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.
बद्ध्वा हस्तिसमायुक्तं स्वसारं वीक्ष्य तां तदा विहाय क्रूरतां दैत्यो हिरण्याय न्यवेदयत्
Having bound his sister together with the elephant, the demon then, abandoning his cruelty, reported it to Hiraṇya.
महाशनिपिता दैत्यः पूर्वेषां पूर्ववत्तरः शचीकान्तं तले स्थाप्य तस्य रक्षाम् अथाकरोत्
The demon, Mahāśani, who ate greatly and surpassed his ancestors, placed Śacī's beloved on the ground and then guarded him.
महाशनिर् हरिं जित्वा जेतुं वरुणम् अभ्यगात् वरुणो ऽपि महाबुद्धिः प्रादात् कन्यां महाशनेः
Mahāśani, having defeated Hari, went to conquer Varuṇa; but Varuṇa, of great wisdom, gave his daughter to Mahāśani.
उदधिं स्वालयं प्रादाद् वरुणस् तु महाशनेः तयोश् च सख्यम् अभवद् वरुणस्य महाशनेः
Varuṇa gave his own abode, the ocean, to Mahāśani; and friendship arose between Varuṇa and Mahāśani.
वारुणी चापि या कन्या सा प्रियाभून् महाशनेः वीर्येण यशसा चापि शौर्येण च बलेन च
And the daughter of Varuṇa became dear to Mahāśani, through his strength, fame, heroism, and power.
महाशनिर् महादैत्यस् त्रैलोक्ये नोपमीयते निरिन्द्रत्वं गते लोके देवाः सर्वे न्यमन्त्रयन्
Mahāśani, the great demon, was without equal in the three worlds; when the world was without Indra, all the gods assembled.
विष्णुर् एवेन्द्रदाता स्याद् दैत्यहन्ता स एव च मन्त्रदृग् वा स एव स्याद् इन्द्रं चान्यं करिष्यति
They said: 'Viṣṇu alone should be the giver of Indra, the slayer of demons, the knower of mantras, and he will make another Indra.'
एवं संमन्त्र्य ते देवा विष्णोर् मन्त्रं न्यवेदयन् ममावध्यो महादैत्यो महाशनिर् इति ब्रुवन्
Thus consulting together, the gods communicated their plan to Viṣṇu, saying: 'Mahāśani, the great demon, must not be slain by me.'
प्रायाद् वारीश्वरं विष्णुः श्वशुरं वरुणं तदा केशवो वरुणं गत्वा प्राहेन्द्रस्य पराभवम्
Viṣṇu then went to the lord of waters, his father-in-law Varuṇa; Keśava, having gone to Varuṇa, described Indra's defeat.
तथा त्वयैतत् कर्तव्यं यथायाति पुरंदरः तद्विष्णुवचनाच् छीघ्रं ययौ जलपतिर् मुने
He said, 'You must act in such a way that Purandara returns.' At Viṣṇu's word, the lord of waters quickly departed, O sage.