तद्वृक्षे पूजयेत्तां च भक्त्या चावाहनं विना । तां ध्यात्वा चोपचारेण ध्यानं पातकनाशनम्
One should worship her at the tree with devotion, even without formal invocation; meditating on her with offerings, the meditation destroys sin.
तुलसीं पुष्पसारां च सतीं पूतां मनोहराम् । कृतपापेध्मदाहाय ज्वलदग्निशिखोपमाम्
Tulasī, essence of flowers, pure, enchanting, blazing like a flame to burn away the fuel of committed sins.
पुष्पेषु तुलना यस्या नास्ति वेदेषु भाषितम् । पवित्ररूपा सर्वासु तुलसी सा च कीर्तिता
Of all flowers, none can be compared to her, as spoken in the Vedas; she is praised as the most pure among all, and that is Tulasi.
शिरोधार्या च सर्वेषामीप्सिता विश्वपावनी । जीवन्मुक्तां मुक्तिदां च भजे तां हरिभक्तिदाम्
She is desired by all to be worn upon the head, purifier of the world; I worship her, who grants liberation while living, and devotion to Hari.
इति ध्यात्वा च संपूज्य स्तुत्वा च प्रणमेत्सुधीः । उक्तं तुलस्युपाख्यानं किं भूयः श्रोतुमिच्छसि
Thus, having meditated, worshipped, praised, and bowed, the wise one should say: The story of Tulasi has been told; what more do you wish to hear?
सावित्रीपूजाविधिकथनम् नारद उवाच तुलस्युपाख्यानमिदं श्रुतं चातिसुधोपमम् । ततः सावित्र्युपाख्यानं तन्मे व्याख्यातुमर्हसि
The narration of the method for worshipping Savitri. Narada said: I have heard the story of Tulasi, which is exceedingly pure and excellent; now you should explain to me the story of Savitri.
पुरा केन समुद्भूता सा श्रुता च श्रुतेः प्रसूः । केन वा पूजिता लोके प्रथमे कैश्च वा परे
Who was she born from in ancient times, and how is she known as the offspring of Shruti? By whom was she first worshipped in the world, and by whom afterwards?
श्रीनारायण उवाच ब्रह्मणा वेदजननी प्रथमे पूजिता मुने । द्वितीये च वेदगणैस्तत्पश्चाद्विदुषां गणैः
Shri Narayana said: In the beginning, O sage, she was worshipped by Brahma, the mother of the Vedas; then by the groups of Vedic scholars, and afterwards by assemblies of learned men.
तदा चाश्वपतिर्भूपः पूजयामास भारते । तत्पश्चात्पूजयामासुर्वर्णाश्चत्वार एव च
Then, the horse-sacrificing king in Bharata worshipped her; after that, the four castes also worshipped her.
नारद उवाच को वा सोऽश्वपतिर्ब्रह्मन् केन वा तेन पूजिता । सर्वपूज्या च सा देवी प्रथमे कैश्च वा परे
Narada said: Who was that horse-sacrificing king, O Brahman, and by whom was she worshipped? That goddess, worthy of worship by all, who first and who afterwards worshipped her?
श्रीनारायण उवाच मद्रदेशे महाराजो बभूवाश्वपतिर्मुने । वैरिणां बलहर्ता च मित्राणां दुःखनाशनः
Shri Narayana said: In the land of Madra, there was a great king, a horse-sacrificer, O sage; he destroyed the strength of enemies and removed the suffering of friends.
आसीत्तस्य महाराज्ञी महिषी धर्मचारिणी । मालतीति समाख्याता यथा लक्ष्मीर्गदाभृतः
He had a great queen, a righteous wife, named Malati, just as Lakshmi is to the wielder of the mace.
सा च राज्ञी च वन्ध्या च वसिष्ठस्योपदेशतः । चकाराराधनं भक्त्या सावित्र्याश्चैव नारद
That queen was childless, and by the instruction of Vasishta, she performed worship with devotion to Savitri, O Narada.
प्रत्यादेशं न सा प्राप्ता महिषी न ददर्श ताम् । गृहं जगाम दुःखार्ता हृदयेन विदूयता
The queen did not receive any response, nor did she see her; afflicted with sorrow, she returned home with a heart full of pain.
राजा तां दुःखितां दृष्ट्वा बोधयित्वा नयेन वै । सावित्र्यास्तपसे भक्त्या जगाम पुष्करं तदा
The king, seeing her distressed, consoled her with wise counsel; then, with devotion, he went to Pushkara for austerities to Savitri.
तपश्चकार तत्रैव संयतः शतवत्सरम् । न ददर्श च सावित्र्या प्रत्यादेशो बभूव च
There, he performed austerities with restraint for a hundred years; yet he did not see Savitri, and received no response.
शुश्रावाकाशवाणीं च नृपेन्द्रश्चाशरीरिणीम् । गायत्र्या दशलक्षं च जपं त्वं कुरु नारद
The king heard a bodiless voice in the sky: 'Recite the Gayatri ten lakhs of times, O Narada.'
एतस्मिन्नन्तरे तत्र आजगाम पराशरः । प्रणनाम ततस्तं च मुनिर्नृपमुवाच च
Meanwhile, Parashara arrived there; he bowed to the king, and the sage spoke to him.
मुनिरुवाच सकृज्जपश्च गायत्र्याः पापं दिनभवं हरेत् । दशवारं जपेनैव नश्येत्पापं दिवानिशम्
The sage said: Reciting the Gayatri once removes the sin of a day; by reciting it ten times, sin of day and night is destroyed.
शतवारं जपश्चैव पापं मासार्जितं हरेत् । सहस्रधा जपश्चैव कल्मषं वत्सरार्जितम्
Reciting it a hundred times removes sin accumulated in a month; reciting it a thousand times removes impurity acquired in a year.
लक्षो जन्मकृतं पापं दशलक्षोऽन्यजन्मजम् । सर्वजन्मकृतं पापं शतलक्षाद्विनश्यति
Sins committed in one birth are destroyed by a hundred thousand; those from ten births by a million; and all sins from all births are destroyed by ten million.
करोति मुक्तिं विप्राणां जपो दशगुणस्ततः । करं सर्पफणाकारं कृत्वा तद्रन्धमुद्रितम्
The recitation performed by brāhmaṇas grants liberation, and is ten times more effective when done with the hand shaped like a serpent's hood, sealing the opening.
आनम्रमूर्धमचलं प्रजपेत्प्राङ्मुखो द्विजः । अनामिकामध्यदेशादधोऽवामक्रमेण च
With the head bowed and steady, facing east, the twice-born should recite, moving from the middle of the ring finger downward, in order, to the base of the little finger.
तर्जनीमूलपर्यन्तं जपस्यैवं क्रमः करे । श्वेतपङ्कजबीजानां स्फटिकानां च संस्कृताम्
This is the sequence for recitation on the hand, from the base to the tip of the index finger; using beads of white lotus seeds or crystal, properly prepared.
कृत्वा वै मालिकां राजन् जपेत्तीर्थे सुरालये । संस्थाप्य मालामश्वत्थपत्रे पद्मे च संयतः
Having made a rosary, O King, one should recite at a sacred place or temple, placing the rosary on a peepal leaf or lotus, with self-control.
कृत्वा गोरोचनाक्तां च गायत्र्या स्नापयेत्सुधीः । गायत्रीशतकं तस्यां जपेच्च विधिपूर्वकम्
Having anointed it with cow's gall, the wise should bathe it with the Gāyatrī mantra, and recite the Gāyatrī one hundred times upon it, according to proper procedure.
अथवा पञ्चगव्येन स्नात्वा मालां सुसंस्कृताम् । अथ गङ्गोदकेनैव स्नात्वा वातिसुसंस्कृताम्
Alternatively, after bathing the well-prepared rosary with pañcagavya, or else with Ganges water, making it extremely pure—
एवं क्रमेण राजर्षे दशलक्षं जपं कुरु । साक्षाद्द्रक्ष्यसि सावित्रीं त्रिजन्मपातकक्षयात्
In this manner, O royal sage, perform one hundred thousand recitations; you will directly see Sāvitrī, as the sins of three births are destroyed.
नित्यं सन्ध्यां च हे राजन् करिष्यसि दिने दिने । मध्याह्ने चापि सायाह्ने प्रातरेव शुचिः सदा
O King, you should perform the sandhyā ritual every day—at midday, in the evening, and always in the morning, remaining pure.
सन्ध्याहीनोऽशुचिर्नित्यमनर्हः सर्वकर्मसु । यदह्ना कुरुते कर्म न तस्य फलभाग्भवेत्
One who neglects sandhyā is always impure and unfit for all rites; whatever action he performs that day will not bear fruit.