पाठे चतुर्णां वेदानां तपसां करणे सति । तत्पुण्यं लभते नूनं शालग्रामशिलार्चनात्
And who recites the four Vedas and performs austerities—he surely obtains that same merit by worshipping the Śālagrāma stone.
(शालग्रामशिलातोयैर्योऽभिषेकं सदा चरेत् । सर्वदानेषु यत्पुण्यं प्रदक्षिणं भुवो यथा शालग्रामशिलातोयं नित्यं भुङ्क्ते च यो नरः । सुरेप्सितं प्रसादं च लभते नात्र संशयः
Whoever always performs ablution with the waters of the Śālagrāma stone attains the merit of all gifts and of circumambulating the earth; whoever regularly partakes of the Śālagrāma water surely obtains the favor desired by the gods—of this there is no doubt.
तस्य स्पर्शं च वाञ्छन्ति तीर्थानि निखिलानि च । जीवन्मुक्तो महापूतोऽप्यन्ते याति हरेः पदम्
All the sacred places desire to touch him; though liberated and greatly purified in life, at the end he attains the abode of Hari.
तत्रैव हरिणा सार्धमसंख्यं प्राकृतं लयम् । यास्यत्येव हि दास्ये च नियुक्तो दास्यकर्मणि
There, together with Hari, he will certainly attain dissolution into the unmanifest, and, engaged in service, will be assigned the duty of servitude.
यानि कानि च पापानि ब्रह्महत्यासमानि च । तं दृष्ट्वा च पलायन्ते वैनतेयादिवोरगाः
Whatever sins there are, even those equal to the killing of a Brāhmaṇa, flee upon seeing him, just as serpents flee from Garuḍa and others.
तत्पादरजसा देवी सद्यःपूता वसुन्धरा । पुंसां लक्षं तत्पितॄणां निस्तरेत्तस्य जन्मतः
By the dust of his feet, O Goddess, the earth is instantly purified; a hundred thousand of his ancestors are liberated from the bondage of birth.
शालग्रामशिलातोयं मृत्युकाले च यो लभेत् । सर्वपापविनिर्मुक्तो विष्णुलोकं स गच्छति
Whoever obtains the water of the Śālagrāma stone at the time of death, freed from all sins, goes to the world of Viṣṇu.
निर्वाणमुक्तिं लभते कर्मभोगात्प्रमुच्यते । विष्णोः पदे प्रलीनश्च भविष्यति न संशयः
He attains liberation and release, is freed from the results of actions, and is absorbed in the abode of Viṣṇu—of this there is no doubt.
शालग्रामशिलां धृत्वा मिथ्यावाक्यं वदेत्तु यः । स याति कुम्भीपाके च यावद्वै ब्रह्मणो वयः
Whoever, holding a Śālagrāma stone, speaks false words, goes to the hell called Kumbhīpāka for as long as the lifespan of Brahmā.
शालग्रामशिलां धृत्वा स्वीकारं यो न पालयेत् । स प्रयात्यसिपत्रं च लक्षमन्वन्तरावधि
Whoever, having accepted a Śālagrāma stone, does not keep his promise, goes to the hell called Asipatra for the duration of a hundred thousand manvantaras.
तुलसीपत्रविच्छेदं शालग्रामे करोति यः । तस्य जन्मान्तरे कान्ते स्त्रीविच्छेदो भविष्यति
Whoever breaks a Tulasī leaf on a Śālagrāma stone, in his next birth, O beautiful one, will experience separation from his wife.
तुलसीपत्रविच्छेदं शङ्खे यो हि करोति च । भार्याहीनो भवेत्सोऽपि रोगी च सप्तजन्मसु
Whoever breaks a Tulasī leaf on a conch, he too will be without a wife and diseased for seven lifetimes.
शालग्रामं च तुलसीं शङ्खं चैकत्र एव च । यो रक्षति महाज्ञानी स भवेच्छ्रीहरेः प्रियः
Whoever preserves together the Śālagrāma, Tulasī, and conch, that great knower becomes dear to Śrī Hari.
सकृदेव हि यो यस्यां वीर्याधानं करोति च । तद्विच्छेदे तस्य दुःखं भवेदेव परस्परम्
If even once someone deposits semen in a woman, then separation from her brings mutual suffering.
त्वं प्रिया शङ्खचूडस्य चैकमन्वन्तरावधि । शङ्खेन सार्धं त्वद्भेदः केवलं दुःखदस्तथा
You are dear to Śaṅkhacūḍa for the duration of one manvantara; separation from you with the conch brings only sorrow.
इत्युक्त्वा श्रीहरिस्तां च विरराम च नारद । सा च देहं परित्यज्य दिव्यरूपं विधाय च
Having spoken thus, Śrī Hari became silent, O Nārada; and she, abandoning her body, assumed a divine form.
यथा श्रीश्च तथा सा चाप्युवास हरिवक्षसि । स जगाम तया सार्धं वैकुण्ठं कमलापतिः
Just as Śrī herself, so too did she dwell upon Hari's chest; the Lord of Lakṣmī went to Vaikuṇṭha together with her.
लक्ष्मीः सरस्वती गङ्गा तुलसी चापि नारद । हरेः प्रियाश्चतस्रश्च बभूवुरीश्वरस्य च
Lakṣmī, Sarasvatī, Gaṅgā, and Tulasī, O Nārada, these four became the beloveds of Hari, the Lord.
सद्यस्तद्देहजाता च बभूव गण्डकी नदी । ईश्वरः सोऽपि शैलश्च तत्तीरे पुण्यदो नृणाम्
Immediately, from that body, the river Gaṇḍakī was born; and the Lord himself became a mountain on its bank, bestowing merit upon people.
कुर्वन्ति तत्र कीटाश्च शिलां बहुविधां मुने । जले पतन्ति या याश्च फलदास्ताश्च निश्चितम्
There, O sage, worms create many kinds of stones; those that fall into the water are certainly fruitful.
स्थलस्थाः पिङ्गला ज्ञेयाश्चोपतापाद्रवेरिति । इत्येवं कथितं सर्वं किं भूयः श्रोतुमिच्छसि
Those on land are to be known as tawny and, due to affliction, as impure; thus everything has been told—what more do you wish to hear?
तुलसीपूजाविधिवर्णनम् नारद उवाच तुलसी च यदा पूज्या कृता नारायणप्रिया । अस्याः पूजाविधानं च स्तोत्रं च वद साम्प्रतम्
Description of the method of worship of Tulasī. Nārada said: When Tulasī, beloved of Nārāyaṇa, is to be worshipped, tell me now the method of her worship and her hymn.
केन पूजा कृता केन स्तुता प्रथमतो मुने । तत्र पूज्या सा बभूव केन वा वद मामहो
By whom was she first worshipped, by whom first praised, O sage? Tell me by whom she became worthy of worship.
सूत उवाच नारदस्य वचः श्रुत्वा प्रहस्य मुनिपुङ्गवः । कथां कथितुमारेभे पुण्यां पापहरां पराम्
Sūta said: Hearing Nārada's words, the best of sages smiled and began to tell the most auspicious and sin-destroying story.
श्रीनारायण उवाच हरिः संपूज्य तुलसीं रेमे च रमया सह । रमासमानसौभाग्यां चकार गौरवेण च
Śrī Nārāyaṇa said: Hari, having worshipped Tulasī, enjoyed himself with Ramā; he honored her, whose fortune was equal to Ramā's.
सेहे च लक्ष्मीर्गङ्गा च तस्याश्च नवसङ्गमम् । सौभाग्यगौरवं कोपात्ते न सेहे सरस्वती
Lakṣmī and Gaṅgā endured her new union, but Sarasvatī, out of anger, could not bear her fortune and honor.
सा तां जघान कलहे मानिनी हरिसन्निधौ । व्रीडया चापमानेन सान्तर्धानं चकार ह
She, proud, struck her in conflict in the presence of Hari; out of shame and humiliation, she vanished.
सर्वसिद्धेश्वरी देवी ज्ञानिनां सिद्धियोगिनी । जगामादर्शनं कोपात्सर्वत्र च हरेरहो
The Goddess, sovereign of all powers and bestower of yogic perfection to the wise, disappeared everywhere from Hari, out of anger.
हरिर्न दृष्ट्वा तुलसीं बोधयित्वा सरस्वतीम् । तदनुज्ञां गहीत्वा च जगाम तुलसीवनम्
Hari, not seeing Tulasī, instructed Sarasvatī; then, taking her permission, he went to the grove of Tulasī.
तत्र गत्वा च सुस्नातो हरिः स तुलसीं सतीम् । पूजयामास तां ध्यात्वा स्तोत्रं भक्त्या चकार ह
There, having arrived and bathed well, Hari worshipped the virtuous Tulasī, meditated upon her, and composed a hymn with devotion.