तत्र गत्वा च संस्थानं महादेवस्य विश्रुतम् नरस्तारयते सर्वान् दश पूर्वान्दशापरान्
Going there to the renowned shrine of Mahādeva, a man delivers all his ten ancestors before and after.
कृत्वाभिषेकं तु नरः सो ऽश्वमेधफलं लभेत् स्वर्गलोकमवाप्नोति यावदाभूतसंप्लवम्
By performing ablution there, a man obtains the fruit of the Aśvamedha sacrifice and attains the world of the gods until the cosmic dissolution.
पूर्वपार्श्वे तु गङ्गायास् त्रिषु लोकेषु भारत कूपं चैव तु सामुद्रं प्रतिष्ठानं च विश्रुतम्
On the eastern bank of the Gaṅgā, O Bhārata, in all three worlds, is the famous well called Sāmudra and the renowned Pratiṣṭhāna.
ब्रह्मचारी जितक्रोधस् त्रिरात्रं यदि तिष्ठति सर्वपापविशुद्धात्मा सो ऽश्वमेधफलं लभेत्
If a celibate who has conquered anger remains there for three nights, his soul purified from all sins, he obtains the fruit of the Aśvamedha sacrifice.
उत्तरेण प्रतिष्ठानाद् भागीरथ्यास्तु पूर्वतः हंसप्रपतनं नाम तीर्थं त्रैलोक्यविश्रुतम्
To the north of Pratiṣṭhāna and east of the Bhāgīrathī lies the tīrtha called Haṃsaprapatana, renowned throughout the three worlds.
अश्वमेधफलं तस्मिन् स्नानमात्रेण भारत यावच्चन्द्रश्च सूर्यश्च तावत्स्वर्गे महीयते
O Bhārata, merely by bathing there, one attains the fruit of an Aśvamedha sacrifice, and is honored in heaven as long as the moon and sun endure.
उर्वशीरमणे पुण्ये विपुले हंसपाण्डुरे परित्यजति यः प्राणाञ् शृणु तस्यापि यत्फलम्
Hear also the fruit for one who gives up his life at the sacred and vast Haṃsapāṇḍura, the blessed place of Urvaśī's delight.
षष्टिवर्षसहस्राणि षष्टिवर्षशतानि च सेव्यते पितृभिः सार्धं स्वर्गलोके नराधिप
O king, for sixty thousand and six hundred years, he enjoys heaven together with his ancestors.
उर्वशीं तु सदा पश्येत् स्वर्गलोके नरोत्तम पूज्यते सततं पुत्र ऋषिगन्धर्वकिंनरैः
O best of men, he always beholds Urvaśī in heaven and is continually honored, my son, by sages, Gandharvas, and Kinnaras.
ततः स्वर्गात्परिभ्रष्टः क्षीणकर्मा दिवश्च्युतः उर्वशीसदृशीनां तु कन्यानां लभते शतम्
Then, fallen from heaven when his merit is exhausted, cast down from the sky, he obtains a hundred maidens resembling Urvaśī.
मध्ये नारीसहस्राणां बहूनां च पतिर्भवेत् दशग्रामसहस्राणां भोक्ता भवति भूमिपः
Among thousands of women, he becomes the husband of many, and as a king, he enjoys the wealth of ten thousand villages.
काञ्चीनूपुरशब्देन सुप्तो ऽसौ प्रतिबुध्यते भुक्त्वा तु विपुलान् भोगांस् तत्तीर्थं भजते पुनः
Awakened from sleep by the sound of golden anklets, after enjoying great pleasures, he again seeks out that tīrtha.
शुक्लाम्बरधरो नित्यं नियतः संयतेन्द्रियः एकं कालं तु भुञ्जानो मासं भूमिपतिर्भवेत्
Always clad in white garments, disciplined and self-controlled, the king partakes of food once a day and rules for a month.
सुवर्णालंकृतानां तु नारीणां लभते शतम् पृथिव्याम् आसमुद्रायां महाभूमिपतिर्भवेत्
He obtains a hundred women adorned with gold, and on earth, as far as the ocean, he becomes a great king.
धनधान्यसमायुक्तो दाता भवति नित्यशः भुक्त्वा तु विपुलान्भोगांस् तत्तीर्थं लभते पुनः
Endowed with wealth and grain, he becomes a constant giver; after enjoying great pleasures, he attains that tīrtha again.
अथ संध्यावटे रम्ये ब्रह्मचारी जितेन्द्रियः उपवासी शुचिः संध्यां ब्रह्मलोकमवाप्नुयात्
Then, at the beautiful sandhyā bank, a celibate who has mastered his senses, who fasts and is pure, attains Brahmaloka at twilight.
कोटितीर्थं समासाद्य यस्तु प्राणान्परित्यजेत् कोटिवर्षसहस्राणां स्वर्गलोके महीयते
Whoever gives up his life at Koṭitīrtha is honored in heaven for a thousand crores of years.
ततः स्वर्गात्परिभ्रष्टः क्षीणकर्मा दिवश्च्युतः सुवर्णमणिमुक्ताढ्यकुले जायेत रूपवान्
Then, fallen from heaven when his merit is spent, cast down from the sky, he is born in a wealthy family adorned with gold, jewels, and pearls, possessing beauty.
ततो भोगवतीं गत्वा वासुकेरुत्तरेण तु दशाश्वमेधकं नाम तीर्थं तत्रापरं भवेत्
Then, going to Bhogavatī, north of Vāsuki, there is another tīrtha called Daśāśvamedhaka.
कृताभिषेकस्तु नरः सो ऽश्वमेधफलं लभेत् धनाढ्यो रूपवान्दक्षो दाता भवति धार्मिकः
A man who performs the abhiṣeka there obtains the fruit of an Aśvamedha sacrifice; he becomes wealthy, handsome, skilled, generous, and righteous.
चतुर्वेदेषु यत्पुण्यं यत्पुण्यं सत्यवादिषु अहिंसायां तु यो धर्मो गमनादेव तत्फलम्
Whatever merit is gained from the four Vedas, from truthfulness, and from nonviolence—that same fruit comes merely from going there.
कुरुक्षेत्रसमा गङ्गा यत्र यत्रावगाह्यते कुरुक्षेत्राद्दशगुणा यत्र विन्ध्येन संगता
Wherever the Gaṅgā is entered, she is equal to Kurukṣetra; but where she joins with the Vindhya, she is ten times greater than Kurukṣetra.
यत्र गङ्गा महाभागा बहुतीर्था तपोधना सिद्धक्षेत्रं हि तज्ज्ञेयं नात्र कार्या विचारणा
Where the most blessed Gaṅgā, rich in many sacred fords, flows—know that place to be a field of perfection; there is no need for further deliberation.
क्षितौ तारयते मर्त्यान् नागांस्तारयते ऽप्यधः दिवि तारयते देवांस् तेन त्रिपथगा स्मृता
On earth, she delivers mortals; below, she delivers the serpents; in heaven, she delivers the gods—therefore she is called the threefold path.
यावदस्थीनि गङ्गायां तिष्ठन्ति हि शरीरिणः तावद्वर्षसहस्राणि स्वर्गलोके महीयते
For as many years as the bones of a person remain in the Gaṅgā, for that many thousands of years they are honored in heaven.
ततः स्वर्गात्परिभ्रष्टो जम्बूद्वीपपतिर्भवेत् तीर्थानां तु परं तीर्थं नदीनां तु महानदी मोक्षदा सर्वभूतानां महापातकिनामपि
Then, having fallen from heaven, one becomes a lord of Jambūdvīpa; among all sacred fords, this is the supreme ford, and among rivers, the greatest river—granting liberation to all beings, even to the great sinners.
सर्वत्र सुलभा गङ्गा त्रिषु स्थानेषु दुर्लभा गङ्गाद्वारे प्रयागे च गङ्गासागरसंगमे तत्र स्नात्वा दिवं यान्ति ये मृतास्ते ऽपुनर्भवाः
The Gaṅgā is easily accessible everywhere, but difficult to reach in three places: at Gaṅgādvāra, at Prayāga, and at the confluence with the ocean. There, those who bathe and die ascend to heaven and are not born again.
सर्वेषामेव भूतानां पापोपहतचेतसाम् गतिम् अन्विष्यमाणानां नास्ति गङ्गासमा गतिः
For all beings whose minds are afflicted by sin and who seek a path, there is no path equal to that of the Gaṅgā.
पवित्राणां पवित्रं च मङ्गलानां च मङ्गलम् महेश्वरशिरोभ्रष्टा सर्वपापहरा शुभा
She is the purifier of the pure, the auspicious among the auspicious, fallen from the head of the great Lord, remover of all sins, and auspicious.
कृते तु नैमिषं क्षेत्रं त्रेतायां पुष्करं परम् द्वापरे तु कुरुक्षेत्रं कलौ गङ्गा विशिष्यते
In the Kṛta age, Naimiṣa was the sacred field; in the Tretā, Puṣkara was supreme; in the Dvāpara, Kurukṣetra; but in the Kali age, the Gaṅgā excels.