पूजयेत्स्तौति वा भक्त्या स विष्णुसदृशो भवेत् । तत्स्पर्शवायुना सद्यस्तीर्थौघश्च विशुध्यति
'Or worships or praises him with devotion, becomes like Viṣṇu; by the mere wind touched by that, a multitude of sacred places is instantly purified.'
तत्पादरजसा मूढ सद्यः पूता वसुन्धरा । पुंश्चल्यन्नमवीरान्नं शूद्रश्राद्धान्तमेव च
'By the dust of his feet, O fool, the earth is immediately purified—even food from an unchaste woman, food from the childless, or offerings from a Śūdra.'
यद्धरेरनिवेद्यं च वृथा मांसस्य भक्षणम् । शिवलिङ्गप्रदानं च यद्दत्तं शूद्रयाजिना
The eating of meat that has not been offered to Hari, the giving of a Shiva lingam, and whatever is given by a Shudra or one who does not perform sacrifices—
चिकित्सकद्विजान्नं च देवलान्नं तथैव च । कन्याविक्रयिणामन्नं यदन्नं योनिजीविनाम्
Food from physicians, from twice-born who serve temples, food from those who sell their daughters, and food from those who live by prostitution—
उच्छिष्टान्नं पर्युषितं सर्वभक्षावशेषितम् । शूद्रापतिद्विजानां च भूषवाहद्विजान्नकम्
Leftover food, stale food, remnants from those who eat everything, and food from twice-born who have married Shudra women or who carry corpses—
अदीक्षितद्विजानां च यदन्नं शवदाहिनाम् । अगम्यागामिनां चैव द्विजानामन्नमेव च
Food from twice-born who are not initiated, from those who eat corpses, and from twice-born who have had relations with forbidden women—
मित्रद्रुहां कृतज्जानामन्नं विश्वासघातिनाम् । मिथ्यासाक्ष्यप्रदान्नं च ब्राह्मणान्नं तथैव च
Food from betrayers of friends, from the ungrateful, from those who break trust, from those who give false testimony, and from Brahmins—
एते सर्वे विशुध्यन्ति विष्णोनैवेद्यभक्षणात् । श्वपचश्चेद्विष्णुसेवी वंशानां कोटिमुद्धरेत्
All these are purified by eating food offered to Vishnu; if even a dog-eater serves Vishnu, he can uplift ten million generations of his lineage.
हरेरभक्तो मनुजः स्वं च रक्षितुमक्षमः । अज्ञानाद्यदि गृह्णाति विष्णोर्निर्माल्यमेव च
A man who is not devoted to Hari and cannot protect himself, if he ignorantly takes even Vishnu's leftover offerings—
सप्तजन्मार्जितात्पापान्मुच्यते नात्र संशयः । ज्ञात्वा भक्त्या च गृह्णाति विष्णोनैवेद्यमेव च
He is freed from sins accumulated over seven births, without doubt; and one who knowingly and with devotion accepts food offered to Vishnu—
कोटिजन्मार्जितात्पापान्मुच्यते निश्चितं हरे । यस्मात्संस्थापितं पुष्पं गर्वेण करिमस्तके
He is certainly freed from sins accumulated over ten million births, O Hari, because a flower placed with pride on an elephant's head is established.
तस्माद्युष्मान्परित्यज्य यातु लक्ष्मीर्हरेः पदम् । नारायणस्य भक्तोऽहं न बिभेमि सुराद्विधेः
Therefore, abandoning you, O Indra, Lakshmi goes to the feet of Hari; I am a devotee of Narayana and do not fear even the lord of the gods.
कालान्मृत्योर्जरातश्च कानन्यान् गणयामि च । किं करिष्यति ते तातः कश्यपश्च प्रजापतिः
Why should I count Time, Death, Old Age, or others? What could your father, Kashyapa, or Prajapati do?
बृहस्पतिर्गुरुश्चैव निःशङ्कस्य च मे हरे । इदं पुष्पं यस्य मूर्ध्नि तस्यैव पूजनं परम्
What could Brihaspati, your guru, do to me, O Hari, who am without fear? The one on whose head this flower rests, for him alone is the highest worship.
इति श्रुत्वा महेन्द्रश्च धृत्वा स चरणं मुनेः । उच्चै रुरोद शोकार्तस्तमुवाच भयाकुलः
Hearing this, Mahendra (Indra), holding the sage's feet, cried out loudly in grief and, overcome by fear, spoke to him.
महेन्द्र उवाच दत्तः समुचितः शापो मह्यं मायापहः प्रभो । हृतां न याचे सम्पत्तिं किञ्चिज्ज्ञानं च देहि मे
Mahendra said: The curse given to me is just, O Lord, remover of illusion; I do not ask for my lost wealth, but grant me a little knowledge.
ऐश्वर्यं विपदां बीजं ज्ञानप्रच्छन्नकारणम् । मुक्तिमार्गकुठारश्च भक्तेश्च व्यवधायकम्
Wealth is the seed of misfortune, the cause that conceals knowledge, the axe that cuts the path to liberation, and the obstacle to devotion.
मुनिरुवाच जन्ममृत्युजराशोकरोगबीजाङ्कुरं परम् । सम्पत्तितिमिरान्धश्च मुक्तिमार्गं न पश्यति
The sage said: It is the supreme sprout of the seeds of birth, death, old age, sorrow, and disease; blinded by the darkness of prosperity, one does not see the path to liberation.
सम्पन्मत्तो विमूढश्च सुरामत्तः स एव च । बान्धवैर्वेष्टितः सोऽपि बन्धुत्वेनैव हे हरे
Intoxicated by wealth, deluded, just like one drunk on wine, surrounded by relatives—he too, O Hari, is bound by the very ties of kinship.
सम्पत्तिमदमत्तश्च विषयान्धश्च विह्वलः । महाकामी राजसिकः सत्त्वमार्गं न पश्यति
Intoxicated by prosperity, blinded by sense-objects, agitated, filled with great desire, dominated by passion—he does not see the path of goodness.
द्विविधो विषयान्धश्च राजसस्तामसः स्मृतः । अशास्त्रज्ञस्तामसश्च शास्त्रज्ञो राजसः स्मृतः
There are two kinds of blindness to objects: one is called rajasic, the other tamasic. The one ignorant of scripture is called tamasic; the one who knows scripture is called rajasic.
शास्त्रं च द्विविधं मार्गं दर्शयेत्सुरपुङ्गव । प्रवृत्तिबीजमेकं च निवृत्तेः कारणं परम्
Scripture, O best of the gods, reveals two paths: one is the seed of engagement in the world, the other is the supreme cause of withdrawal.
चरन्ति जीविनश्चादौ प्रवृत्तेर्दुःखवर्त्मनि । स्वच्छन्दं च प्रसन्नं च निर्विरोधं च सन्ततम्
At first, living beings follow the path of activity, which is filled with suffering; yet it appears free, pleasant, and always without opposition.
आयाति मधुनो लोभात्क्लेशेन सुखमानितः । परिणामे नाशबीजे जन्ममृत्युजराकरे
Drawn by desire for honey, one pursues happiness through hardship; but in the end, it brings destruction, sowing the seeds of birth, death, and old age.
अनेकजन्मपर्यन्तं कृत्वा च भ्रमणं मुदा । स्वकर्मविहितायां च नानायोन्यां क्रमेण च
Thus, wandering joyfully through countless births, each according to their own karma, they take birth in various wombs, one after another.
ततश्चेशानुगहाग्रच्च सत्सङ्गं लभते च सः । सहस्रेषु शतेष्वेको भवाब्धिपारकारणम्
Then, by the supreme grace of the Lord, one attains the company of the virtuous; among thousands and hundreds, only one finds the means to cross the ocean of becoming.
साधुस्तत्त्वप्रदीपेन मुक्तिमार्गं प्रदर्शयेत् । तदा करोति यत्नं च जीवो बन्धनखण्डने
A holy person, with the lamp of truth, shows the path to liberation; then the soul strives to break its bonds.
अनेकजन्मयोगेन तपसानशनेन च । तदा लभेन्मुक्तिमार्गं निर्विघ्नं सुखदं परम्
Through the accumulation of many births, through austerity and fasting, one then attains the path of liberation, which is unobstructed and supremely blissful.
इदं श्रुतं गुरोर्वक्याद्यत् पृच्छसि पुरन्दर । मुनेस्तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा वीतरागो बभूव सः
This is what you have heard from the words of the guru, O Purandara; hearing the sage's teaching, he became free from passion.
वैराग्यं वर्धयामास तस्य ब्रह्मन् दिने दिने । मुनेः स्थानाद् गृहं गत्वा स ददर्शामरावतीम्
Day by day, his dispassion increased, O Brahman; leaving the sage's abode, he went home and saw Amaravati.