पततां पापिनां यत्र भवेदेव प्रकम्पनम् । अतीव हिमतोयाक्तं क्रोशार्धं च प्रकम्पनम्
Where trembling occurs for sinners who fall; exceedingly cold water fills half a krosha, and trembling is declared.
ददत्येव हि मे दूता यत्रोल्काः पापिनां मुखे । धनुर्विंशत्प्रमाणं तदुल्काभिश्च सुसङ्कुलम्
My messengers always place meteors in the mouths of sinners; measuring twenty bows, it is crowded with meteors.
लक्षपौरुषमानं च गम्भीरं च धनुःशतम् । नानाप्रकारकृमिभिः संयुक्तं च भयानकम्
A pit measuring one hundred puruṣas in depth and as wide as a hundred bows, terrifying and filled with various kinds of worms.
अत्यन्धकारव्याप्तं च कूपाकारं च वर्तुलम् । तद्भक्ष्यैः पापिभिर्युक्तं प्रणश्यद्भिः परस्परम्
Covered in utter darkness, round and shaped like a well, inhabited by sinful beings who devour each other as they perish.
तप्ततोयप्रदग्धैश्च ज्वलद्भिः कीटभक्षितैः । ध्वान्तेन चक्षुषा चान्धैरन्धकूपः प्रकीर्तितः
There, sinful ones are consumed by burning insects, scorched by boiling water, and blinded by darkness—this is called the blind well.
नानाप्रकारशस्त्रौघैर्यत्र विद्धाश्च पापिनः । धनुर्विंशत्प्रमाणं च वेधनं तत्प्रकीर्तितम्
Where sinners are pierced by many kinds of weapons, and the piercing is said to be as wide as twenty bows.
दण्डेन ताडिता यत्र मम दूतैश्च पापिनः । धनुःषोडशमानं च तत्कुण्डं दण्डताडनम्
Where sinners are struck with rods by my messengers, and the pit, measuring sixteen bows, is known as the place of rod-beating.
निरुद्धाश्च महाजालैर्यथा मीनाश्च पापिनः । धनुर्विंशत्प्रमाणं च जालरन्ध्रं प्रकीर्तितम्
Where sinners are trapped by great nets like fish, and the opening of the net is said to be twenty bows wide.
पततां पापिनां कुण्डे देहश्चूर्णो भवेदिह । लोहबन्दीनिबद्धानां कोटिपौरुषमानकम्
In the pit where sinners fall, their bodies are crushed to powder; for those bound like iron prisoners, it measures ten million puruṣas.
गम्भीरं ध्वान्तसंयुक्तं धनुर्विंशत्प्रमाणकम् । मूर्च्छितानां जडानां च देहचूर्णं प्रकीर्तितम्
Deep, filled with darkness, and twenty bows in measure, it is said to be the place where the bodies of the unconscious and the dull are ground to powder.
दलिताः पापिनो यत्र मम दूतैश्च ताडिताः । धनुःषोडशमानं च तत्कुण्डं दलनं स्मृतम्
Where sinners are crushed and beaten by my messengers, the pit measuring sixteen bows is known as the place of crushing.
पतनेनैव पापी च शुष्ककण्ठोष्ठतालुकः । बालुकासु च तप्तासु धनुस्त्रिंशत्प्रमाणकम्
By falling, the sinner becomes parched in throat, lips, and palate, and in the pit filled with burning sand, measuring thirty bows.
शतपौरुषमानं च गम्भीरं ध्वान्तसंयुतम् । शोषणं कुण्डमेतद्धि पापिनां परदुःखदम्
A pit one hundred puruṣas deep, filled with darkness, measuring thirty bows, is called the pit of drying, causing suffering to sinners.
नानाचर्मकषायोदपरिपूर्णं धनुःशतम् । दुर्गन्धियुक्ततद्भक्ष्यैः प्राणिभिः सङ्कुलं कषम्
A pit one hundred bows in size, filled with various skins and astringent liquids, crowded with foul-smelling creatures that devour the sinful.
शूर्पाकारमुखं कुण्डं धनुर्द्वादशमानकम् । तप्तलोहबालुकाभिः पूर्णं पातकिसंयुतम्
A pit with a winnowing-basket-shaped mouth, measuring twelve bows, filled with burning iron sand and inhabited by the fallen.
दुर्गन्धियुक्तं तद्भक्ष्यैः पापिभिः सङ्कुलं सति । शूर्पाकारमुखं कुण्डं धनुर्द्वादशमात्रकम्
Foul-smelling, crowded with devouring sinners, the pit with a winnowing-basket-shaped mouth measures twelve bows.
प्रतप्तबालुकापूर्णं महापातकिभिर्युतम् । अन्तरग्निशिखानां च ज्वालाव्याप्तमुखं सदा
Filled with burning sand, inhabited by great sinners, and always filled with flames rising within.
धनुर्विंशतिमात्रं च प्रमाणं यस्य सुन्दरि । ज्वालाभिर्दग्धगात्रैश्च पापिभिर्व्याप्तमेव च
O beautiful one, the pit measures twenty bows, and is filled with sinners whose bodies are burned by flames.
तन्महाक्लेशदं शश्वत्कुण्डं ज्वालामुखं स्मृतम् । पातमात्राद्यत्र पापी मूर्च्छितो वै नरो भवेत्
That pit, always causing great torment, is known as the flaming-mouthed pit, where the sinner faints as soon as he falls in.
तप्तेष्टकाभ्यन्तरितं वाप्यर्धं जिह्मकुण्डकम् । धूमान्धकारसंयुक्तं धूम्रान्धैः पापिभिर्युतम्
Half a pond in size, lined with heated bricks, crooked in shape, filled with smoke and darkness, and inhabited by smoke-blinded sinners.
धनुःशतं श्वासरन्ध्रैर्धूम्रान्धं परिकीर्तितम् । पातमात्राद्यत्र पापी नागैश्च वेष्टितो भवेत्
A hundred bows' length, filled with smoke and darkness, is said to be the place where, upon falling, a sinner is bound by serpents at every breath's interval.
धनुःशतं नागपूर्णं तन्नागैर्वेष्टितं भवेत् । षडशीति च कुण्डानि मयोक्तानि निशामय । लक्षणं चापि तेषां च किं भूयः श्रोतुमिच्छसि
A hundred bows' length, filled with serpents, there one is entwined by those serpents; and I have spoken of eighty-six pits—listen—do you wish to hear further of their characteristics?
सावित्र्युपाख्यानवर्णनम् सावित्र्युवाच देवीभक्तिं देहि मह्यं साराणां चैव सारकम् । पुंसां मुक्तिद्वारबीजं नरकार्णवतारकम्
The Account of Sāvitrī Begins Sāvitrī said: Grant me devotion to the Goddess, and the essence of all that is essential; the seed of liberation's gateway for men, the raft to cross the ocean of hell.
कारणं मुक्तिसाराणां सर्वाशुभविनाशनम् । दारकं कर्मवृक्षाणां कृतपापौघहारणम्
The cause of the essence of liberation, the destroyer of all inauspiciousness; the child of the tree of karma, the remover of the multitude of sins committed.
मुक्तिश्च कतिथाप्यस्ति किं वा तासां च लक्षणम् । देवीभक्तिं भक्तिभेदं निषेकस्यापि खण्डनम्
How many kinds of liberation are there, and what are their characteristics? Tell me of devotion to the Goddess, the types of devotion, and even the refutation of initiation.
तत्त्वज्ञानविहीना च स्त्रीजातिर्विधिनिर्मिता । किञ्चिञ्ज्ञानं सारभूतं वद वेदविदां वर
Women, created by rule, lack true knowledge of reality; O best of knowers of the Veda, speak a little of the essence of knowledge.
सर्वं दानं च यज्ञश्च तीर्थस्नानं व्रतं तपः । अज्ञानिज्ञानदानस्य कलां नार्हन्ति षोडशीम्
All gifts, sacrifices, bathing at holy places, vows, and austerities are not equal to even a sixteenth part of the giving of knowledge, whether by the ignorant or the wise.
पितुः शतगुणा माता गौरवे चेति निश्चितम् । मातुः शतगुणः पूज्यो ज्ञानदाता गुरुः प्रभो
It is certain that the mother is a hundred times more worthy of reverence than the father; and the giver of knowledge, the guru, O Lord, is a hundred times more worthy of worship than the mother.
धर्मराज उवाच पूर्वं सर्वो वरो दत्तो यस्ते मनसि वाञ्छितः । अधुना शक्तिभक्तिस्ते वत्से भवतु मद्वरात्
Dharmarāja said: Previously, every boon you desired in your mind was granted; now, by my boon, may you have devotion and strength, O child.
श्रोतुमिच्छसि कल्याणि श्रीदेवीगुणकीर्तनम्। वक्तॄणां पृच्छकानां च श्रोतॄणां कुलतारणम्
Do you wish to hear, O auspicious one, the praise of the virtues of the Goddess, which is the means for the questioners, speakers, and listeners to cross their family lineages?