मत्स्थापितान्य् उत्तममन्त्रविद्भिस् तथेतरैः शंकरकिंकरैश् च नोद्वास्य पूजां परशंकरेण बाह्यं समायोज्यम् अहो भवस्य
Those installed by me, by knowers of excellent mantras, and by other attendants of Śaṃkara, should not be removed; worship of Paraśaṃkara must not be neglected, nor should external rites be mingled with the worship of Bhava.
तिष्ठन्ति सुस्थास् तदनादरेण ते खड्गपत्त्रादिषु संभवन्ति ये ऽश्रद्दधानाः शिवलिङ्गपूजां विधाय कृत्यं न समाचरन्ति
Those who, out of disregard, fail to perform the proper worship of the Śivaliṅga, though they may appear well, are born among swords and leaves—those faithless ones do not fulfill their duties.
यथोचितं ते यमकिंकरैर् हि पच्यन्त एवाखिलदुर्गतीषु रामाज्ञया वायुसुतो जगाम दोर्भ्यां न चोत्पाटयितुं शशाक
By order of Rāma, those people are cooked as is fitting by the servants of Yama in all manner of miseries; the son of the wind then went, but could not uproot the liṅga with his arms.
ततः स्वपुच्छेन ग्रहीतुकामः संवेष्ट्य लिङ्गं तु विसृष्टकामः नैवाशकत् तन् महद् अद्भुतं स्यात् कपीश्वराणां नृपतेस् तथैव
Then, wishing to seize it with his tail, Hanumān wrapped around the liṅga, intending to remove it, but was unable; such a great and wondrous thing occurred for the lord of monkeys and the king alike.
कश् चालयेल् लब्धमहानुभावं महेशलिङ्गं पुरुषो मनस्वी तन् निश्चलं प्रेक्ष्य महानुभावो नृपप्रवीरः सहसा जगाम
Who could move the liṅga of great power, established by Maheśa, once obtained? Seeing it unmoved, the mighty and noble king departed at once.
विप्रान् अथामन्त्र्य विधाय पूजां प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य च रामचन्द्रः शुद्धातिशुद्धेन हृदाखिलैस् तैर् लिङ्गानि सर्वाणि ननाम रामः
Then, after inviting the brāhmaṇas and performing worship, circumambulating, Rāmacandra, with a heart supremely pure, bowed to all those liṅgas along with his companions.
किष्किन्धवासिप्रवरैर् अशेषैः संसेवितं तीर्थम् अतो बभूव अत्राप्लवाद् एव महान्ति पापान्य् अपि क्षयं यान्ति न संशयो ऽत्र
Thus, the sacred place became attended by all the foremost residents of Kiṣkindhā; here, by merely bathing, even great sins are destroyed—of this there is no doubt.
पुनश् च गङ्गां प्रणनाम भक्त्या प्रसीद मातर् मम गौतमीति जल्पन् मुहुर् विस्मितचित्तवृत्तिर् विलोकयन् प्रणमन् गौतमीं ताम्
Again, with devotion, he bowed to the Gaṅgā, saying, 'Be gracious, Mother, to me, O Gautamī,' and, repeatedly amazed in mind, he gazed upon and bowed to her.
ततः प्रभृत्य् एतद् अतीव पुण्यं किष्किन्धतीर्थं विबुधा वदन्ति पठेत् स्मरेद् वापि शृणोति भक्त्या पापापहं किं पुनः स्नानदानैः
From that time, the gods call this Kiṣkindhā-tīrtha supremely holy; whoever recites, remembers, or hears it with devotion is freed from sin—how much more so by bathing or giving gifts there!
व्यासतीर्थम् इति ख्यातं प्राचेतसम् अतः परम् नातः परतरं किंचित् पावनं सर्वसिद्धिदम्
Next is the tīrtha known as Vyāsa-tīrtha, belonging to the son of Pracetas; nothing is more sacred or grants all accomplishments beyond this.
दश मे मानसाः पुत्राः स्रष्टारो जगताम् अपि अन्तं जिज्ञासवस् ते वै पृथिव्या जग्मुर् ओजसा
I had ten mind-born sons, creators even of the worlds; desiring to know the end, they went forth across the earth with their energy.
पुनः सृष्टाः पुनस् ते ऽपि यातास् तान् समवेक्षितुम् नैव ते ऽपि समायाता ये गतास् ते गता गताः
Again they were created, and again they departed; when I looked for them, they did not return—those who have gone are truly gone.
तदोत्पन्ना महाप्राज्ञा दिव्या आङ्गिरसो मुने वेदवेदाङ्गतत्त्वज्ञाः सर्वशास्त्रविशारदाः
Then were born those great sages, the divine descendants of Angiras, O sage, who knew the essence of the Vedas and Vedāṅgas, and were accomplished in all branches of knowledge.
ते ऽनुज्ञाता अङ्गिरसा गुरुं नत्वा तपोधनाः तपसे निश्चिताः सर्वे नैव पृष्ट्वा तु मातरम्
Having received permission from Angiras, their teacher, and bowing to him, all those ascetics, resolute in their austerities, departed without asking their mother.
सर्वेभ्यो ह्य् अधिका माता गुरुभ्यो गौरवेण हि तदा नारद कोपेन सा शशाप तदात्मजान्
For the mother is to be honored above all, even more than teachers; then, out of anger, Nārada's mother cursed her own sons.
माम् अनादृत्य ये पुत्राः प्रवृत्ताश् चरितुं तपः सर्वैर् अपि प्रकारैस् तन् न तेषां सिद्धिम् एष्यति
"Those sons who, disregarding me, have set out to practice austerities in every possible way—none of them shall attain success."
नानादेशांश् च चिन्वानास् तपःसिद्धिं न यान्ति च विघ्नम् अन्वेति तान् सर्वान् इतश् चेतश् च धावतः
Though searching in various regions, they did not attain perfection in their austerities; obstacles pursued them all as they wandered here and there.
क्वापि तद् राक्षसैर् विघ्नं क्वापि तन् मानुषैर् अभूत् प्रमदाभिः क्वचिच् चापि क्वापि तद्देहदोषतः
In some places, obstacles arose from demons; in others, from humans, from women, or even from defects of their own bodies.
एवं तु भ्रममाणास् ते ययुः सर्वे तपोनिधिम् अगस्त्यं तपतां श्रेष्ठं कुम्भयोनिं जगद्गुरुम्
Thus, wandering in this way, they all came to Agastya, the treasury of austerity, best among ascetics, born from a jar, the teacher of the world.
नमस्कृत्वा ह्य् आङ्गिरसा ह्य् अग्निवंशसमुद्भवाः दक्षिणाशापतिं शान्तं विनीताः प्रष्टुम् उद्यताः
The descendants of Angiras, born of the fire lineage, bowed to the lord of the southern quarter, tranquil and humble, and prepared to ask him.
भगवन् केन दोषेण तपो ऽस्माकं न सिध्यति नानाविधैर् अप्य् उपायैः कुर्वतां च पुनः पुनः
"O venerable one, by what fault does our austerity not succeed, though we perform it again and again by various means?"
किं कुर्मः कः प्रकारो ऽत्र तपस्य् एव भवाम किम् उपायं ब्रूहि विप्रेन्द्र ज्येष्ठो ऽसि तपसा ध्रुवम्
"What should we do? What method is there for austerity here? Tell us the means, O best of Brahmins; you are certainly foremost in austerity."
ज्ञातासि ज्ञानिनां ब्रह्मन् वक्तासि वदतां वरः शान्तो ऽसि यमिनां नित्यं दयावान् प्रियकृत् तथा
"You are known among the wise, O Brahmin, and foremost among speakers; you are always tranquil among the self-controlled, compassionate, and a doer of good."
अक्रोधनश् च न द्वेष्टा तस्माद् ब्रूहि विवक्षितम् साहंकारा दयाहीना गुरुसेवाविवर्जिताः असत्यवादिनः क्रूरा न ते तत्त्वं विजानते
"Free from anger and hatred, therefore speak what you wish. Those who are proud, devoid of compassion, neglectful of service to their teacher, untruthful, and cruel—they do not know the truth."
अगस्त्यः प्राह तान् सर्वान् क्षणं ध्यात्वा शनैः शनैः
Agastya, after meditating for a moment, slowly spoke to them all.
शान्तात्मानो भवन्तो वै स्रष्टारो ब्रह्मणा कृताः न पर्याप्तं तपश् चाभूत् स्मरध्वं स्मयकारणम्
"You possess tranquil minds and were created by Brahmā as progenitors; yet your austerity was not sufficient—remember the cause of your downfall."
ब्रह्मणा निर्मिताः पूर्वं ये गताः सुखम् एधते ये गताः पुनर् अन्वेष्टुं ते च त्व् आङ्गिरसो ऽभवन्
"Those who were formerly created by Brahmā and attained happiness, and those who went forth again to seek, they too became the descendants of Angiras."
ते यूयं च पुनः काले याता याताः शनैः शनैः प्रजापतेर् अप्य् अधिका भवितारो न संशयः
"You too, in due course, have gone forth again and again; you will certainly become greater even than the progenitor himself, without doubt."
इतो यान्तु तपस् तप्तुं गङ्गां त्रैलोक्यपावनीम् नोपायो ऽन्यो ऽस्ति संसारे विना गङ्गां शिवप्रियाम्
"Go now to perform austerity at the Gaṅgā, purifier of the three worlds; there is no other means in this world except the Gaṅgā, beloved of Śiva."
तत्राश्रमे पुण्यदेशे ज्ञानदं पूजयिष्यथ स च्छेदयिष्यत्य् अखिलं संशयं वो महामतिः न सिद्धिः क्वापि केषांचिद् विना सद्गुरुणा यतः
"There, in the holy place, you shall worship the giver of knowledge in the hermitage; that great soul will dispel all your doubts, for without a true teacher, no one attains perfection anywhere."