भुक्त्वा केशवनैवेद्यं यज्ञकोटिफलं लभेत् । पादोदकेन देवस्य हत्याकोटिसमन्विताः
One who partakes of the food offered to Keśava attains the fruit of performing countless sacrifices; with the water that has washed the Lord's feet, even the gravest sins are washed away.
शुद्ध्यंति नात्र संदेहस्तथा शंखोदकेन हि । यो हि माहेश्वरो भूत्वा वैष्णवं च न पूजयेत्
There is no doubt that purification occurs likewise with water from the conch; but one who, being devoted to Śiva, does not worship Viṣṇu—
द्वेष्टा च याति नरकं यावदिंद्राश्चतुर्दश । ज्येष्ठाश्रमी गृहे यस्य मुहूर्त्तमपि विश्रमेत्
—and one who harbors hatred, goes to hell for as many ages as there are fourteen Indras; if a person in the house allows a senior ascetic to rest even for a moment—
पितामहा युगान्यष्टौ भवत्यमृतभोजिनः । संसारे दुःखकांतारे निमज्ज्यंते नराधमाः
—then for eight generations of ancestors, they become eaters of nectar; but the lowest of men, immersed in the ocean of worldly suffering, sink down.
वर्षकोटिसहस्राणि कृष्णाराधनवर्जिताः । स्नेहादभ्यर्चितैर्लिंगैः शालग्रामसमुद्भवैः
Those who neglect the worship of Kṛṣṇa for millions of thousands of years, even if they lovingly worship liṅgas made from śālagrāma stones—
मुक्तिं प्रयांति मनुजा योगसांख्येन वर्जिताः । मल्लिंगकोटिभिर्दृष्टैर्यत्फलं पूजितैः स्तुतैः
—do not attain liberation by Sāṃkhya or Yoga; the fruit gained by seeing, worshiping, or praising millions of liṅgas—
शालग्रामशिलायां तु एकस्यामिह तद्भवेत् । द्वादशैव शिला यो वै शालग्रामसमुद्भवाः
—is obtained here from a single śālagrāma stone; but one who worships twelve śālagrāma stones—
अर्चयेद्वैष्णवो नित्यं तस्य पुण्यं न बोध मे । कोटिलिंगसहस्रैस्तु पूजितैर्जाह्नवी तटे
—as a Vaiṣṇava daily, his merit cannot be measured by me; even if one worships thousands of millions of liṅgas on the banks of the Gaṅgā—
काशीवासे युगान्यष्टौ दिनेनैकेन तद्भवेत् । किं पुनर्बहुना यस्तु पूजयेद्वैष्णवो नरः
—or resides in Kāśī for eight generations, that fruit is gained in a single day; what more need be said of the man who worships as a Vaiṣṇava?
नाहं ब्रह्मादयो देवाः संख्यां कर्तुं समीहते । तस्माद्भक्त्या च मद्भक्तैः प्रीत्यर्थं मम पुत्रक
Neither I nor Brahmā nor the other gods are able to calculate that merit; therefore, my son, my devotees should worship the śālagrāma stone with devotion, to please me.
कर्त्तव्यं मम तद्भक्त्या शालग्रामशिलार्च्चनम् । शालग्रामशिलारूपी यत्र तिष्ठति केशवः
Therefore, with devotion to me, worship of the śālagrāma stone must be performed; for in the form of the śālagrāma stone, Keśava himself abides.
तत्र देवासुरा यक्षा भुवनानि चतुर्दश
There, the gods, asuras, yakṣas, and all the fourteen worlds are present.
सुराणां कीर्तनैः सर्वैः कोटिभिश्च फलं लभेत् । तत्फलं कीर्त्तनादेव केशवे सुकृतं कलौ
By the praises of all the gods, one attains the fruit of millions; in this age of Kali, that merit is gained simply by singing the praises of Keśava.
शालग्रामशिलाग्रे तु सकृत्पिंडेन तर्पिताः । वसंति पितरस्तस्य न संख्या तत्र विद्यते
When ancestors are satisfied with a single offering before the śālagrāma stone, they dwell there without number.
ये पिबंति नरा भक्त्या शालग्रामशिलाजलम् । पंचगव्यसहस्रैस्तु प्राशितैः किं प्रयोजनम्
What is the use of consuming thousands of fivefold cow products for those who, with devotion, drink the water of the śālagrāma stone?
प्रायश्चित्ते समुत्पन्ने किं दानैः किमुपोषणैः । चांद्रायणैः सुचीर्णैश्च पीत्वा पादोदकं हरेः
When atonement arises, what need is there for gifts or fasts? Having drunk the water from the feet of Hari, even well-performed lunar penances are surpassed.
यः करोति तडागे तु प्रतिमां जलशायिनीम् । कोटिभिश्चापि किं कार्यमन्यदेवैश्च पूजितैः
Whoever establishes an image of the Lord reclining on water in a pond—what need is there for millions of other acts or for worshiping other gods?
विष्णुमुख्यास्तु वै देवास्तत्र जल्पंति वै सह । प्रमाणमस्ति सर्वस्य सुकृतस्य हि पुत्रक
There, the principal gods led by Viṣṇu converse together; for all merit, my son, there is indeed a standard.
फलप्रमाणं नैवास्तिशालग्रामशिलार्चन । यो ददाति शिलां विष्णोः शालग्रामसमुद्भवाम्
There is truly no measure of the merit gained by worshipping the Śālagrāma stone; whoever gives a stone that has arisen from Śālagrāma to Viṣṇu—
विप्राय विष्णुभक्ताय तेनेष्टं क्रतुभिः शतैः । गृहेऽपि वसतस्तस्य गंगास्नानं दिनेदिने
—to a brāhmaṇa devoted to Viṣṇu, that person has performed the equivalent of hundreds of sacrifices; even while living at home, he gains the merit of bathing in the Gaṅgā every day.
स स्नातः सर्वतीर्थेषु सर्वयज्ञेषु दीक्षितः । शालग्रामशिलातोयैरभिषेकं समाचरेत्
He is as if bathed in all the sacred waters, initiated in all sacrifices, who performs the ablution with water from the Śālagrāma stone.
स्वर्गे मर्त्ये च पाताले पाषाणाः संति वै गुह । शालग्रामशिला ग्राव्णा नास्ति नास्ति समा पुनः
In heaven, on earth, and in the netherworld, there are indeed many stones, O Guha, but there is truly none equal to the Śālagrāma stone.
मानुषे दुर्ल्लभे लोके सफलं तस्य जीवितम् । तिलप्रस्थशतं भक्त्या यो ददाति दिनेदिने
In this world of humans, which is difficult to attain, his life is fruitful who, with devotion, gives a hundred prasthas of sesame each day.
तत्फलं समवाप्नोति शालग्रामशिलार्चनात् । पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं मूलं दूर्वादलं तथा
He attains that same fruit by worshipping the Śālagrāma stone with a leaf, a flower, a fruit, water, a root, or even a blade of sacred grass.
जायते मेरुणा तुल्यं शालग्रामे समर्पितम् । विधिहीनोऽपि यः कश्चित्क्रियामंत्रविवर्जितः
Whatever is offered at Śālagrāma becomes equal to Mount Meru; even one who is without proper ritual, action, or mantra—
चक्रांकभुज आप्नोति सम्यक्शास्त्रोदितं फलम् । यत्तु पूर्वं मया दृष्टं केशवे क्लेशनाशनम् 6.120.
—if he offers to the stone marked with the discus, attains the result prescribed by the scriptures; and what I have seen before in Keśava is the destroyer of suffering.
तत्सर्वं कथयिष्यामि तव स्नेहेन पुत्रक । क्व त्वं वससि हे विष्णो किमाधारः किमाश्रयः
All that I shall tell you, my dear child, out of affection for you: Where do you dwell, O Viṣṇu? What is your support, what is your abode?
कथं वा प्रीयसे देव तत्सर्वं कथयस्व मे । श्रीकृष्ण उवाच। निवसामि सदा शंभो शालग्रामोद्भवेऽश्मनि
And how, O Lord, are you pleased? Tell me all of this. Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: I always reside, O Śambhu, in the stone that arises from Śālagrāma.
तत्रैव रथचक्रांके यानि नामानि मे शृणु । द्वारदेशे समे चक्रे दृश्येते नांतरं यदि । वासुदेवः स विज्ञेयः शुक्लश्चैवातिशोभनः
There itself, on the mark of the chariot wheel, hear my names: If, at the door, the wheel is seen clearly without interruption, know that as Vāsudeva, pure white and exceedingly beautiful.
प्रद्युम्नः सूर्यवक्त्रस्तु नीलदीप्तिस्तथैव च । सुषिरं च्छिद्रबहुलं दीर्घाकारं तु तद्भवेत्
Pradyumna is with a face like the sun, and likewise with a blue radiance; if it has many holes and is elongated in shape, it is that form.