विप्रपादोदकं पीत्वा तीर्थस्नायी भवेन्नरः । विप्रपादोदकक्लिन्ना यावत्तिष्ठति मेदिनी
By drinking the water from a Brahmin’s feet, a person becomes as one who has bathed at a holy place; as long as the earth remains moistened by the water from a Brahmin’s feet—
तावत्पुष्करपात्रेषु पिवन्ति पितरो जलम् । विष्णुप्रसादभोजी च पवित्रां कुरुते महीम्
—so long do the ancestors drink water from vessels at Pushkara; one who eats Vishnu’s consecrated food purifies the earth.
तीर्थानि च नरांश्चैव जीवन्मुक्तो हि स द्विजः । सर्वतीर्थेषु स स्नातो व्रतानां च फलं लभेत्
He is liberated while living, O twice-born, and sanctifies holy places and people; he has bathed at all holy places and obtains the fruit of all vows.
पदे पदेऽश्वमेधस्य लभते निश्चितं फलम् । वह्निवायुसमः पूतस्तेजसा भास्करोपमः
At every step, he certainly attains the fruit of an Ashvamedha sacrifice; purified like fire and wind, radiant like the sun.
यमदूतं यमं चैव स च स्वप्ने न पश्यति । वैकुण्ठे मोदते सोऽपि पार्षदो हरिणा सह
He does not see Yama or Yama’s messengers even in a dream; he delights in Vaikuntha, together with Hari’s attendants.
न भवेत्तस्य पातो हि विप्रस्य हरिसेविनः । विष्णुमन्त्रोपासकश्य स एव वैष्णवो द्विजः
There is no fall for the Brahmin who serves Hari; the twice-born who worships Vishnu’s mantra is truly a Vaishnava.
ब्राह्मणो वैष्णवः प्राज्ञो न हि तस्मात्परः पुमात् । वेदोक्तो वा पुराणोक्स्तन्त्रोक्तो वा
A Brahmin who is a Vaishnava and wise—there is no one greater than him; whether according to the Vedas, the Puranas, or the Tantras—
विचारतो गृहीत्वा तं शैवः शाक्तश्च वैष्णवः । गुरुवक्त्राद्विष्णुमन्त्रोयस्य कर्णे विशत्ययम्
Having considered and accepted that, whether Shaiva, Shakta, or Vaishnava, the Vishnu mantra entering the ear from the mouth of the guru—
तं वैष्णवं महापूतं प्रवदन्ति मनीषिणः । मन्त्रग्रहणमात्रेण जीवन्मुक्तो भवेन्नरः
—such a Vaishnava, greatly purified, is declared by the wise; by merely receiving the mantra, a person becomes liberated while living.
भीत्तवा ब्रह्मण्डमखिलं यास्यत्येव हरेः पदम् । पूर्वान्सप्त परान्सप्त सप्त मातामहादिकान्
Having crossed the entire universe, he surely attains the abode of Hari; the seven ancestors before and after, and the seven maternal ancestors—
सोदरानृद्धरेद्भक्तस्तत्प्रसूं तत्प्रसूं तथा । जपेन्नारायणक्षेत्रे पुरश्चरणपूर्वकम्
A devotee should bring his brothers, their wives, and their offspring, and in the sacred field of Narayana, perform the recitation with the proper preliminary rites.
पुरुषाणां सहस्रं च लीलयाऽ।त्मानमुद्वरेत् । मन्त्रग्रहणमात्रेण फलमेतद्व्रजेश्वर
By merely receiving the mantra, O lord of Vraja, one can easily deliver a thousand men, along with oneself.
पुरश्चरणसंपर्कात्पुरुषाणां शतं शतम् । ऐकान्तिको वैष्णवश्चपुंसां लक्षं समुद्धरेत्
Through the practice of preliminary rites, a devotee can deliver hundreds of men; a single-minded Vaishnava can deliver a hundred thousand people.
क्रिया विष्णुपदे यस्य संकल्पाश्च बहिःकृता । द्विजाः सुरा मम प्राणा भक्तः प्राणत्परः प्रियः
O twice-born, those whose actions and intentions are dedicated to Vishnu, whose resolves are outwardly expressed, are as dear to me as the gods and my very life; a devotee who values me above life itself is most beloved.
विश्वेषु प्रियपात्रेषु न मे भक्तात्परः प्रियः । तेजीयांसं गुरुं दृष्ट्वा सर्वत्र रक्षितुं क्षमम्
Among all those worthy of affection in the world, none is dearer to me than my devotee; seeing a powerful guru, one should always be ready to protect him everywhere.
कनोति मन्त्रग्रहणं तस्माद्भूयाद्विचक्षणः । वयोहीनाज्ज्ञानहीनाद्विद्याहीनात्तथैव च
Therefore, one should accept the mantra from a discerning person, not from one lacking in age, knowledge, or learning.
अशास्त्रार्थ क्षतं मन्त्रं न गुह्णीयात्कदाचन । मूर्खादाश्रमहीनाच्च पितुः संन्यासिनस्तथा
One should never conceal a mantra whose meaning is contrary to scripture, nor receive it from a fool, one without an ashrama, one's own father, or a renunciant.
रोगिणो वंशहीनाच्च भार्याहीनात्तथैव च । मन्त्रक्षिप्तात्तथा मन्त्रं न गृह्णीयात्कदाचन
Nor should one receive a mantra from someone who is diseased, without lineage, without a wife, or from one whose mantra has been rejected.
विष्णुमन्त्रं न गृह्णीयाद्विष्णुभक्ति विहीनतः । न च शैवान्न शाक्ताच्च गृह्णीयाद्वैष्णवाद्द्विजात्
One should not receive a Vishnu-mantra from someone devoid of devotion to Vishnu; nor should a twice-born receive it from Shaivas or Shaktas, but only from a Vaishnava.
वयोहीनात्तथाऽल्पायुर्ज्ञानहीनादपण्डितः । विद्याहीनाद्भवेन्मूढो जातिहीनात्क्षयो भवेत्
Receiving from one lacking in age, of short life, without knowledge, unlearned, or without learning, leads to delusion; from one without caste, it leads to decline.
मूर्खान्मूर्खो भवेत्सद्यो दुःखी स्वाश्रमहीनतः । यशोहानिः पितुश्चैव मृत्युः संन्यासिनस्तथा
From a fool, one immediately becomes foolish; from one without ashrama, one becomes unhappy; from one's father, there is loss of fame; from a renunciant, death.
रोगिणो व्याधियुक्तश्च निर्वंशो वंशहीनतः । भार्याहीनोऽपि स्त्रीहीनान्मन्त्रक्षिप्ताद्गुरो समः
From one who is diseased, one becomes afflicted; from one without lineage, one becomes without descendants; from one without a wife, one becomes deprived of a wife; from one whose mantra is rejected, one becomes like the guru.
विष्णुभक्तिविहीनाच्च भक्तिहीनो भवेन्नरः । शैवाच्छाक्ताद्गृहीत्वा च हरौ भक्तिर्न वर्धते
From one lacking devotion to Vishnu, a man becomes devoid of devotion; if received from Shaivas or Shaktas, devotion to Hari does not increase.
ब्राह्मणो वैष्णवः शुद्धः पक्वान्नं दातुमीश्वरः । पक्वान्नं हरये दातुमक्षमश्चेतरो जनः
A pure Vaishnava Brahmin is capable of offering cooked food; if another person is unable to offer cooked food to Hari, he should not do so.
ओंकारोच्चारणाद्धोमाच्छालग्रामशिलार्चनात् । मह्यं पक्वान्नदानाच्च विप्रादन्यो व्रजेदधः
By uttering Om, by offering oblations, by worshipping the Shalagrama stone, and by giving cooked food to me, anyone other than a Brahmin goes downward.
उदासीनाद्दूराचारान्न गृङ्णीयान्मनुं सुधीः । दैवाद्यदि च गृह्णीयाद्धनहीनो भवेद्ध्रुवम्
A wise person should not accept a mantra from one who is indifferent or of bad conduct; if, by fate, he does accept it, he will certainly become poor.
ब्राह्मणानां सदा भक्ष्यं हविष्यं च निरामिषम् । आमिषस्य परित्यागात्सूर्यंवत्तेजसा भवेत्
Brahmins should always eat and offer oblations that are free from meat; by abandoning meat, they become radiant like the sun.
नित्यं नूतनभाण्डेन कर्तव्यः पाक एव च । अथवा पक्षपर्यन्तं ततस्त्याज्यं मनीथिभि
Cooking should always be done in new vessels; or, at least, until the end of a fortnight, after which the vessels should be discarded by the wise.
स्थानं सुसंस्कृतं कृत्वा पाकं निर्वृ त्य पूजकः । स्थाने परिष्कृते विप्रो दत्त्वा मह्यं च भक्तितः
Having prepared a well-arranged place and completed the cooking, the worshipper, in that purified spot, offers the food to me with devotion.
तदा निवेद्य भुङ्क्ते च दत्त्वा विप्राय सादरम् । अनिवेद्य च भुक्त्त्वा च सुरापीतिर्भवेद्द्विजः
Then, after making the offering, he eats, giving to the Brahmin with respect; but if he eats without offering, the twice-born becomes as one who has drunk liquor.