महेश्वरसुता चैव अग्नेश् चैव तथा प्रिया महेश्वराय तां विष्णुर् दर्शयाम् आस नारद
O Nārada, Viṣṇu showed her, beloved both as the daughter of Maheśvara and of Agni, to Maheśvara.
प्रीतो ऽभवन् महेशो ऽपि सस्वजे तां पुनः पुनः चक्रं प्रक्षालितं यत्र शार्दूलच्छेदि दीप्तिमत्
Maheśa, delighted, embraced her again and again; at the place where the discus, shining brightly, cut off Śārdūla's head—
चक्रतीर्थं तु विख्यातं शार्दूलं चेति तद् विदुः यत्र नीता सुवर्णा सा विष्णुना शंकरान्तिकम्
—that place is known as Cakratīrtha and also as Śārdūla; there Suvarṇā was brought by Viṣṇu to Śaṃkara.
तत् तीर्थं शांकरं ज्ञेयं वैष्णवं सिद्धम् एव तु यत्रानन्दम् अनुप्राप्तो ह्य् अग्निर् धर्मश् च शाश्वतः
That sacred place should be known as Śaṃkara's, and also as Viṣṇu's, truly accomplished; there Agni and eternal Dharma attained bliss.
आनन्दाश्रूणि न्यपतन् यत्राग्नेर् मुनिसत्तम आनन्देति नदी जाता तथा वै नन्दिनीति च
O best of sages, there tears of joy fell from Agni; thus the river was born, called Ānandā, and also Nandinī.
तस्याश् च संगमः पुण्यो गङ्गायां तत्र वै शिवः तत्रैव संगमे साक्षात् सुवर्णाद्यापि संस्थिता
The confluence of that river with the Gaṅgā is holy; there, at that very confluence, Suvarṇā still abides in person.
दाक्षायणी सैव शिवा आग्नेयी चेति विश्रुता अम्बिका जगदाधारा शिवा कात्यायनीश्वरी
She is known as Dākṣāyaṇī, Śivā, and Āgneyī; Ambikā, the support of the world, Śivā, and Kātyāyanīśvarī.
भक्ताभीष्टप्रदा नित्यम् अलंकृत्योभयं तटम् तपस् तेपे यत्र चाग्निस् तत् तीर्थं तु तपोवनम्
Always granting the wishes of devotees, adorning both banks, there Agni performed austerities; that sacred place is called Tapovana.
एवमादीनि तीर्थानि तीरयोर् उभयोर् मुने तेषु स्नानं च दानं च सर्वकामप्रदं शुभम्
O sage, such are the sacred places on both banks; bathing and giving gifts there grant all desires and are auspicious.
उत्तरे चैव पारे च सहस्राणि चतुर्दश दक्षिणे च तथा पारे सहस्राण्य् अथ षोडश
On the northern bank there are fourteen thousand, and likewise on the southern bank there are sixteen thousand.
तत्र तत्र च तीर्थानि साभिज्ञानानि सन्ति वै नामानि च पृथक् सन्ति संक्षेपात् तन् मयोच्यते
Here and there are sacred places, each with its own signs; their names are many, but I shall tell them briefly.
एतानि यश् च शृणुयाद् यश् च वा पठति स्मरेत् सर्वेषु तत्र काम्येषु परिपूर्णो भवेन् नरः
Whoever hears, recites, or remembers these, in all those desired matters, that person becomes completely fulfilled.
एतद् वृत्तं तु यो ज्ञात्वा तत्र स्नानादिकं चरेत् लक्ष्मीवाञ् जायते नित्यं धर्मवांश् च विशेषतः
Whoever, having learned of this event, performs bathing and related rites there, becomes ever prosperous and especially righteous.
अब्जकात् पश्चिमे तीर्थं तच् छार्दूलम् उदाहृतम् वाराणस्यादितीर्थेभ्यः सर्वेभ्यो ह्य् अधिकं भवेत्
The western ford from Abjaka is called Shardula; it surpasses all the other fords at Varanasi and elsewhere.
तत्र स्नात्वा पितॄन् देवान् वन्दते तर्पयत्य् अपि सर्वपापविनिर्मुक्तो विष्णुलोके महीयते
There, after bathing, one honors and satisfies the ancestors and gods, and, freed from all sins, is exalted in Vishnu’s realm.
तपोवनाच् च शार्दूलान् मध्ये तीर्थान्य् अशेषतः तस्यैकैकस्य माहात्म्यं न केनाप्य् अत्र वर्ण्यते
Between Tapovana and Shardula are countless fords; the greatness of each cannot be described by anyone here.
इन्द्रतीर्थम् इति ख्यातं तत्रैव च वृषाकपम् फेनायाः संगमो यत्र हनूमतं तथैव च
There, too, is the ford known as Indratirtha, and the confluence of the river Phena, where Vrishakapa and Hanumata are also found.
अब्जकं चापि यत् प्रोक्तं यत्र देवस् त्रिविक्रमः तत्र स्नानं च दानं च पुनरावृत्तिदुर्लभम्
Abjaka, as mentioned, is where the god Trivikrama is present; bathing and giving gifts there makes rebirth exceedingly rare.
तत्र वृत्तान्य् अथाख्यास्ये गङ्गाया दक्षिणे तटे इन्द्रेश्वरं चोत्तरे च शृणु भक्त्या यतव्रतः
Now I will recount the events that took place there, on the southern bank of the Ganga; listen with devotion and discipline about Indreshvara on the northern bank.
नमुचिर् बलवान् आसीद् इन्द्रशत्रुर् मदोत्कटः तस्येन्द्रेणाभवद् युद्धं फेनेनेन्द्रो ऽहरच् छिरः
Namuchi, powerful and intoxicated with pride, was an enemy of Indra; Indra fought him and, with Phena, struck off his head.
अपां च नमुचेः शत्रोस् तत्फेनवज्ररूपधृक् शिरश् छित्त्वा तच् च फेनं गङ्गाया दक्षिणे तटे
From the waters, the enemy Namuchi’s head, struck by Phena in the form of a thunderbolt, was severed and that foam fell on the southern bank of the Ganga.
न्यपतद् भूमिं भित्त्वा तु रसातलम् अथाविशत् रसातलभवं गाङ्गं वारि यद् विश्वपावनम्
Piercing the earth, it fell and entered the netherworld; the Ganga water that arose from the netherworld is renowned as purifying the universe.
वज्रादिष्टेन मार्गेण व्यगमद् भूमिमण्डलम् तज् जलं फेननाम्ना तु नदी फेनेति गद्यते
By the path marked by the thunderbolt, it reached the surface of the earth; that water is called by the name Phena, and the river is known as Phena.
तस्यास् तु संगमः पुण्यो गङ्गया लोकविश्रुतः सर्वपापक्षयकरो गङ्गायमुनयोर् इव
Its confluence with the Ganga is famous in the world as holy, destroying all sins, just like the meeting of the Ganga and Yamuna.
हनूमदुपमाता वै यत्राप्लवनमात्रतः मार्जारत्वाद् अभून् मुक्ता विष्णुगङ्गाप्रसादतः
Where Hanumat’s mother, by merely leaping, was freed from the form of a cat through the grace of Vishnu and Ganga.
मार्जारं चेति तत् तीर्थं पुरा प्रोक्तं मया तव हनूमतं च तत् प्रोक्तं तत्राख्यानं पुरोदितम्
That ford is called Marjara, as I have told you before, and Hanumata as well; the story there has already been recounted.
वृषाकपं चाब्जकं च तत्रेदं प्रयतः शृणु हिरण्य इति विख्यातो दैत्यानां पूर्वजो बली
Now listen attentively about Vrishakapa and Abjaka; Hiraṇya, famed as the powerful elder of the Daityas, is also there.
तपस् तप्त्वा सुरैः सर्वैर् अजेयो ऽभूत् सुदारुणः तस्यापि बलवान् पुत्रो देवानां दुर्जयः सदा
Having performed austerities, he became invincible even to the gods, fierce and terrible; his mighty son was always difficult for the gods to defeat.
महाशनिर् इति ख्यातस् तस्य भार्या पराजिता तेनेन्द्रस्याभवद् युद्धं बहुकालं निरन्तरम्
He was known as Mahashani, and his wife was Parajita; he fought Indra for a long, unbroken time.
महाशनिर् महावीर्यः सततं रणमूर्धनि जित्वा नागेन सहितं शक्रं पित्रे न्यवेदयत्
Mahashani, of great valor, always at the forefront of battle, defeated Indra, who was with a serpent, and reported this to his father.