प्रोक्तवान्सर्वधर्माश्च पुराणेषु महीपते
All the dharmas have been declared in the Purāṇas, O king.
पुराणानि महाबुद्धे इहामुत्र सुखाय हि
The Purāṇas, O wise one, are indeed for happiness in this world and the next.
तस्य स्यान्निर्मला बुद्धिर्भूयो धर्मपरायणः
His mind becomes pure, and he is ever devoted to righteousness.
विष्णुभक्तनृणां भूप धर्मे बुद्धिः प्रवर्त्तते
O King, among devotees of Vishnu, discernment toward righteousness arises.
धर्मार्थकाममोक्षाणां ये फलान्यभिलिप्सवः
Those who desire the fruits of righteousness, wealth, pleasure, and liberation—
अहं तु गौतममुनेः सर्वज्ञाद्रूह्यवादिनः
As for me, I am the one who, out of pride, spoke against the all-knowing sage Gautama.
कदाचित्परमेशस्य पूजां कर्त्तुमहं गतः
Once, I went to perform worship of the Supreme Lord.
स तु शान्तो महाबुद्धिर्गौन्तमस्तेजसां निधिः
That Gautama, tranquil and of great wisdom, was a treasury of brilliance.
यस्त्वर्चितो मया देवः शिवः सर्वजगद्गुरुः
The god Shiva, teacher of the entire universe, whom I worshipped—
ज्ञानतो ऽज्ञानतो वापि यो ऽवज्ञां कुरुते गुरोः
Whoever, knowingly or unknowingly, shows disrespect to the teacher—
शुश्रूषां कुरुते यस्तु गुरुणां सादरं नरः
But the person who serves the teacher with reverence—
तेन शापेन दग्धो ऽहमन्तश्चैव क्षधाग्निना
By that curse, I was burned within by the fire of hunger.
एवं वदति विप्रेन्द्र वटस्थे ऽस्मिन्निशाचरे
As the best of Brahmins was speaking thus, in that banyan tree, during the night—
एतस्मिन्नन्तरे प्रात्पः कश्चिद्विप्रो ऽतिधार्मिकः
At that moment, a certain very righteous Brahmin arrived.
वहन्गङ्गाजलं स्कन्धे स्तुवन् विश्वेश्वरं प्रभुम्
Carrying Ganga water on his shoulder, he was praising the Lord of the universe.
तमागतं मुनिं दृष्ट्वा पिशाचीराक्षसौ च तौ
Seeing that sage arrive, those two— the piśāca and the rākṣasa—
अशक्तास्तं धर्षयितुमिदमूचुश्च राक्षसाः
Were unable to attack him, and the rākṣasas said this:
नामकीर्तनमाहात्म्याद्राक्षसा दूरगावयम्
Because of the greatness of name-chanting, we rākṣasas have gone far away.
नामप्रावरणं विप्र रक्षति त्वां महाभययात्
O Brahmin, the covering of the divine Name protects you from great danger.
परां शान्तिं समापन्ना महिम्ना ह्यच्युतस्य वै
By the glory of the infallible Lord, they attained supreme peace.
गङ्गाजलाभिषेकेण पाह्यस्मात्पातकोच्चयात्
By the ablution with Ganga water, protect us from the accumulation of sins.
स तारयेनगत्सर्वमिति शंसन्ति सूरयः
Thus, it is said by the sages that he delivers all who have gone (before him).
केनोपायेन लभ्येत मुक्तिः सर्वत्र दुर्लभा
By what means can liberation, which is rare everywhere, be attained?
तयैवाकृतपुण्यास्तु तारयन्ति कथं परान्
How do those who have not performed meritorious deeds deliver others by that same (means)?
यथा हि सर्वलोकानामानन्दाय कलानिधिः
Just as the moon, the repository of nectar, is for the joy of all worlds,
तानि सर्वाणि गङ्गायाः कणस्यापि समानिन
So all those (joys) are considered equal even to a single drop of Ganga.
गङ्गाजलं पुनात्येव कुलानामेकविंशतिम्
Indeed, Ganga water purifies as many as twenty-one generations of families.
गङ्गाजलप्रदानेन पाह्मस्मान्पापकर्मिणः
By the offering of Ganga water, protect us, the doers of sinful deeds, from evil.
निशम्य विस्मया विष्टो बभूव द्विजसतमः
Hearing this, the best of twice-born became filled with wonder.
किमु ज्ञानप्रभावाणां महतां पुण्यशालिनाम्
What then of those great and virtuous ones endowed with the power of knowledge?