न पालयेत्प्रतिज्ञां च स च ज्वालामुखं व्रजेत् । मित्रद्रोही कृतघ्नश्च यश्च विश्वासघातकः
If he does not keep his vow, he goes to Jvālāmukha; one who betrays a friend, is ungrateful, or breaks trust—
मिथ्यासाक्ष्यप्रदश्चैव स च ज्वालामुखं व्रजेत् । एते तत्र वसन्त्येव यावदिन्द्राश्चतुर्दश
Or one who gives false testimony, he too goes to Jvālāmukha; all these remain there as long as the fourteen Indras reign.
तथाङ्गारप्रदग्धाश्च मम दूतेन ताडिताः । चाण्डालस्तुलसीं स्पृष्ट्वा सप्तजन्म ततः शुचिः
Likewise, those scorched by burning coals and beaten by my messenger—if a caṇḍāla touches tulasī, after seven births he becomes pure.
म्लेच्छो गङ्गाजलस्पर्शी पञ्चजन्म ततः शुचिः । शिलास्पर्शी विट्कृमिश्च सप्तजन्मसु सुन्दरि
If a mleccha touches Gaṅgā water, after five births he becomes pure; if one who touches a stone becomes a worm in excrement, after seven births, O beautiful one—
अर्चास्पर्शी ब्रह्मकृमिः सप्तजन्म ततः शुचि । दक्षहस्तप्रदाता च सर्पश्च सप्तजन्मसु
If one touches an image, he becomes a worm in Brahman; after seven births he is purified; one who gives with the right hand becomes a serpent for seven births.
ततो भवेद् ब्रह्महीनो मानवश्च ततः शुचिः । मिथ्यावादी देवगृहे देवलः सप्तजन्मसु
After that, he becomes a man without Brahman; then, purified; one who speaks falsely in a temple becomes a devala for seven births.
विप्रादिस्पर्शकारी च व्याघ्रजातिर्भवेद् ध्रुवम् । ततो भवेच्च मूकः स बधिरश्च त्रिजन्मनि
One who touches a brāhmaṇa or others becomes surely born as a tiger; after that, he becomes mute and deaf for three births.
भार्याहीनो बन्धुहीनो वंशहीनस्ततः शुचिः । मित्रद्रोही च नकुलः कृतघ्नश्चापि गण्डकः
One without a wife, without kin, or without lineage—after that, purified; a betrayer of friends becomes a mongoose, and an ungrateful one a gallinule.
विश्वासघाती व्याघ्रश्च सप्तजन्मसु भारते । मिथ्यासाक्षी च वक्तव्ये मण्डूकः सप्तजन्मसु
One who betrays trust becomes a tiger for seven births in the land of Bharata; one who gives false testimony becomes a frog for seven births.
पूर्वान्सप्तापरान्सप्त पुरुषान्हन्ति चात्मनः । नित्यक्रियाविहीनश्च जडत्वेन युतो द्विजः
He kills seven ancestors and seven descendants of his own line; a twice-born who neglects daily rites becomes dull-witted.
यस्यानास्था वेदवाक्ये मन्दं हसति संततम् । व्रतोपवासहीनश्च सद्वाक्यपरनिन्दकः
He who has no faith in the words of the Veda and constantly mocks them, who neglects vows and fasts, and who slanders good people—
धूम्रान्धे च वसेत्सोऽपि शताब्दं धूम्रभक्षकः । जलजन्तुर्भवेत्सोऽपि शतजन्मक्रमेण च
—even if he dwells among the blind and eats smoke for a hundred years, he is born as a water-creature for a hundred births in succession.
ततो नानाप्रकारश्च मत्स्यजातिस्ततः शुचिः । यः करोत्युपहासं च देवब्राह्मणयोर्धने
After that, he is born in various kinds of fish, and then as a pure being; one who mocks the wealth of gods or brahmins—
पातयित्वा स पुरुषान्दशपूर्वान्दशापरान् । सोऽयं याति च धूम्रान्धं धूम्रध्वान्तसमन्वितम्
—after casting down ten men before and ten after, he goes to the world of the smoke-blind, enveloped in smoky darkness.
धूम्रक्लिष्टो धूम्रभोजी वसेत्तत्र चतुर्गुणम् । ततो मूषकजातिश्च सप्तजन्मसु भारते
Afflicted by smoke, eating smoke, he dwells there for four times the usual span; then he is born as a mouse for seven births in Bharata.
ततो नानाविधाः पक्षिजातयः कृमिजातिभिः । ततो नानाविधा वृक्षा पशवश्च ततो नरः
Then he is born in various kinds of birds, and among worm species; after that, in various kinds of trees, then as animals, and then as a human.
विप्रो दैवज्ञजीवी च वैद्यजीवी चिकित्सकः । लाक्षालोहादिव्यापारी रसादिविक्रयी च यः
A brahmin who lives by astrology, by medicine, by healing, by the trade of lac or metals, or by selling essences—
स याति नागवेष्टं च नागैर्वेष्टितमेव च । वसेत्स लोममानाब्दं तत्रैव नागपाशितः
—he goes to the realm of serpents, bound by serpents; there he remains for as many years as the number of his body hairs, bound by serpent nooses.
ततो नानाविधाः पक्षिजातयश्च ततो नरः । ततो भवेत्स गणको वैद्यश्च सप्तजन्मसु
After that, he is born in various kinds of birds, and then as a human; then, for seven births, he becomes an astrologer or a physician.
गोपश्च कर्मकारश्च रङ्गकारस्ततः शुचिः । प्रसिद्धानि च कुण्डानि कथितानि पतिव्रते
Then he is born as a cowherd, a craftsman, and then as a painter; O devoted wife, the famous pits have been described.
अन्यानि चाप्रसिद्धानि क्षुद्राणि सन्ति तत्र वै । सन्ति पातकिनस्तेषु स्वकर्मफलभोगिनः । भ्रमन्ति नानायोनिं च किं भूयः श्रोतुमिच्छसि
There are also other unknown, minor pits there; sinners dwell in them, experiencing the results of their actions, wandering through various wombs. What more do you wish to hear?
देवपूजनात् सर्वारिष्टनिवृत्तिवर्णनम् सावित्र्युवाच धर्मराज महाभाग वेदवेदाङ्गपारग । नानापुराणेतिहासे यत्सारं तत्प्रदर्शय
On the removal of all calamities by worship of the gods—
सर्वेषु सारभूतं यत्सर्वेष्टं सर्वसम्मतम् । कर्मच्छेदबीजरूपं प्रशस्तं सुखदं नृणाम्
O Dharmaraja, greatly fortunate, master of the Vedas and their branches, please show me the essence of what is found in the various Puranas and histories.
सर्वप्रदं च सर्वेषां सर्वमङ्गलकारणम् । भयं दुःखं न पश्यन्ति येन वै सर्वमानवाः
That which is the very essence among all, most desired by all, approved by all, which is praised, brings happiness to people, and destroys the seed of karma—
कुण्डानि ते न पश्यन्ति तेषु नैव पतन्ति च । न भवेद्येन जन्मादि तत्कर्म वद साम्प्रतम्
That which grants everything to all, is the cause of all auspiciousness, by which all people see neither fear nor suffering—
किमाकाराणि कुण्डानि तानि वा निर्मितानि च । के च केनैव रूपेण तत्र तिष्ठन्ति पापिनः
By which they do not see the pits, nor do they fall into them, nor is there birth and so on—tell me now of that action.
स्वदेहे भस्मसाद्भूते याति लोकान्तरं नरः । केन देहेन वा भोगं करोति च शुभाशुभम्
When his own body has become ashes, a man goes to another world; with what body then does he experience the results of good and bad actions?
सुचिरं क्लेशभोगेन कथं देहो न नश्यति । देहो वा किंविधो ब्रह्मंस्तन्मे व्याख्यातुमर्हसि
How does the body not perish, even after enduring long suffering and enjoyment? What kind of body is it, O Brahman? Please explain this to me.
श्रीनारायण उवाच सावित्रीवचनं श्रुत्वा धर्मराजो हरिं स्मरन् । कथां कथितुमारेभे कर्मबन्धनिकृन्तनीम्
Śrī Nārāyaṇa said: Hearing Sāvitrī’s words, the Lord of Dharma, remembering Hari, began to narrate the story that cuts the bonds of karma.
धर्मराज उवाच वत्से चतुर्षु वेदेषु धर्मेषु संहितासु च । पुराणेष्वितिहासेषु पाञ्चरात्रादिकेषु च
The Lord of Dharma said: Child, in the four Vedas, in the dharma texts, in the Saṃhitās, in the Purāṇas, in the histories, and in the Pāñcarātra and similar scriptures,