एवं भूतो ऽपि सत्कर्म किंचित् कर्तास्मि कुत्रचित् तेनाहं कर्मणा राजन् स्वतः स्मर्ता पुरा कृतम्
Even being such, I performed some good deed somewhere; by that act, O King, I am now able to recall what was done before.
तच् चिच्चिकवचः श्रुत्वा पवमानः सुविस्मितः कर्मणा केन ते मुक्तिर् इत्य् आह नृपतिर् द्विजम्
Hearing these words of Ciccika, Pavamāna was greatly astonished and asked the twice-born, 'By what act were you liberated?'
इति तस्य वचः श्रुत्वा नृपतिं प्राह पक्षिराट्
Hearing his words, the king of birds spoke to the king.
अस्मिन्न् एव नगश्रेष्ठे गौतम्या उत्तरे तटे गदाधरं नाम तीर्थं तत्र मां नय सुव्रत
On this very best of mountains, on the northern bank of the Gautamī, there is a sacred place called Gadādhara; lead me there, O virtuous one.
तद् धि तीर्थं पुण्यतमं सर्वपापप्रणाशनम् सर्वकामप्रदं चेति महद्भिर् मुनिभिः श्रुतम्
That sacred place is the most holy, the destroyer of all sins, and the giver of all desires—so it is heard from the great sages.
न गौतम्यास् तथा विष्णोर् अपरं क्लेशनाशनम् सर्वभावेन तत् तीर्थं पश्येयम् इति मे मतिः
Nowhere else on the Gautamī or even in the abodes of Viṣṇu is there such a remover of suffering; with all my being, I wish to see that sacred place.
मत्कृतेन प्रयत्नेन नैतच् छक्यं कदाचन कथम् आकाङ्क्षितप्राप्तिर् भवेद् दुष्कृतकर्मणाम्
By my own effort, this can never be attained; how can those of evil deeds obtain the desired goal?
सप्रयत्नो ऽप्य् अहं वीर न पश्ये तत् सुदुष्करम् तस्मात् तव प्रसादाच् च पश्येयं हि गदाधरम्
Even with effort, O hero, I cannot see that place, for it is extremely difficult; therefore, by your grace, may I behold Gadādhara.
अविज्ञापितदुःखज्ञं करुणावरुणालयम् यस्मिन् दृष्टे भवक्लेशा न दृश्यन्ते पुनर् नरैः
He who knows the unspoken sorrow, who is an abode of compassion and mercy—upon seeing him, the sufferings of existence are never seen again by men.
दृष्ट्वैव तं दिवं यास्ये प्रसादात् तव सुव्रत
By your grace, O virtuous one, upon seeing him, I shall ascend to heaven.
एवम् उक्तः स नृपतिश् चिच्चिकेन द्विजन्मना दर्शयाम् आस तं देवं तां च गङ्गां द्विजन्मने
Thus addressed by Ciccika, the twice-born, the king showed him that god and the Gaṅgā to the twice-born one.
ततः स चिच्चिकः स्नात्वा गङ्गां त्रैलोक्यपावनीम्
Then Ciccika bathed in the Gaṅgā, purifier of the three worlds.
गङ्गे गौतमि यावत् त्वां त्रिजगत्पावनीं नरः न पश्यत्य् उच्यते तावद् इहामुत्रापि पातकी
As long as a man does not behold you, O Gaṅgā, O Gautamī, purifier of the three worlds, he is said to be a sinner both here and hereafter.
तस्मात् सर्वागसम् अपि माम् उद्धर सरिद्वरे संसारे देहिनाम् अन्या न गतिः कापि कुत्रचित् त्वां विना विष्णुचरणसरोरुहसमुद्भवे
Therefore, O best of rivers, lift me up, even though I am full of all faults; in this world of embodied beings, there is no other path anywhere except you, sprung from the lotus feet of Viṣṇu.
इति श्रद्धाविशुद्धात्मा गङ्गैकशरणो द्विजः स्नानं चक्रे स्मरन्न् अन्तर् गङ्गे त्रायस्व माम् इति
Thus, with a mind purified by faith, taking refuge in Gaṅgā alone, the twice-born bathed, remembering within, 'O Gaṅgā, protect me.'
गदाधरं ततो नत्वा पश्यत्सु नगवासिषु पवमानाभ्यनुज्ञातस् तदैव दिवम् आक्रमत्
Then, having bowed to Gadādhara while the mountain-dwellers watched, permitted by Pavamāna, he at once ascended to heaven.
पवमानः स्वनगरं प्रययौ सानुगस् ततः ततः प्रभृति तत् तीर्थं पावमानं सचिच्चिकम्
Then Pavamāna, along with his followers, returned to his own city; from that time onward, that sacred place has been known as Pāvamāna.
गदाधरं कोटितीर्थम् इति वेदविदो विदुः कोटिकोटिगुणं कर्म कृतं तत्र भवेन् नृणाम्
Those learned in the Vedas know Gadādhara as Koṭitīrtha; any act performed there by people yields results multiplied by millions upon millions.
भद्रतीर्थम् इति प्रोक्तं सर्वानिष्टनिवारणम् सर्वपापप्रशमनं महाशान्तिप्रदायकम्
It is called Bhadratīrtha, the remover of all misfortunes, the pacifier of all sins, and the bestower of great peace.
आदित्यस्य प्रिया भार्या उषा त्वाष्ट्री पतिव्रता छायापि भार्या सवितुस् तस्याः पुत्रः शनैश्चरः
Uṣā, the virtuous wife of Tvaṣṭṛ, is the beloved spouse of Āditya; Chāyā is also the wife of Savitṛ, and her son is Śanaiścara.
तस्य स्वसा विष्टिर् इति भीषणा पापरूपिणी तां कन्यां सविता कस्मै ददामीति मतिं दधे
His sister is Viṣṭi, fearsome and of sinful form; Savitṛ considered to whom he should give this daughter in marriage.
यस्मै यस्मै दातुकामः सूर्यो लोकगुरुः प्रभुः तच् छ्रुत्वा भीषणा चेति किं कुर्मो भार्ययानया एवं तु वर्तमाने सा पितरं प्राह दुःखिता
Desiring to give her to someone, the Sun, lord and teacher of the worlds, pondered; hearing that she was fearsome, people said, 'What shall we do with such a wife?' Thus, as this situation continued, she sorrowfully spoke to her father.
बालाम् एव पिता यस् तु दद्यात् कन्यां सुरूपिणे स कृतार्थो भवेल् लोके न चेद् दुष्कृतवान् पिता
A father who gives his young daughter to a worthy man attains fulfillment in this world; if not, the father is considered sinful.
चतुर्थाद् वत्सराद् ऊर्ध्वं यावन् न दशमात्ययः तावद् विवाहः कन्यायाः पित्रा कार्यः प्रयत्नतः
After the fourth year and before the tenth, the father should diligently arrange the marriage of his daughter.
श्रीमते विदुषे यूने कुलीनाय यशस्विने उदाराय सनाथाय कन्या देया वराय वै
A maiden should be given to a worthy suitor—prosperous, learned, youthful, of good family, renowned, noble, and with guardians.
एतच् चेद् अन्यथा कुर्यात् पिता स निरयी सदा धर्मस्य साधनं कन्या विदुषाम् अपि भास्कर
If a father acts otherwise, he is always condemned to hell; even for the learned, the giving of a maiden is the means of righteousness, O Bhāskara.
नरकस्येव मूर्खाणां कामोपहतचेतसाम् एकतः पृथिवी कृत्स्ना सशैलवनकानना
For the foolish whose minds are overcome by desire, hell awaits; on one side is the entire earth with its mountains, forests, and groves.
स्वलंकृतोपाधिहीना सुकन्या चैकतः स्मृता विक्रीणीते यश् च कन्याम् अश्वं वा गां तिलान् अपि
On the other side is a well-adorned, unblemished maiden; whoever sells a maiden, or even a horse, cow, or sesame seeds—
न तस्य रौरवादिभ्यः कदाचिन् निष्कृतिर् भवेत् विवाहातिक्रमः कार्यो न कन्यायाः कदाचन
For him, there is never any atonement from Raurava and other hells; the transgression of marriage should never be committed regarding a maiden.
तस्मिन् कृते यत् पितुः स्यात् पापं तत् केन कथ्यते यावल् लज्जां न जानाति यावत् क्रीडति पांशुभिः
Who can describe the sin that accrues to the father in such a case? As long as she does not know modesty and plays with dust,