ब्रह्मचर्येण तपसा यज्ञेन प्रजया भुवि श्राद्धेन विद्यया चैव चान्नदानेन सप्तधा
By celibacy, austerity, sacrifice, offspring on earth, śrāddha, learning, and giving of food—thus in seven ways.
कर्मस्वेतेषु ये सक्ता वर्तन्त्य् आ देहपातनात् देवैस्ते पितृभिः सार्धम् ऊष्मपैः सोमपैस्तथा स्वर्गता दिवि मोदन्ते पितृमन्त उपासते
Those who are attached to these actions continue until the fall of the body; with the gods and the pitṛs who partake of warmth and Soma, having attained heaven, they rejoice and worship the pitṛs.
प्रजावतां प्रसिद्धैषा उक्ता श्राद्धकृतां च वै तेषां निवापे दत्तं हि तत्कुलीनैस्तु बान्धवैः
This is declared as the well-known path of those with offspring and those who perform śrāddha; the offering made for them by their relatives of the same family.
मासश्राद्धं हि भुञ्जानास् तेऽत्येते सोमलौकिकाः एते मनुष्याः पितरो मासश्राद्धभुजस्तु वै
Those who partake of the monthly śrāddha surpass the Soma-worldly ancestors; these human ancestors are indeed the eaters of the monthly śrāddha.
तेभ्यो ऽपरे तु ये त्वन्ये संकीर्णाः कर्मयोनिषु भ्रष्टाश्चाश्रमधर्मेषु स्वधास्वाहाविवर्जिताः
But others, who are mixed in their actions and births, who have fallen from the dharma of the āśramas, and who are deprived of svadhā and svāhā offerings—
भिन्ने देहे दुरापन्नाः प्रेतभूता यमक्षये स्वकर्माण्यनुशोचन्तो यातनास्थानमागताः
Having lost their bodies and come to a difficult state, they become pretas at the abode of Yama, lamenting their own deeds, having reached the place of torment.
दीर्घाश्चैवातिशुष्काश्च श्मश्रुलाश्च विवाससः क्षुत्पिपासाभिभूतास्ते विद्रवन्ति त्वितस्ततः
Long and exceedingly emaciated, with disheveled hair and naked, afflicted by hunger and thirst, they wander here and there.
सरित्सरस्तडागानि पुष्करिण्यश्च सर्वशः परान्नान्यभिकाङ्क्षन्तः काल्यमाना इतस्ततः
All the rivers, lakes, and ponds, and all the lotus pools—they roam about, longing for others' food, being driven here and there.
स्थानेषु पात्यमाना ये यातनास्थेषु तेषु वै शाल्मल्यां वैतरण्यां च कुम्भीपाकेद्धवालुके
Those who are cast into places of torment—such as the Śālmalī tree, the Vaitaraṇī river, the cauldron of Kumbhīpāka, and the burning sands—
असिपत्त्रवने चैव पात्यमानाः स्वकर्मभिः तत्रस्थानां तु तेषां वै दुःखितानाम् अशायिनाम्
And those who are thrown into the forest of sword-leaves by their own actions, among the suffering and sleepless inhabitants of those realms—
तेषां लोकान्तरस्थानां बान्धवैर्नामगोत्रतः भूमावसव्यं दर्भेषु दत्ताः पिण्डास्त्रयस्तु वै प्राप्तांस्तु तर्पयन्त्येव प्रेतस्थानेष्वधिष्ठितान्
For those dwelling in other worlds, whose relatives offer three balls of rice on earth, named and identified by lineage, the offerings reach and satisfy those established in the realm of the departed.
अप्राप्ता यातनास्थानं प्रभ्रष्टा ये च पञ्चधा पश्चाद्ये स्थावरान्ते वै भूतानीके स्वकर्मभिः
Those who have not received offerings, who are lost in places of torment in five ways, and those who later exist at the end among stationary beings, according to their own actions—
नानारूपासु जातीनां तिर्यग्योनिषु मूर्तिषु यदाहारा भवन्त्येते तासु तास्विह योनिषु
Among the various forms and species in animal births, whatever sustenance they have in those wombs, in those very wombs—
तस्मिंस् तस्मिंस् तदाहारे श्राद्धं दत्तं तु प्रीणयेत् काले न्यायागतं पात्रे विधिना प्रतिपादितम् प्राप्नुवन्त्यन्नमादत्तं यत्र यत्रावतिष्ठते
Whenever food is given as a śrāddha offering, at the proper time, to a worthy recipient according to prescribed rules, it brings satisfaction; they receive the food wherever they reside.
यथा गोषु प्रनष्टासु वत्सो विन्दति मातरम् तथा श्राद्धेषु दृष्टान्तो मन्त्रः प्रापयते तु तम्
Just as a calf finds its mother among lost cows, so too, through the śrāddha ritual, the mantra delivers the offering to its intended recipient.
एवं ह्यविकलं श्राद्धं श्रद्धादत्तं मनुर्ब्रवीत् सनत्कुमारः प्रोवाच पश्यन्दिव्येन चक्षुषा
Thus, Manu declares that a śrāddha performed without defect and with faith is effective; Sanatkumāra also spoke, seeing with divine vision.
गतागतज्ञः प्रेतानां प्राप्तिं श्राद्धस्य चैव हि कृष्णपक्षस्त्वहस्तेषां शुक्लः स्वप्नाय शर्वरी
He who knows the coming and going of the departed, and the attainment of śrāddha, says: the dark fortnight is for their benefit, the bright for dreams and night.
इत्येते पितरो देवा देवाश्च पितरश्च वै अन्योन्यपितरो ह्येते देवाश्च पितरो दिवि
Thus, these ancestors are gods, and the gods are ancestors; mutually, they are ancestors and gods in heaven.
एते तु पितरो देवा मनुष्याः पितरश्च ये पिता पितामहश्चैव तथैव प्रपितामहः
These ancestors are gods, and humans are also ancestors; father, grandfather, and great-grandfather likewise.
इत्येष विषयः प्रोक्तः पितॄणां सोमपायिनाम् एतत्पितृमहत्त्वं हि पुराणे निश्चयं गतम्
Thus has the domain of the ancestors who drink soma been described; this greatness of the ancestors is established in the Purāṇa.
इत्येष सोमसूर्याभ्याम् ऐलस्य च समागमः अवाप्तिं श्रद्धया चैव पितॄणां चैव तर्पणम्
Thus is the union of Soma, Sūrya, and Aila; the attainment and satisfaction of the ancestors through faith.
पर्वणां चैव यः कालो यातनास्थानमेव च समासात्कीर्तितस्तुभ्यं सर्ग एष सनातनः
The time of the festivals and the place of torment have been briefly recounted to you; this is the eternal creation.
वैरूप्यं येन तत्सर्वं कथितं त्वेकदेशिकम् अशक्यं परिसंख्यातुं श्रद्धेयं भूतिमिच्छता
All the deformities have been described in part; it is impossible to enumerate them fully, but one seeking prosperity should believe.
स्वायम्भुवस्य देवस्य एष सर्गो मयेरितः विस्तरेणानुपूर्व्याच्च भूयः किं कथयामि वः
This creation of the god Svāyambhuva has been explained by me in detail and sequence; what more shall I tell you?
चतुर्युगाणि यानि स्युः पूर्वे स्वायम्भुवे ऽन्तरे एषां निसर्गसंख्यां च श्रोतुमिच्छाम विस्तरात्
The four ages that occur in the previous Svāyambhuva interval—I wish to hear their natural enumeration in detail.
पृथिवीद्युप्रसङ्गेन मया तु प्रागुदाहृतम् एतच्चतुर्युगं त्वेवं तद्वक्ष्यामि निबोधत तत्प्रमाणं प्रसंख्याय विस्तराच्चैव कृत्स्नशः
Regarding the earth and sky, I have previously explained; now I will speak of the four ages, listen: their measure, enumeration, and full detail.
लौकिकेन प्रमाणेन निष्पाद्याब्दं तु मानुषम् तेनापीह प्रसंख्याय वक्ष्यामि तु चतुर्युगम् निमेषतुल्यकालानि मात्रालब्धेक्षराणि च
By the worldly measure, a human year is produced; using this calculation here, I will declare the four ages, with their periods equal to a blink, and the units obtained by measurement.
काष्ठा निमेषा दश पञ्च चैव त्रिंशच्च काष्ठां गणयेत्कलां तु त्रिंशत्कलाश्चैव भवेन्मुहूर्तस् तैस्त्रिंशता रात्र्यहनी समेते
Fifteen nimeṣas make one kāṣṭhā; thirty kāṣṭhās are reckoned as one kalā; thirty kalās make one muhūrta; by thirty such, a day and night together are formed.
अहोरात्रे विभजते सूर्यो मानुषलौकिके रात्रिः स्वप्नाय भूतानां चेष्टायै कर्मणामहः
The sun divides day and night for humans in the world; night is for the sleep of beings, and day for their activities and deeds.
पित्र्ये रात्र्यहनी मासः प्रविभागस् तयोः पुनः कृष्णपक्षस् त्वहस्तेषां शुक्लः स्वप्नाय शर्वरी
For the ancestors, a day and night make one month; in this division, the dark fortnight is their day, and the bright fortnight is their night for rest.