तथा त्वं कुरु राजेन्द्र विधिं ते प्रब्रवीम्यहम् । ब्राह्मणाः सन्ति राजेन्द्र विधिज्ञा वेदवित्तमाः
Likewise, you should do so, O king of kings; I will declare the procedure to you. Brahmins are present, O king, who are most learned in the rules and the Vedas.
देवीबीजविधानज्ञा मन्त्रमार्गविचक्षणाः । याजकास्ते भविष्यन्ति यजमानस्त्वमेव हि
They are skilled in the establishment of the Devi's seed, and expert in the path of mantra; they will be the officiating priests, and you alone will be the sacrificer.
कृत्वा यज्ञं विधानेन दत्त्वा पुण्य़ं मखार्जितम् । समुद्धर महाराज पितरं दुर्गतिङ्गतम्
Having performed the sacrifice according to rule, and given the merit gained from the rite, O great king, rescue your father who has fallen into misfortune.
विप्रावमानजं पापं दुर्घटं नरकप्रदम् । तथैव शापजो दोषः प्राप्तः पित्रा तवानघ
The sin arising from disrespecting Brahmins, difficult and leading to hell, as well as the fault arising from the curse, has been incurred by your father, O sinless one.
तथा दुर्मरणं प्राप्तं सर्पदंशेन भूभुजा । अन्तराले तथा मृत्यूर्न भूमौ कुशसंस्तरे
Likewise, when the king met a terrible death from a snakebite, death did not come to him on the ground, nor on a bed of sacred grass.
न सङ्ग्रामे न गङ्गायां स्नानदानादिवर्जितम् । मरणं ते पितुस्तत्र सौधे जातं कुरूद्वह
He did not die in battle, nor while bathing or giving gifts in the Ganges; his death, O best of the Kurus, occurred there in the palace, deprived of such rites.
कृपणानि च सर्वाणि नरकस्य नृपोत्तम । तत्रैकं कारणं तस्य न जातं चातिदुर्लभम्
All the sufferings of hell, O best of kings, have one cause there; and for him, that exceedingly rare cause did not arise.
यत्र यत्र स्थितःप्राणो ज्ञात्वा कालं समागतम् । साधनानामभावेऽपि ह्यवशश्चातिसङ्कटे
Wherever the breath remains, knowing that death has arrived, even in the absence of means and in great distress, one is helpless.
यदा निर्वेदमायाति मनसा निर्मलेन वै । पञ्चभूतात्मको देहो मम किञ्चात्र दुःखदम्
When, with a pure mind, one attains dispassion and thinks, 'This body made of the five elements—what sorrow is there in it for me?'
पतत्वद्य यथाकामं मुक्तोऽहं निर्गुणोऽव्ययः । नाशात्मकानि तत्त्वानि तत्र का परिदेवना
'Today, as it falls as it will, I am liberated, without qualities, imperishable; since the elements themselves are perishable, what is there to lament?'
ब्रह्मैवाहं न संसारी सदा मुक्तः सनातनः । देहेन मम सम्बन्धः कर्मणा प्रतिपादितः
'I am truly Brahman, not bound to worldly existence, always free, eternal; my connection with the body is established by karma.'
तानि सर्वाणि मुक्तानि शुभानि चेतराणि च । मनुष्यदेहयोगेन सुखदुःखानुसाधनात्
All those things, both auspicious and otherwise, are released through the human body, as it is the means for experiencing pleasure and pain.
विमुक्तोऽतिभयाद्घोरादस्मात्संसारसङ्कटात् । इत्येवं चिन्त्यमानस्तु स्नानदानविवर्जितः
Freed from this extremely dreadful and terrifying bondage of worldly existence, if one contemplates thus, even without bathing or giving gifts—
मरणं चेदवाप्नोति स मुच्च्येज्जन्मदुःखतः । एषा काष्ठा परा प्रोक्ता योगिनामपि दुर्लभा
If one attains death in this way, one is freed from the suffering of birth; this is said to be the highest state, rare even for yogis.
पिता ते नृपशार्दूल श्रुत्वा शापं द्विजोदितम् । देहे ममत्वं कृतवान्न निर्वेदमवाप्तवान्
Your father, O tiger among kings, after hearing the curse spoken by the sage, held on to attachment for his body and did not attain dispassion.
नीरोगो मम देहोऽयं राज्यं निहतकण्टकम् । कथं जीवाम्यहं कामं मन्त्रज्ञानानयन्तु वै
'My body is healthy, my kingdom is free from enemies; how can I die willingly? Let those who know mantras be brought here.'
औषधं मणिमन्त्रं च यन्त्रं परमकं तथा । आरोहणं तथा सौधे कृतवान्नृपतिस्तदा
Then the king used medicine, gems, mantras, and the highest devices, and also ascended to the palace.
न स्नानं न कृतं दानं न देव्याः स्मरणं कृतम् । न भूमौ शयनं चैव दैवं मत्वा परं तथा
He did not bathe, did not give gifts, did not remember the Goddess, nor did he lie on the ground, considering fate to be supreme.
मग्नो मोहार्णवे घोरे मृतः सौधेऽहिना हतः । कृत्वा पापं कलेर्योगात्तापसस्यावमानजम्
Immersed in the dreadful ocean of delusion, he died in the palace, killed by a snake, having committed sin due to the influence of the Kali age and by insulting the ascetic.
अवश्यमेव नरकं एतैराचरणैर्भवेत् । तस्मात्तं पितरं पापात्समुद्धर नृपोत्तम
By such actions, one must certainly go to hell; therefore, O best of kings, rescue your father from that sin.
सूत उवाच इति श्रुत्वा वचस्तस्य व्यासस्यामिततेजसः । साश्रुकण्ठोऽतिदुःखार्तो बभूव जनमेजयः
Sūta said: Hearing these words of Vyāsa, of immeasurable brilliance, Janamejaya became choked with tears and overwhelmed by great sorrow.
धिगिदं जीवितं मेऽद्य पिता मे नरके स्थितः । तत्करोमि यथैवाद्य स्वर्गं यात्युत्तरासुतः
'Fie upon this life of mine today, for my father is in hell; I will act so that, like the son of Uttara, he may attain heaven.'
विष्णुनानुष्ठानवर्णनम् राजोवाच हरिणा तु कथं यज्ञः कृतः पूर्वं पितामह । जगत्कारणरूपेण विष्णुना प्रभविष्णुना
The king said: How did Hari, the all-powerful Vishnu, who is the very cause of the universe, perform the sacrifice in ancient times, O Grandfather?
के सहायास्तु तत्रासन्ब्राह्मणाः के महामते । ऋत्विजो वेदतत्त्वज्ञास्तन्मे ब्रूहि परन्तप
Who were his assistants there, O wise one? Which Brahmins, which officiating priests, and those who knew the essence of the Vedas—tell me this, O subduer of foes.
पश्चात्करोम्यहं यज्ञं विधिदृष्टेन कर्मणा । श्रुत्वा विष्णुकृतं यागमम्बिकायाः समाहितः
After hearing about the sacrifice performed by Vishnu for Ambika, I too will perform the sacrifice according to the prescribed rites.
व्यास उवाच राजञ्छृणु महाभाग विस्तरं परमाद्भुतम् । यथा भगवता यज्ञः कृतश्च विधिपूर्वकः
Vyasa said: O king, listen, O greatly fortunate one, to the wondrous and detailed account of how the Blessed Lord performed the sacrifice according to the proper method.
विसर्जिता यदा देव्या दत्त्वा शक्तीश्च तास्त्रयः । काजेशाः पुरुषा जाता विमानवरमास्थिताः
When the Goddess released her power and granted those three energies, the Lords of action were born as men and took their place in splendid aerial vehicles.
प्राप्ता महार्णवं घोरं त्रयस्ते विबुधोत्तमाः । चक्रुः स्थानानि वासार्थं समुत्पाद्य धरां स्थिताः
Those three foremost of the gods reached the dreadful great ocean, and, creating the earth, they established their abodes for dwelling.
आधारशक्तिरचला मुक्ता देव्या स्वयं ततः । तदाधारा स्थिता जाता धरा मेदःसमन्विता
Then the immovable supporting power was released by the Goddess herself; that support, endowed with marrow, became the earth and was established.
मधुकैटभयोर्मेदः संयोगान्मेदिनी स्मृता । धारणाच्च धरा प्रोक्ता पृथ्वी विस्तारयोगतः
Because the earth arose from the union of the marrow of Madhu and Kaitabha, she is called Medini; and because she supports, she is called Dharā, and due to her expanse, she is called Pṛthvī.