यो ऽहं सो ऽहम् इति ज्ञात्वा न चिन्तां कर्तुम् अर्हसि किं चापो मातरो देव्यो ह्य् अग्निः श्वशुर इत्य् अपि इति बुद्ध्या विनिश्चित्य मा विषण्णा भव स्नुषे
Knowing 'I am that very self,' you should not give way to anxiety. Consider with discernment: what are water, mothers, goddesses, fire, or even a father-in-law? Therefore, do not be disheartened, daughter-in-law.
आपो जनन्य इति यद् बभाषे अग्नेर् अहं तव पुत्रस्य भार्या कथं भूत्वा जननी चापि भार्या विरुद्धम् एतज् जलरूपेण नाथ
When you said, 'Water is my mother,' and, 'I am the wife of your son, O Agni,' how could the mother also be the wife? This is contradictory, O Lord, due to the watery form.
आदौ तु पत्नी भरणात् तु भार्या जनेस् तु जाया स्वगुणैः कलत्रम् इत्यादिरूपाणि बिभर्षि भद्रे कुरुष्व वाक्यं मदुदीरितं यत्
At first, she is a wife; by supporting, she is called bhāryā; by giving birth, she is jāyā; through her own virtues, she is kalatram. O blessed one, you bear these various forms—do as I have instructed.
यो ऽस्यां प्रजातः स तु पुत्र एव सा तस्य मातैव न संशयो ऽत्र तस्माद् वदन्ति श्रुतितत्त्वविज्ञाः सा नैव योषित् तनये ऽभिजाते
Whoever is born from her is indeed her son, and she is truly his mother—there is no doubt in this. Therefore, those who know the essence of the scriptures say: she is not a wife when a son has been born.
श्वशुरस्य तु तद् वाक्यं श्रुत्वात्रेयी तदैव तत् आग्नेयं रूपम् आपन्नम् अम्भसाप्लावयत् पतिम्
Hearing these words from her father-in-law, Atreyi immediately assumed a fiery form and, with water, purified her husband.
उभौ तौ दंपती ब्रह्मन् संगतौ गाङ्गवारिणा शान्तरूपधरौ चोभौ दंपती संबभूवतुः
O Brahman, both husband and wife, united, took on the form of the tranquil Ganges water, and together became a couple.
लक्ष्म्या युक्तो यथा विष्णुर् उमया शंकरो यथा रोहिण्या च यथा चन्द्रस् तथाभून् मिथुनं तदा
Just as Vishnu is united with Lakshmi, Shiva with Uma, and the Moon with Rohini, so too was that couple joined together at that time.
भर्तारं प्लावयन्ती सा दधाराम्बुमयं वपुः परुष्णी चेति विख्याता गङ्गया संगता नदी
Flooding her husband, she assumed a form made of water. United with the Ganges, she became known as the river Paruṣṇī.
गोशतार्पणजं पुण्यं परुष्णीस्नानतो भवेत् तत्र चाङ्गिरसाश् चक्रुर् यज्ञांश् च बहुदक्षिणान्
The merit gained from offering a hundred cows is obtained by bathing in the Paruṣṇī. There, the Angirasas performed many sacrifices with abundant gifts.
तत्र त्रीणि सहस्राणि तीर्थान्य् आहुः पुराणगाः उभयोस् तीरयोस् तात पृथग् यागफलं विदुः
The ancient texts speak of three thousand sacred fords there. On both banks, O dear one, the fruits of sacrifices are known to be distinct.
तेषु स्नानं च दानं च वाजपेयाधिकं मतम् विशेषतस् तु गङ्गायाः परुष्ण्या सह संगमे
Bathing and giving gifts at those places is considered superior even to the Vājapeya sacrifice, especially at the confluence of the Ganges and Paruṣṇī.
स्नानदानादिभिः पुण्यं यत् तद् वक्तुं न शक्यते
The merit gained from bathing, giving gifts, and similar acts there cannot be fully described.
मार्कण्डेयं नाम तीर्थं सर्वपापविमोचनम् सर्वक्रतुफलं पुण्यम् अघौघविनिवारणम्
There is a sacred place called Mārkaṇḍeya, which removes all sins, bestows the fruits of all sacrifices, is holy, and dispels the multitude of evils.
तस्य प्रभावं वक्ष्यामि शृणु नारद यत्नतः मार्कण्डेयो भरद्वाजो वसिष्ठो ऽत्रिश् च गौतमः
I will now tell you of its greatness—listen attentively, O Nārada. Mārkaṇḍeya, Bharadvāja, Vasiṣṭha, Atri, and Gautama—
याज्ञवल्क्यश् च जाबालिर् मुनयो ऽन्ये ऽपि नारद एते शास्त्रप्रणेतारो वेदवेदाङ्गपारगाः
Yājñavalkya, Jābāli, and other sages, O Nārada—these are the authors of the scriptures, accomplished in the Vedas and their branches.
पुराणन्यायमीमांसाकथासु परिनिष्ठिताः मिथः समूचुर् विद्वांसो मुक्तिं प्रति यथामति
They are thoroughly versed in the Purāṇas, logic, and Mīmāṃsā, and in their discussions with one another, the wise expressed their views on liberation according to their understanding.
केचिज् ज्ञानं प्रशंसन्ति केचित् कर्म तथोभयम् एवं विवदमानास् ते माम् ऊचुर् उभयं मतम्
Some praise knowledge, some karma, and some both. Thus, while debating, they asked me for my opinion on both.
मदीयं तु मतं ज्ञात्वा ययुश् चक्रगदाधरम् तस्य चापि मतं ज्ञात्वा ऋषयस् ते महौजसः
Knowing my view, they went to the bearer of the discus and mace; and, understanding his view as well, those great sages departed.
पुनर् विवदमानास् ते शंकरं प्रष्टुम् उद्यताः गङ्गायां च भवं पूज्य तम् एवार्थं शशंसिरे
Again entering into dispute, they prepared to question Śaṅkara, and, having worshipped Bhava on the Ganges, they presented that very matter to him.
कर्मणस् तु प्रधानत्वम् उवाच त्रिपुरान्तकः क्रियारूपं च तज् ज्ञानं क्रिया सैव तद् उच्यते
Tripurāntaka declared the supremacy of action, saying that knowledge takes the form of action, and that very knowledge is called action.
तस्मात् सर्वाणि भूतानि कर्मणा सिद्धिम् आप्नुयुः कर्मैव विश्वतोव्यापि तदृते नास्ति किंचन
Therefore, all beings attain perfection through action; action alone pervades everything—apart from it, nothing exists.
विद्याभ्यासो यज्ञकृतिर् योगाभ्यासः शिवार्चनम् सर्वं कर्मैव नाकर्मी प्राणी क्वाप्य् अत्र विद्यते
Study of knowledge, performance of sacrifice, practice of yoga, worship of Śiva—all are indeed action; there is no living being here who is without action.
कर्मैव कारणं तस्माद् अन्यद् उन्मत्तचेष्टितम् ऋषीणां यत्र संवादो यत्र देवो महेश्वरः
Therefore, only action is the cause; anything else is the behavior of the deluded. Where the sages converse, there is the god Maheśvara.
चकार निर्णयं सर्वं कर्मणावाप्यते नृभिः मार्कण्डं मुख्यतः कृत्वा ततो मार्कण्डम् उच्यते
He made the final decision: everything is attained by people through action, especially by making Mārkaṇḍa central—thus it is called Mārkaṇḍa.
तीर्थम् ऋषिगणाकीर्णं गङ्गाया उत्तरे तटे पितॄणां पावनं पुण्यं स्मरणाद् अपि सर्वदा
A sacred place thronged by hosts of sages, on the northern bank of the Ganges, purifying and holy for the ancestors, always sanctifying even by remembrance.
तत्राष्टौ नवतिस् तात तीर्थान्य् आह जगन्मयः वेदेन चापि तत् प्रोक्तम् ऋषयो मेनिरे च तत्
There, O dear one, the Lord of the Universe declared there are ninety-eight sacred places; this was also stated in the Veda, and the sages agreed.
यायातम् अपरं तीर्थं यत्र कालञ्जरः शिवः सर्वपापप्रशमनं तद्वृत्तम् उच्यते मया
Go to another sacred place, where Kālañjara is Śiva, the remover of all sins; I shall tell you its story.
ययातिर् नाहुषो राजा साक्षाद् इन्द्र इवापरः तस्य भार्याद्वयं चासीत् कुललक्षणभूषितम्
Yayāti, son of Nahusha, a king like another Indra, had two wives, both adorned with the marks of noble lineage.
ज्येष्ठा तु देवयानीति नाम्ना शुक्रसुता शुभा शर्मिष्ठेति द्वितीया सा सुता स्याद् वृषपर्वणः
The elder, named Devayānī, was the auspicious daughter of Śukra; the second, named Śarmiṣṭhā, was the daughter of Vṛṣaparvan.
ब्राह्मण्य् अपि महाप्राज्ञा देवयानी सुमध्यमा ययातेर् अभवद् भार्या सा तु शुक्रप्रसादतः
Devayānī, wise and of noble form, became Yayāti’s wife by the favor of Śukra, though she was a Brāhmaṇa woman.