्रदम् तत्र स्नानेन दानेन पितरः स्वर्गम् आप्नुयुः
That place is known as Soma-tirtha, bestower of the fruits of drinking Soma; by bathing and giving gifts there, ancestors attain heaven.
य इदं शृणुयान् नित्यं पठेद् वा भक्तितः स्मरेत् दीर्घम् आयुर् अवाप्नोति स पुत्री धनवान् भवेत्
Whoever hears this daily, or recites it with devotion, or remembers it, attains long life, becomes wealthy, and has children.
धान्यतीर्थम् इति ख्यातं सर्वकामप्रदं नृणाम् सुभिक्षं क्षेमदं पुंसां सर्वापद्विनिवारणम्
It is known as Dhanya-tirtha, bestower of all desires for people, bringing abundance, security, and removal of all calamities.
ओषध्यः सोमराजानं पतिं प्राप्य मुदान्विताः ऊचुः सर्वस्य लोकस्य गङ्गायाश् चेप्सितं वचः
The herbs, having joyfully obtained Soma as their lord, spoke the desired words of all the world and of Ganga.
वैदिकी पुण्यगाथास्ति यां वै वेदविदो विदुः भूमिं सस्यवतीं कश्चिन् मातरं मातृसंमिताम्
There is a sacred Vedic story, known to those learned in the Vedas, about someone who gives fertile land, a mother equal to one's own mother.
गङ्गासमीपे यो दद्यात् सर्वकामान् अवाप्नुयात् भूमिं सस्यवतीं गाश् च ओषधीश् च मुदान्वितः
Whoever gives near the Ganga attains all desires—fertile land, cows, and herbs, all with joy.
विष्णुब्रह्मेशरूपाय यो दद्याद् भक्तिमान् नरः सर्वं तद् अक्षयं विद्यात् सर्वकामान् अवाप्नुयात्
A devoted person who gives to one of the form of Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva, should know that all that is imperishable, and he attains all desires.
ओषध्यः सोमराजन्याः सोमश् चाप्य् ओषधीपतिः इति ज्ञात्वा ब्रह्मविद ओषधीर् यः प्रदास्यति
Knowing that the herbs belong to Soma's lineage, and Soma is the lord of herbs, whoever, understanding this, gives herbs as taught by Brahman,
सर्वान् कामान् अवाप्नोति ब्रह्मलोके महीयते ता एव सोमराजन्याः प्रीताः प्रोचुः पुनः पुनः
Attains all desires and is honored in the world of Brahma; those same herbs of Soma's lineage, pleased, spoke again and again.
यो ऽस्मान् ददाति गङ्गायां तं राजन् पारयामसि त्वम् उत्तमश् चौषधीश त्वदधीनं चराचरम्
O King, whoever gives us in the Ganga, we carry him across; and you, supreme lord of herbs, all that moves and does not move is under your dominion.
ओषधयः संवदन्ते सोमेन सह राज्ञा यो ऽस्मान् ददाति विप्रेभ्यस् तं राजन् पारयामसि
The herbs converse with Soma, the king; O King, whoever gives us to the Brahmins, we carry him across.
वयं च ब्रह्मरूपिण्यः प्राणरूपिण्य एव च यो ऽस्मान् ददाति विप्रेभ्यस् तं राजन् पारयामसि
We are of the form of Brahman, and indeed of the form of life itself; O King, whoever gives us to the Brahmins, we carry him across.
अस्मान् ददाति यो नित्यं ब्राह्मणेभ्यो जितव्रतः उपास्तिर् अस्ति सास्माकं तं राजन् पारयामसि
Whoever, steadfast in vows, always gives us to the Brahmins, O King, he has our devotion; we carry him across.
स्थावरं जङ्गमं किंचिद् अस्माभिर् व्यापृतं जगत् यो ऽस्मान् ददाति विप्रेभ्यस् तं राजन् पारयामसि
Whatever in the world, fixed or moving, is engaged by us—O King, whoever gives us to the Brahmins, we carry him across.
हव्यं कव्यं यद् अमृतं यत् किंचिद् उपभुज्यते तद्गरीयश् च यो दद्यात् तं राजन् पारयामसि
Whatever is offered as oblation, ancestral offering, nectar, or anything enjoyed—whoever gives that which is most excellent, O King, we carry him across.
इत्य् एतां वैदिकीं गाथां यः शृणोति स्मरेत वा पठते भक्तिम् आपन्नस् तं राजन् पारयामसि
Whoever hears, remembers, or recites this Vedic verse with devotion, O King, we carry him across.
यत्रैषा पठिता गाथा सोमेन सह राज्ञा गङ्गातीरे चौषधीभिर् धान्यतीर्थं तद् उच्यते
Where this verse is recited together with Soma, the king, on the bank of the Ganga with the herbs, that is called the sacred ford of grain.
ततः प्रभृति तत् तीर्थम् औषध्यं सौम्यम् एव च अमृतं वेदगाथं च मातृतीर्थं तथैव च
From then on, that ford is medicinal, auspicious, immortal, Vedic, and likewise a mother’s ford.
एषु स्नानं जपो होमो दानं च पितृतर्पणम् अन्नदानं तु यः कुर्यात् तद् आनन्त्याय कल्पते
Whoever performs bathing, recitation, oblation, gift, ancestral offering, or giving of food there, attains endless merit.
षट्शताधिकसाहस्रं तीर्थानां तीरयोर् द्वयोः सर्वपापनिहन्तॄणां सर्वसंपद्विवर्धनम्
On both banks there are more than six hundred thousand fords, destroyers of all sins and increasers of all prosperity.
विदर्भासंगमं पुण्यं रेवतीसंगमं तथा तत्र यद् वृत्तम् आख्यास्ये यत् पुराणविदो विदुः
The sacred confluence of Vidarbha and likewise the confluence of Revati—what happened there I shall tell, as known by those versed in the Purana.
भरद्वाज इति ख्यात ऋषिर् आसीत् तपोधिकः तस्य स्वसा रेवतीति कुरूपा विकृतस्वरा
There was a sage named Bharadvaja, renowned for his great austerity; his sister was Revati, deformed in appearance and with a distorted voice.
तां दृष्ट्वा विकृतां भ्राता भरद्वाजः प्रतापवान् चिन्तया परया युक्तो गङ्गाया दक्षिणे तटे
Seeing his deformed sister, the mighty Bharadvaja, filled with deep thought, stood on the southern bank of the Ganga.
कस्मै दद्याम् इमां कन्यां स्वसारं भीषणाकृतिम् न कश्चित् प्रतिगृह्णाति दातव्या च स्वसा तथा
To whom should I give this sister, this maiden of dreadful appearance? No one will accept her, yet a sister must be given.
अहो भूयान् न कस्यापि कन्या दुःखैककारणम् मरणं जीवतो ऽप्य् अस्य प्राणिनस् तु पदे पदे
Alas, for no one is a daughter not the sole cause of sorrow; for a living being, at every step, it is as if death even while alive.