पञ्चयोजनविस्तीर्णं प्रयागस्य तु मण्डलम् प्रविष्टमात्रे तद्भूमाव् अश्वमेधः पदे पदे
The region of Prayāga, five yojanas wide—upon merely entering that land, at every step, one gains the fruit of a horse sacrifice.
व्यतीतान्पुरुषान्सप्त भविष्यांश्च चतुर्दश नरस्तारयते सर्वान् यस्तु प्राणान्परित्यजेत्
A man who gives up his life there saves seven ancestors who have passed and fourteen who are yet to come.
एवं ज्ञात्वा तु राजेन्द्र सदा सेवापरो भवेत् अश्रद्दधानाः पुरुषाः पापोपहतचेतसः न प्राप्नुवन्ति तत्स्थानं प्रयागं देवरक्षितम्
Knowing this, O king of kings, one should always be devoted to service; men who lack faith, whose minds are afflicted by sin, do not attain that place—Prayāga, protected by the gods.
स्नेहाद्वा द्रव्यलोभाद्वा ये तु कामवशं गताः कथं तीर्थफलं तेषां कथं पुण्यफलं भवेत्
Whether from affection or greed for wealth, those who are led by desire—how can they obtain the fruit of pilgrimage, how can they gain the fruit of merit?
विक्रयः सर्वभाण्डानां कार्याकार्यमजानतः प्रयागे का गतिस्तस्य तन्मे ब्रूहि पितामह
What is the fate at Prayāga of one who, ignorant of what should or should not be done, sells all his goods? Tell me this, O Grandfather.
शृणु राजन्महागुह्यं सर्वपापप्रणाशनम् मासमेकं तु यः स्नायात् प्रयागे नियतेन्द्रियः मुच्यते सर्वपापेभ्यः स गच्छेत्परमं पदम्
Hear, O king, the great secret that destroys all sins: whoever bathes at Prayāga for one month, with controlled senses, is freed from all sins and attains the supreme state.
विश्रम्भघातकानां तु प्रयागे शृणु यत्फलम् त्रिकालमेव स्नायीत आहारं भैक्ष्यमाचरेत् त्रिभिर्मासैः स मुच्येत प्रयागे तु न संशयः
Hear the result at Prayāga for those who break trust: if one bathes three times daily and lives on alms, in three months he is freed at Prayāga—of this there is no doubt.
अज्ञानेन तु यस्येह तीर्थयात्रादिकं भवेत् सर्वकामसमृद्धस्तु स्वर्गलोके महीयते स्थानं च लभते नित्यं धनधान्यसमाकुलम्
If, out of ignorance, one undertakes pilgrimage and such acts here, he enjoys all desires fulfilled, is honored in heaven, and always obtains a place filled with wealth and grain.
एवं ज्ञानेन सम्पूर्णः सदा भवति भोगवान् तारिताः पितरस्तेन नरकात्प्रपितामहाः
Thus, one who is complete in knowledge always enjoys pleasures; by him, ancestors and great-grandfathers are rescued from hell.
धर्मानुसारि तत्त्वज्ञ पृच्छतस्ते पुनः पुनः त्वत्प्रियार्थं समाख्यातं गुह्यमेतत्सनातनम्
You, follower of dharma, knower of truth, have asked again and again; for your sake, this ancient secret has been declared.
अद्य मे सफलं जन्म अद्य मे तारितं कुलम् प्रीतो ऽस्म्यनुगृहीतो ऽस्मि दर्शनादेव ते मुने
Today my birth is fruitful, today my lineage is saved; I am pleased and blessed simply by seeing you, O sage.
त्वद्दर्शनात्तु धर्मात्मन् मुक्तो ऽहं चाद्य किल्बिषात् इदानीं वेद्मि चात्मानं भगवन्गतकल्मषम्
By seeing you, O righteous one, today I am freed from sin; now I know myself, O blessed one, cleansed of all stain.
दिष्ट्या ते सफलं जन्म दिष्ट्या ते तारितं कुलम् कीर्तनाद्वर्धते पुण्यं श्रुतात्पापप्रणाशनम्
By fortune, your birth is fruitful; by fortune, your lineage is saved. By reciting, merit increases; by hearing, sin is destroyed.
यमुनायां तु किं पुण्यं किं फलं तु महामुने एतन्मे सर्वमाख्याहि यथादृष्टं यथाश्रुतम्
What is the merit in the Yamunā, what is the fruit there, O great sage? Tell me all this, as you have seen and heard.
तपनस्य सुता देवी त्रिषु लोकेषु विश्रुता समाख्याता महाभागा यमुना तत्र निम्नगा
The goddess, daughter of the Sun, renowned in the three worlds, is called Yamunā, the blessed river flowing there.
येनैव निःसृता गङ्गा तेनैव यमुना गता योजनानां सहस्रेषु कीर्तनात्पापनाशिनी
By the very path by which Gaṅgā emerged, so too did Yamunā go; in thousands of yojanas, by her praise, she destroys sin.
तत्र स्नात्वा च पीत्वा च यमुनायां युधिष्ठिर कीर्तनाल्लभते पुण्यं दृष्ट्वा भद्राणि पश्यति
There, having bathed and drunk from the Yamuna, O Yudhishthira, one attains merit through praise, and upon seeing, witnesses auspicious things.
अवगाह्य च पीत्वा च पुनात्यासप्तमं कुलम् प्राणांस्त्यजति यस्तत्र स याति परमां गतिम्
By immersing and drinking there, one purifies up to the seventh generation; whoever gives up their life there attains the highest state.
अग्नितीर्थमिति ख्यातं यमुनादक्षिणे तटे पश्चिमे धर्मराजस्य तीर्थं तु नरकं स्मृतम्
Known as Agni Tirtha on the southern bank of the Yamuna, the western tirtha of Dharmaraja is remembered as Naraka.
तत्र स्नात्वा दिवं यान्ति ये मृतास्ते ऽपुनर्भवाः एवं तीर्थसहस्राणि यमुनादक्षिणे तटे
Those who bathe there and die ascend to heaven and are not reborn; thus, thousands of tirthas exist on the southern bank of the Yamuna.
उत्तरेण प्रवक्ष्यामि आदित्यस्य महात्मनः तीर्थं निरञ्जनं नाम यत्र देवाः सवासवाः
To the north, I will speak of the tirtha of the great-souled Aditya, named Niranjana, where the gods together with Indra reside.
उपासते स्म संध्यां ये त्रिकालं हि युधिष्ठिर देवाः सेवन्ति तत्तीर्थं ये चान्ये विबुधा जनाः
Those who worship at twilight thrice daily, O Yudhishthira, the gods serve that tirtha, as do other wise beings.
श्रद्दधानपरो भूत्वा कुरु तीर्थाभिषेचनम् अन्ये च बहवस्तीर्थाः सर्वपापहराः स्मृताः तेषु स्नात्वा दिवं यान्ति ये मृतास्ते ऽपुनर्भवाः
Be devoted and perform the bathing at the tirthas; many other tirthas are remembered as destroyers of all sins. Those who bathe there and die ascend to heaven and are not reborn.
गङ्गा च यमुना चैव उभे तुल्यफले स्मृते केवलं ज्येष्ठभावेन गङ्गा सर्वत्र पूज्यते
The Ganga and Yamuna are both remembered as equal in their fruits; only due to seniority is Ganga worshipped everywhere.
एवं कुरुष्व कौन्तेय सर्वतीर्थाभिषेचनम् यावज्जीवकृतं पापं तत्क्षणादेव नश्यति
Thus, O son of Kunti, perform bathing at all tirthas; whatever sin committed in life is destroyed instantly.
यस्त्विमं कल्य उत्थाय पठते च शृणोति च मुच्यते सर्वपापेभ्यः स्वर्गलोकं स गच्छति
Whoever rises early and recites or hears this is freed from all sins and goes to the world of heaven.
श्रुतं मे ब्रह्मणा प्रोक्तं पुराणे ब्रह्मसम्भवे तीर्थानां तु सहस्राणि शतानि नियुतानि च सर्वे पुण्याः पवित्राश्च गतिश्च परमा स्मृता
I have heard what was spoken by Brahma in the Purana born of Brahma: thousands, hundreds, and tens of thousands of tirthas—all are holy, pure, and remembered as granting the highest state.
सोमतीर्थं महापुण्यं महापातकनाशनम् स्नानमात्रेण राजेन्द्र पुरुषांस्तारयेच्छतम् तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन तत्र स्नानं समाचरेत्
Somatirtha is of great merit and destroys great sins; by bathing alone, O king, it saves hundreds of people. Therefore, with all effort, one should bathe there.
पृथिव्यां नैमिषं पुण्यम् अन्तरिक्षे च पुष्करम् त्रयाणामपि लोकानां कुरुक्षेत्रं विशिष्यते
On earth, Naimisha is holy, and in the sky, Pushkara; among all three worlds, Kurukshetra is distinguished.
सर्वाणि तानि संत्यज्य कथमेकं प्रशंससि अप्रमाणं तु तत्रोक्तम् अश्रद्धेयमनुत्तमम्
Having abandoned all those, how do you praise only one? What is said there is immeasurable, not to be trusted, and unsurpassed.