न कातरो हि नीतिज्ञो विपत्तौ च कदाचन । सम्पत्तिर्वा विपत्तिर्वा नश्वरा श्रमरूपिणी
One who knows policy is never fearful in adversity; both prosperity and misfortune are transient and bring toil.
पूर्वस्य कर्मायत्ता च स्वयं कर्ता तयोरपि । सर्वेषां च भवत्येव शश्वज्जन्मनि जन्मनि
Both are dependent on previous actions, though one acts for oneself in each; for all beings, in every birth, this is always so.
चक्रनेमिक्रमेणैव तत्र का परिदेवना । उक्तं हि स्वकृतं कर्म भुज्यतेऽखिलभारते
Just as the rim of a wheel turns in order, what cause is there for lamentation? It is said in the great Bharata that one must experience the results of one's own deeds.
शुभाशुभं च यत्किञ्चित्स्वकर्मफलभुक् पुमान् । नाभुक्तं क्षीयते कर्म कल्पकोटिशतैरपि
Whatever is auspicious or inauspicious, a person must enjoy the fruit of their own actions; karma does not perish without being experienced, even in hundreds of millions of aeons.
अवश्यमेव भोक्तव्यं कृतं कर्म शुभाशुभम् । इत्येवमुक्तं वेदे च कृष्णेन परमात्मना
One must certainly experience the results of good and bad actions performed; thus it is declared in the Veda by Krishna, the Supreme Self.
सामवेदोक्तशाखायां सम्बोध्य कमलोद्भवम् । जन्मभोगावशेषे च सर्वेषां कृतकर्मणाम्
In the branch of the Sama Veda, addressing the lotus-born one, it is said that all beings must experience, according to their actions, the remainder of birth and enjoyment.
अनुरूपं हि तेषां च भारतेऽन्यत्र चैव हि । कर्मणा ब्रह्मशापं च कर्मणा च शुभाशिषम्
Accordingly, both in Bharata and elsewhere, by action one receives the curse of Brahma or a blessing.
कर्मणा च महालक्ष्मीं लभेद्दैन्यं च कर्मणा । कोटिजन्मार्जितं कर्म जीविनामनुगच्छति
By action one attains Mahalakshmi, and by action, poverty; the karma accumulated over millions of births follows living beings.
न हि त्यजेद्विना भोगं तच्छायेव पुरन्दर । कालभेदे देशभेदे पात्रभेदे च कर्मणाम्
It does not leave without being experienced, O Purandara, just like a shadow; with differences of time, place, and recipient, there is also difference in the results of actions.
न्यूनताधिकभावोऽपि भवेदेव हि कर्मणा । वस्तुदानेन वस्तूनां समं पुण्यं दिने दिने
Even increase or decrease in the result arises from action; by giving objects, the merit is equal each day.
दिनभेदे कोटिगुणमसंख्यं वा ततोऽधिकम् । समे देशे च वस्तूनां दाने पुण्यं समं सुर
On different days, the merit may be a crore-fold or countless times greater; but in the same place, the merit of giving objects is equal, O god.
देशभेदे कोटिगुणमसंख्यं वा ततोऽधिकम् । समे पात्रे समं पुण्यं वस्तूनां कर्तुरेव च
With difference of place, the merit may be a crore-fold or countless times greater; with the same recipient, the merit for the giver is equal.
पात्रभेदे शतगुणमसंख्यं वा ततोऽधिकम् । यथा फलन्ति सस्यानि न्यूनान्यप्यधिकानि च
With difference of recipient, the merit may be a hundredfold or countless times greater; just as crops yield more or less for farmers, depending on the field and the recipient.
कर्षकाणां क्षेत्रभेदे पात्रभेदे फलं तथा । सामान्यदिवसे विप्रदानं समफलं भवेत्
So too, with difference of field and recipient, the result varies; on an ordinary day, giving to a Brahmin yields equal fruit.
अमायां रविसंक्रान्त्यां फलं शतगुणं भवेत् । चातुर्मास्यां पौर्णमास्यामनन्तं फलमेव च
On the new moon or at the sun's transit, the fruit becomes a hundredfold; at the four-monthly sacrifice or on the full moon, the fruit is infinite.
ग्रहणे शशिनः कोटिगुणं च फलमेव च । सूर्यस्य ग्रहणे वापि ततो दशगुणं भवेत्
At a lunar eclipse, the fruit is a crore-fold; at a solar eclipse, the fruit is ten times greater than that.
अक्षयायामक्षयं तदसंख्यं फलमुच्यते । एवमन्यत्र पुण्याहे फलाधिक्यं भवेदिति
For that which is imperishable, the fruit is said to be inexhaustible and countless; likewise, on other auspicious days, the merit is even greater.
यथा दाने तथा स्नाने जपेऽन्यपुण्यकर्मसु । एवं सर्वत्र बोद्धव्यं नराणां कर्मणां फलम्
Just as with giving, so too with bathing, recitation, and other virtuous acts; thus, everywhere, one should understand the results of human actions.
यथा दण्डेन चक्रेण शरावेण भ्रमेण च । कुम्भं निर्माति निर्माता कुम्भकारो मृदा भुवि
Just as a potter fashions a pot from clay on the earth, using a stick, a wheel, a bowl, and rotation—
तथैव कर्मसूत्रेण फलं धाता ददाति च । यस्याज्ञया सृष्टमिदं तं च नारायणं भज
In the same way, the Giver bestows the fruit through the thread of action; worship that Nārāyaṇa by whose command this world was created.
स विधाता विधातुश्च पातुः पाता जगत्त्रये । स्रष्टुः स्रष्टा च संहर्तुः संहर्ता कालकालकः
He is the creator of the creator, the protector of the protector, the preserver of the three worlds; the origin of the originator, the destroyer of the destroyer, the time of time itself.
महाविपत्तौ संसारे यः स्मरेन्मधुसूदनम् । विपत्तौ तस्य सम्पत्तिर्भवेदित्याह शङ्करः
In the great calamity of worldly existence, whoever remembers Madhusūdana, for him, in misfortune, prosperity arises—so declares Śaṅkara.
इत्येवमुक्त्वा तत्त्वज्ञः समालिङ्ग्य सुरेश्वरम् । दत्त्वा शुभाशिषं चेष्टं बोधयामास नारद
Having thus spoken, the knower of truth embraced the lord of the gods, and, giving him auspicious blessings, Nārada began to instruct him.
श्रीलक्ष्म्युपाख्यानवर्णनम् श्रीनारायण उवाच हरिं ध्यात्वा हरिर्ब्रह्मन् जगाम ब्रह्मणः सभाम् । बृहस्पतिं पुरस्कृत्य सर्वैः सुरगणैः सह
Description of the Story of Śrī Lakṣmī. Śrī Nārāyaṇa said: Meditating on Hari, Hari, O Brāhmaṇa, went to the assembly of Brahmā, accompanied by Bṛhaspati and all the hosts of gods.
शीघ्रं गत्वा ब्रह्मलोकं दृष्ट्वा च कमलोद्भवम् । प्रणेमुर्देवताः सर्वाः सहेन्द्रा गुरुणा सह
Quickly reaching Brahmā's world and seeing the lotus-born one, all the deities, along with Indra and their teacher, bowed down.
वृत्तान्तं कथयामास सुराचार्यो विधिं प्रति । प्रहस्योवाच तच्छ्रुत्वा महेन्द्रं कमलासनः
The preceptor of the gods narrated the events to Brahmā; hearing this, the lotus-seated one smiled and spoke to Mahendra.
ब्रह्मोवाच वत्स मद्वंशजातोऽसि प्रपौत्रो मे विचक्षणः । बृहस्पतेश्च शिष्यस्त्वं सुराणामधिपः स्वयम्
Brahmā said: Dear one, you are born of my lineage, my wise great-grandson; you are the disciple of Bṛhaspati and yourself the lord of the gods.
मातामहश्च दक्षस्ते विष्णुभक्तः प्रतापवान् । कुलत्रयं यस्य शुद्धं कथं सोऽहङ्कृतो भवेत्
Your maternal grandfather is Dakṣa, a devotee of Viṣṇu, powerful; whose threefold lineage is pure—how could such a one become proud?
माता पतिव्रता यस्य पिता शुद्धो जितेन्द्रियः । मातामहो मातुलश्च कथं सोऽहङ्कृतो भवेत्
Whose mother is devoted to her husband, whose father is pure and self-controlled, whose maternal grandfather and uncle are likewise—how could such a one become proud?
जनः पैतृकदोषेण दोषान्मातामहस्य च । गुरुदोषात्त्रिभिर्दोषैर्हरिदोषी भवेद् ध्रुवम्
A person, through the faults of the paternal line, the maternal grandfather, and the teacher—by these three faults, certainly becomes faulty, even if devoted to Hari.