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.
गङ्गामेव निषेवेत प्रयागं तु विशेषतः नान्यत्कलियुगे घोरे भेषजं नृप विद्यते
One should worship the Gaṅgā, especially at Prayāga; in the dreadful Kali age, O king, there is no other remedy.
शृणु राजन्प्रयागस्य माहात्म्यं पुनरेव तु यच्छ्रुत्वा सर्वपापेभ्यो मुच्यते नात्र संशयः
Hear again, O king, the greatness of Prayāga; by hearing it, one is freed from all sins—there is no doubt of this.
मानसं नाम तत्तीर्थं गङ्गाया उत्तरे तटे त्रिरात्रोपोषितो भूत्वा सर्वकामानवाप्नुयात्
There is a sacred ford called Mānasa on the northern bank of the Gaṅgā; by fasting there for three nights, one attains all desires.
गोभूहिरण्यदानेन यत्फलं प्राप्नुयान्नरः स तत्फलमवाप्नोति तत्तीर्थं स्मरते पुनः
Whatever merit a man obtains by giving cows, land, or gold, he gains that same merit by remembering that ford again.
अकामो वा सकामो वा गङ्गायां यो ऽभिपद्यते मृतस्तु लभते स्वर्गं नरकं च न पश्यति
Whether without desire or with desire, whoever approaches the Gaṅgā—if he dies, he attains heaven and does not see hell.
अप्सरोगणसंगीतैः सुप्तो ऽसौ प्रतिबुध्यते हंससारसयुक्तेन विमानेन स गच्छति बहुवर्षसहस्राणि स्वर्गं राजेन्द्र भुञ्जति
Awakened by the songs of the hosts of apsarases, he departs in a celestial chariot yoked with swans and cranes, and enjoys heaven, O king of kings, for many thousands of years.
ततः स्वर्गात्परिभ्रष्टः क्षीणकर्मा दिवश्च्युतः सुवर्णमणिमुक्ताढ्ये जायते विपुले कुले
Then, having fallen from heaven, his merit exhausted, cast down from the sky, he is born in a great family endowed with gold, jewels, and pearls.
षष्टितीर्थसहस्राणि षष्टिकोट्यस्तथापगाः माघमासे गमिष्यन्ति गङ्गायमुनसंगमम्
Sixty thousand sacred fords and sixty crores of rivers go to the confluence of Gaṅgā and Yamunā in the month of Māgha.
गवां शतसहस्रस्य सम्यग्दत्तस्य यत्फलम् प्रयागे माघमासे तु त्र्यहस्नानात्तु तत्फलम्
The merit gained by giving a hundred thousand cows properly is obtained by bathing for three days at Prayāga in the month of Māgha.
गङ्गायमुनयोर्मध्ये कर्षाग्निं यस्तु साधयेत् अहीनाङ्गो ह्यरोगश्च पञ्चेन्द्रियसमन्वितः
Whoever kindles the sacred fire between the Gaṅgā and Yamunā becomes free from disease and deformity, and endowed with all five senses.
यावन्ति रोमकूपाणि तस्य गात्रेषु देहिनः तावद्वर्षसहस्राणि स्वर्गलोके महीयते
For as many hair follicles as are on the body of that embodied being, for that many thousands of years he is honored in the world of heaven.
ततः स्वर्गात्परिभ्रष्टो जम्बूद्वीपपतिर्भवेत् स भुक्त्वा विपुलान्भोगांस् तत्तीर्थं स्मरते पुनः
Then, having fallen from heaven, he becomes a lord of Jambudvīpa; after enjoying great pleasures, he remembers that sacred place again.
जलप्रवेशं यः कुर्यात् संगमे लोकविश्रुते राहुग्रस्ते तथा सोमे विमुक्तः सर्वकिल्बिषैः
Whoever enters the water at the renowned confluence, when the moon is eclipsed by Rāhu, is freed from all sins.
सोमलोकमवाप्नोति सोमेन सह मोदते षष्टिवर्षसहस्राणि स्वर्गलोके महीयते
He attains the world of Soma and delights there with Soma for sixty thousand years, being honored in the world of heaven.
स्वर्गे च शक्रलोके ऽस्मिन् नृषिगन्धर्वसेविते परिभ्रष्टस्तु राजेन्द्र समृद्धे जायते कुले
And in this heaven, the realm of Indra, served by men and Gandharvas, O king, if he falls from there, he is born in a prosperous family.
अधःशिरास्तु यो ज्वालाम् ऊर्ध्वपादः पिबेन्नरः शतवर्षसहस्राणि स्वर्गलोके महीयते
Whoever, with head downward and feet upward, drinks the blazing water, is honored in the world of heaven for one hundred thousand years.
परिभ्रष्टस्तु राजेन्द्र सो ऽग्निहोत्री भवेन्नरः भुक्त्वा तु विपुलान्भोगांस् तत्तीर्थं भजते पुनः
But if he falls from there, O king, that man becomes a performer of Agnihotra; after enjoying great pleasures, he again seeks out that sacred place.
यः स्वदेहं तु कर्तित्वा शकुनिभ्यः प्रयच्छति विहगैरुपभुक्तस्य शृणु तस्यापि यत्फलम्
Whoever, having cut his own flesh, gives it to the birds—hear also the fruit of him whose body is consumed by birds.
शतं वर्षसहस्राणां सोमलोके महीयते तस्मादपि परिभ्रष्टो राजा भवति धार्मिकः
He is honored in the world of Soma for a hundred thousand years; falling even from there, he becomes a righteous king.
गुणवान् रूपसम्पन्नो विद्वांश्च प्रियवाचकः भुक्त्वा तु विपुलान्भोगांस् तत्तीर्थं भजते पुनः
He is virtuous, endowed with beauty, learned, and speaks kindly; after enjoying great pleasures, he again seeks out that sacred place.