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.
नोपतिष्ठति यः पूर्वां नोपास्ते यस्तु पश्चिमाम् । स शूद्रवद्बहिष्कार्यः सर्वस्माद् द्विजकर्मणः
He who does not perform the morning or evening sandhyā should be excluded from all duties of the twice-born, like a Śūdra.
यावज्जीवनपर्यन्तं त्रिःसन्ध्यां यः करोति च । स च सूर्यसमो विप्रस्तेजसा तपसा सदा
He who performs the three sandhyās throughout his life is, in brilliance and austerity, always equal to the sun, O brāhmaṇa.
तत्पादपद्मरजसा सद्यःपूता वसुन्धरा । जीवन्मुक्तः स तेजस्वी सन्ध्यापूतो हि यो द्विजः
By the dust of his lotus feet, the earth is instantly purified; that twice-born, purified by sandhyā, is liberated while living and radiant.
तीर्थानि च पवित्राणि तस्य संस्पर्शमात्रतः । ततः पापानि यान्त्येव वैनतेयादिवोरगाः
Holy places become pure merely by his touch; thus, sins depart from him just as serpents flee from Garuḍa.
न गृह्णन्ति सुराः पूजां पितरः पिण्डतर्पणम् । स्वेच्छया च द्विजातेश्च त्रिसन्ध्यारहितस्य च
The gods do not accept worship, nor the ancestors the offerings, from a twice-born who neglects the three sandhyās, acting as he pleases.
मूलप्रकृत्यभक्तो यस्तन्मन्त्रस्याप्यनर्चकः । तदुत्सवविहीनश्च विषहीनो यथोरगः
He who has no devotion to the root nature, who does not honor its mantra, who neglects its festivals, is like a serpent without poison.
विष्णुमन्त्रविहीनश्च त्रिसन्ध्यारहितो द्विजः । एकादशीविहीनश्च विषहीनो यथोरगः
A twice-born who lacks the Viṣṇu mantra, who neglects the three sandhyās, or who omits the eleventh day observance, is like a serpent without poison.
हरेरनैवेद्यभोजी धावको वृषवाहकः । शूद्रान्नभोजी यो विप्रो विषहीनो यथोरगः
A brāhmaṇa who eats food not offered to Hari, who runs after the bull, or who eats food of a Śūdra, is like a serpent without poison.
शूद्राणां शवदाही यः स विप्रो वृषलीपतिः । शूद्राणां सूपकारश्च विषहीनो यथोरगः
A Brahmin who cremates the dead for Shudras is the master of outcastes; a Brahmin who cooks for Shudras is like a serpent without poison.
शूद्राणां च प्रतिग्राही शूद्रयाजी च यो द्विजः । मसिजीवी असिजीवी विषहीनो यथोरगः
A twice-born who accepts gifts from Shudras or performs sacrifices for Shudras, who lives by ink or by the sword, is like a serpent without poison.