कथं कव्यानि देयानि हव्यानि च जनैरिह गच्छन्ति पितृलोकस्थान् प्रापकः को ऽत्र गद्यते
How do offerings of cooked food and oblations, given by people here, reach the ancestors in their world? Who is said to be the means for this?
यदि मर्त्यो द्विजो भुङ्क्ते हूयते यदि वानले शुभाशुभात्मकैः प्रेतैर् दत्तं तद्भुज्यते कथम्
If a mortal twice-born eats, or if it is offered into fire, how is it that what is given to the departed, whether auspicious or inauspicious, is enjoyed by them?
वसून्वदन्ति च पितॄन् रुद्रांश्चैव पितामहान् प्रपितामहांस्तथादित्यान् इत्येवं वैदिकी श्रुतिः
The Vedic revelation declares that the Vasus are called the ancestors, the Rudras as the grandfathers, the great-grandfathers likewise, and the Adityas.
नाम गोत्रं पितॄणां तु प्रापकं हव्यकव्ययोः श्राद्धस्य मन्त्राः श्रद्धा च उपयोज्यातिभक्तितः
The name and lineage of the ancestors are the means for cooked and fire offerings; the mantras of the śrāddha and faith, applied with utmost devotion, are to be used.
अग्निष्वात्तादयस्तेषाम् आधिपत्ये व्यवस्थिताः नामगोत्रकालदेशा भवान्तरगतानपि
The Agniṣvāttas and others are established as their lords; even those ancestors who have entered other existences are reached by name, lineage, time, and place.
प्राणिनः प्रीणयन्त्येते तदाहारत्वमागतान् देवो यदि पिता जातः शुभकर्मानुयोगतः
These satisfy living beings who have assumed those forms for that meal; if the father has become a god due to virtuous deeds,
तस्यान्नममृतं भूत्वा दिव्यत्वे ऽप्यनुगच्छति दैत्यत्वे भोगरूपेण पशुत्वे च तृणं भवेत्
For him, the food becomes immortal nectar and follows him even in divinity; in demonhood, it becomes enjoyment, and in animal form, it becomes grass.
श्राद्धान्नं वायुरूपेण सर्पत्वे ऽप्युपतिष्ठति पानं भवति यक्षत्वे राक्षसत्वे तथामिषम्
The śrāddha food, in the form of wind, attends even in the state of a serpent; in the state of a Yakṣa, it becomes drink, and in the state of a Rākṣasa, it becomes meat.
दनुजत्वे तथा माया प्रेतत्वे रुधिरोदकम् मनुष्यत्वे ऽन्नपानानि नानाभोगरसं भवेत्
In the state of a Dānava, it becomes illusion; in the state of a ghost, it becomes blood and water; in human form, it becomes various foods and drinks, with diverse tastes of enjoyment.
रतिशक्तिः स्त्रियः कान्ता भोज्यं भोजनशक्तिता दानशक्तिः सविभवा रूपमारोग्यमेव च
Pleasure is the power of enjoyment, women are beloved, food is the capacity to eat, giving is the power of generosity with wealth, and beauty and health as well.
श्रद्धा पुष्पमिदं प्रोक्तं फलं ब्रह्मसमागमः आयुः पुत्रान् धनं विद्यां स्वर्गं मोक्षं सुखानि च
Faith is said to be the flower, and union with Brahman is the fruit; long life, sons, wealth, knowledge, heaven, liberation, and happiness too.
राज्यं चैव प्रयच्छन्ति प्रीताः पितृगणा नृणाम् श्रूयते च पुरा मोक्षं प्राप्ताः कौशिकसूनवः पञ्चभिर्जन्मसम्बन्धैर् गता विष्णोः परं पदम्
The satisfied hosts of ancestors grant kingship to men; it is heard that in ancient times, the sons of Kauśika attained liberation and reached the supreme abode of Viṣṇu through fivefold birth connections.
कथं कौशिकदायादाः प्राप्तास्ते योगमुत्तमम् पञ्चभिर्जन्मसम्बन्धैः कथं कर्मक्षयो भवेत्
How did the descendants of Kauśika attain the highest yoga? Through fivefold birth connections, how does the exhaustion of karma occur?
कौशिको नाम धर्मात्मा कुरुक्षेत्रे महानृषिः नामतः कर्मतस्तस्य सुतान्सप्त निबोधत
There was a great sage named Kauśika, righteous in soul, in Kurukṣetra; listen to the names and deeds of his seven sons.
श्वसृपः क्रोधनो हिंस्रः पिशुनः कविरेव च वाग्दुष्टः पितृवर्ती च गर्गशिष्यास्तदाभवन्
They were: Śvasṛpa, Krodhana, Hiṃsra, Piśuna, Kavi, Vāgduṣṭa, and Pitṛvartin; these became disciples of Garga.
पितर्युपरते तेषाम् अभूद्दुर्भिक्षमुल्बणम् अनावृष्टिश्च महती सर्वलोकभयंकरी
When their father passed away, a severe famine befell them; a great drought arose, causing fear to all the worlds.
गर्गादेशाद्वने दोग्ध्रीं रक्षन्तस्ते तपोधनाः खादामः कपिलामेतां वयं क्षुत्पीडिता भृशम्
On Garga's instruction, those ascetics guarded a milch cow in the forest; tormented by hunger, they thought, 'Let us eat this tawny cow.'
इति चिन्तयतां पापं लघुः प्राह तदानुजः यद्यवश्यमियं वध्या श्राद्धरूपेण योज्यताम्
As they considered this sinful act, the youngest brother said, 'If she must be killed, let it be done in the form of a śrāddha offering.'
श्राद्धे नियोज्यमानेयं पापात्त्रास्यति नो ध्रुवम् एव कुर्वित्यनुज्ञातः पितृवर्ती तदानुजैः
When this one was to be appointed for the śrāddha, she refused, saying, 'I will not do it, for it is sinful.' But, being permitted by those devoted to their father, she performed it.
चक्रे समाहितः श्राद्धम् उपयुज्य च तां पुनः द्वौ दैवे भ्रातरौ कृत्वा पित्रे त्रीनप्यनुक्रमात्
With focused mind, he performed the śrāddha, and after offering it to her again, he made two brothers as divine guests, and in succession, all three for the father.
तथैकमतिथिं कृत्वा श्राद्धदः स्वयमेव तु चकार मन्त्रवच्छ्राद्धं स्मरन्पितृपरायणः
In the same way, appointing one as a guest, the performer of the śrāddha himself conducted the ritual with mantras, remembering his father with devotion.
विना गवा वत्सको ऽपि गुरवे विनिवेदितः व्याघ्रेण निहता धेनुर् वत्सो ऽयं प्रतिगृह्यताम्
Without a cow, even a calf offered to the teacher—when the cow was killed by a tiger, it was said, 'Let this calf be accepted.'
एवं सा भक्षिता धेनुः सप्तभिस्तैस्तपोधनैः वैदिकं बलमाश्रित्य क्रूरे कर्मणि निर्भयाः
Thus, that cow was eaten; but those seven ascetics, relying on Vedic power, were fearless in that cruel act.
ततः कालावकृष्टास्ते व्याधा दाशपुरे ऽभवन् जातिस्मरत्वं प्राप्तास्ते पितृभावेन भाविताः
Then, drawn by time, those hunters were born in Daśapura, having attained the state of remembering past births, their minds shaped by devotion to their fathers.
यत्कृतं क्रूरकर्मापि श्राद्धरूपेण तैस्तदा तेन ते भवने जाता व्याधानां क्रूरकर्मिणाम्
Because of that cruel act performed in the form of a śrāddha, they were born in the house of hunters, doers of cruel deeds.
पितॄणां चैव माहात्म्याज् जाता जातिस्मरास्तु ते ते तु वैराग्ययोगेन आस्थायानशनं पुनः
Yet, by the greatness of their fathers, they were born with memory of past lives; and through dispassion and yoga, they again undertook fasting.
जातिस्मराः सप्त जाता मृगाः कालञ्जरे गिरौ नीलकण्ठस्य पुरतः पितृभावानुभाविताः
Those seven, born with memory, became deer on Mount Kālanjara, before Nīlakaṇṭha, influenced by their devotion to their fathers.
तत्रापि ज्ञानवैराग्यात् प्राणानुत्सृज्य धर्मतः लोकैर् अवेक्ष्यमाणास्ते तीर्थान्ते ऽनशनेन तु
There too, through knowledge and dispassion, they gave up their lives righteously, observed by the people, at the end of a pilgrimage, by fasting.
मानसे चक्रवाकास्ते संजाताः सप्त योगिनः नामतः कर्मतः सर्वाञ् छृणुध्वं द्विजसत्तमाः
In the Mānasa lake, those seven became cakravāka birds, yogis by name and by deed; hear all their names, O best of twice-born.
सुमनाः कुमुदः शुद्धश् छिद्रदर्शी सुनेत्रकः सुनेत्रश्चांशुमांश्चैव सप्तैते योगपारगाः
Sumanā, Kumuda, Śuddha, Chidradarśī, Sunetraka, Sunetra, and Aṃśumān—these seven excelled in yoga.