हरिश्चन्द्रस्य निकटे प्रोवाच विबुधाधिपः । आगच्छन्तु जनाः शीघ्रं स्वर्गलोकं सुदुर्लभम्
Near Harishchandra, the lord of the gods proclaimed: 'Let the people quickly come to the heavenly world, so difficult to attain.'
धर्मप्रसादात्सम्प्राप्तं सर्वैर्युष्माभिरेव तु । हरिश्चन्द्रोऽपि तान्सर्वाञ्जनान्नगरवासिनः
'It has been attained by all of you alone, through the grace of Dharma.' Harishchandra also addressed all the city-dwellers:
प्राह राजा धर्मपरो दिवमारुह्यतामिति । सूत उवाच - तदिन्द्रस्य वचः श्रुत्वा प्रीतास्तस्य च भूपतेः
The king devoted to righteousness said, 'Ascend to heaven.' Suta said: Hearing those words of Indra, and of that king—
ये संसारेषु निर्विण्णास्ते धुरं स्वसुतेषु वै । कृत्वा प्रहृष्टमनसो दिवमारुरुहुर्जनाः
Those who were disillusioned with worldly existence, having placed their burdens upon their sons, ascended to heaven with joyful hearts.
विमानवरमारूढाः सर्वे भास्वरविग्रहाः । तदा सम्भूतहर्षास्ते हरिश्चन्द्रश्च पार्थिवः
All, having mounted splendid aerial chariots, their forms shining, then, filled with joy, together with King Harishchandra—
राज्येऽभिषिच्य तनयं रोहिताख्यं महामनाः । अयोध्याख्ये पुरे रम्ये हृष्टपुष्टजनान्विते
That great-souled king installed his son named Rohita in the kingdom, in the delightful city called Ayodhya, filled with happy and prosperous people.
तनयं सुहृदश्चापि प्रतिपूज्याभिनन्द्य च । पुण्येन लभ्यां विपुलां देवादीनां सुदुर्लभाम्
Having honored and blessed his son and friends, he attained, through merit, the vast and incomparable fame, so difficult even for the gods to obtain.
सम्प्राप्य कीर्तिमतुलां विमाने स महीपतिः । आसाञ्चक्रे कामगमे क्षुद्रघण्टाविराजिते
That renowned king, having attained unparalleled glory in the celestial chariot, dwelt there as he wished, amidst the ringing of small bells.
ततस्तर्हि समालोक्य श्लोकमन्त्रं तदा जगौ । दैत्याचार्यो महाभागः सर्वशास्त्रार्थतत्त्ववित्
Then, beholding this, the great and fortunate preceptor of the Daityas, master of all the meanings and truths of the scriptures, recited a verse.
शुक्र उवाच - अहो तितिक्षामाहात्म्यमहो दानफलं महत् । यदागतो हरिश्चन्द्रो महेन्द्रस्य सलोकताम्
Shukra said: 'Oh, the greatness of forbearance! Oh, the great fruit of generosity, by which Harishchandra has attained the same world as Mahendra!'
सूत उवाच - एतत्ते सर्वमाख्यानं हरिश्चन्द्रस्य चेष्टितम् । यः शृणोति च दुःखार्तः स सुखं लभतेऽन्वहम्
Sūta said: This entire account of Hariścandra’s deeds has been told to you; whoever, being afflicted by sorrow, hears it, obtains happiness day by day.
स्वर्गार्थी प्राप्नुयात् स्वर्गं सुतार्थी सुतमाप्नुयात् । भार्यार्थी प्राप्नुयाद्भार्यां राज्यार्थीं राज्यमाप्नुयात्
One who seeks heaven attains heaven, one who desires a son obtains a son; one who wishes for a wife gains a wife, and one who seeks a kingdom acquires a kingdom.
शताक्षीचरित्रवर्णनम् जनमेजय उवाच - विचित्रमिदमाख्यानं हरिश्चन्द्रस्य कीर्तितम् । शताक्षीपादभक्तस्य राजर्षेर्धार्मिकस्य च
The story of Śatākṣī is described. Janamejaya said: This marvelous tale of Hariścandra has been recounted, of the royal sage devoted to the feet of Śatākṣī and steadfast in righteousness.
शताक्षी सा कुतो जाता देवी भगवती शिवा । तत्कारणं वद मुने सार्थकं जन्म मे कुरु
From where was that goddess Śatākṣī, the blessed and auspicious one, born? Tell me the reason, O sage, and make my birth meaningful.
को हि देव्या गुणाञ्छृण्वंस्तृप्तिं यास्यति शुद्धधीः । पदे पदेऽश्वमेधस्य फलमक्षय्यमश्नुते
For who, upon hearing the virtues of the goddess, would not attain satisfaction, being pure of mind? At every step, one enjoys the inexhaustible fruit of an Aśvamedha sacrifice.
व्यास उवाच - शृणु राजन् प्रवक्ष्यामि शताक्षीसम्भवं शुभम् । तवावाच्यं न मे किञ्चिद्देवीभक्तस्य विद्यते
Vyāsa said: Hear, O king, I shall tell you the auspicious origin of Śatākṣī. For a devotee of the goddess, there is nothing I would withhold from you.
दुर्गमाख्यो महादैत्यः पूर्वं परमदारुणः । हिरण्याक्षान्वये जातो रुरुपुत्रो महाखलः
There was formerly a great and exceedingly fierce demon named Durgama, born in the lineage of Hiraṇyākṣa, the wicked son of Ruru.
देवानां तु बलं वेदो नाशे तस्य सुरा अपि नंक्ष्यन्त्येव न संदेहो विधेयं तावदेव तत्
The strength of the gods is the Veda; if that is destroyed, the gods themselves will surely perish—there is no doubt. Therefore, this must be accomplished.
विमृश्यैतत्तपश्चर्यां गतः कर्तुं हिमालये । ब्रह्माणं मनसा ध्यात्वा वायुभक्षो व्यतिष्ठत
Having considered this, he went to perform austerities in the Himalayas, meditating on Brahmā in his mind, and subsisted on air alone.
सहस्रवर्षपर्यन्तं चकार परमं तपः । तेजसा तस्य लोकास्तु सन्तप्ताः ससुरासुराः
For a thousand years he performed supreme austerity; by his energy, the worlds, along with the gods and demons, became scorched.
ततः प्रसन्नो भगवान् हंसारूढश्चतुर्मुखः । ययौ तस्मै वरं दातुं प्रसन्नमुखपङ्कजः
Then the blessed four-faced Lord, mounted on a swan, became pleased and went to grant him a boon, his lotus face beaming with favor.
समाधिस्थं मीलिताक्षं स्फुटमाह चतुर्मुखः । वरं वरय भद्रं ते यस्ते मनसि वर्तते
Seeing him absorbed in meditation with closed eyes, the four-faced one spoke clearly: 'Choose a boon, good fortune to you, whatever abides in your mind.'
तवाद्य तपसा तुष्टो वरदेशोऽहमागतः । श्रुत्वा ब्रह्ममुखाद्वाणीं व्युत्थितः स समाधितः
'Today I am pleased by your austerity and have come to grant you a boon.' Hearing these words from Brahmā’s mouth, he arose from his meditation.
पूजयित्वा वरं वव्रे वेदान्देहि सुरेश्वर । त्रिषु लोकेषु ये मन्त्रा ब्राह्मणेषु सुरेष्वपि
After worshipping him, he asked for a boon: 'O Lord of the gods, give me the Vedas, and all the mantras that exist in the three worlds, among Brahmins and gods.'
विद्यन्ते ते तु सान्निध्ये मम सन्तु महेश्वर । बलं च देहि येन स्याद्देवानां च पराजयः
'Let all those be present with me, O great Lord, and grant me the power by which the gods may be defeated.'
इति तस्य वचः श्रुत्वा तथास्त्विति वचो वदन् । जगाम सत्यलोकं तु चतुर्वेदेश्वरः परः
Hearing his words, the supreme Lord of the four Vedas replied, 'So be it,' and departed to the world of truth.
ततः प्रभृति विप्रैस्तु विस्मृता वेदराशयः । स्नानसन्ध्यानित्यहोमश्राद्धयज्ञजपादयः
From that time, the collections of the Vedas were forgotten by the Brahmins; daily bathing, twilight rituals, constant offerings, ancestral rites, sacrifices, and recitations disappeared.
विलुप्ता धरणीपृष्ठे हाहाकारो महानभूत् । किमिदं किमिदं चेति विप्रा ऊचुः परस्परम्
They vanished from the surface of the earth, and a great outcry arose: 'What is this? What is this?' the Brahmins said to one another.
वेदाभावात्तदस्माभिः कर्तव्यं किमतः परम् । इति भूमौ महानर्थे जाते परमदारुणे
With the absence of the Vedas, what else should we do now? Thus, when this great and exceedingly dreadful calamity arose on earth—
निर्जराः सजरा जाता हविर्भागाद्यभावतः । रुरोध स तदा दैत्यो नगरीममरावतीम्
Because the offerings were no longer made, the immortals became mortal; then that Daitya besieged the city of Amaravati.