भविष्यति कदा खर्वो निखर्वश्चाथ मे गृहे । एवं सहस्रं लक्षं च कोटिरर्बुदमेव च
'When will I have a kharva or a nikharva in my house?' In this way, you think of thousands, lakhs, crores, and arbudas.
खर्वो निखर्वः संजातस्तृष्णा नैव प्रगच्छति । तव कायं परित्यज्य वृद्धिमायाति सर्वदा
Even when kharvas and nikharvas are obtained, your craving never departs; it always grows, abandoning your very body.
नैव दत्तं हुतं विप्र भुक्तं नैव कदा त्वया । खनितं भूमिमध्ये तु क्षिप्तं पुत्रानजानते
You have never given, offered oblations, or enjoyed (your wealth), O Brahmin; what you buried in the earth, your sons do not know.
अन्यमेवमुपायं तु द्रव्यागमनकारणात् । कुरुषे सर्वदा विप्र लोकान्पृच्छसि बुद्धिमान्
For the sake of acquiring wealth, you always seek out other means, O Brahmin, and wisely question people everywhere.
खनित्रमंजनं वादं धातुवादमतः परम् । पृच्छमानो भ्रमस्येकस्तृष्णया परिमोहितः
You inquire about mining, alchemy, and the science of metals; deluded by craving, you wander about, confused.
स्पर्शंचिंतयसेनित्यंकल्पान्सिद्धिप्रदायकान् । प्रवेशं विवराणां तु चिंतमानः सु पृच्छसि
You constantly ponder touchstones and wish-fulfilling gems, and, thinking about entering caves, you eagerly ask questions.
तृष्णानलेन दग्धेन सुखं नैव प्रगच्छसि । तृष्णानलेन संदीप्तो हाहाभूतो विचेतनः
Burned by the fire of craving, you never attain happiness; inflamed by the fire of craving, you become distraught and lose awareness.
एवं मुग्धोसि विप्रेंद्र गतस्त्वं कालवश्यताम् । दारापुत्रेषु तद्द्रव्यं पृच्छमानेषु वै त्वया
Thus, O best of Brahmins, you have been deluded and have come under the sway of time, while your wife and sons inquire about that wealth from you.
कथितं नैव वृत्तांतं प्राणांस्त्यक्त्वा गतो यमम् । एवं सर्वं मया ख्यातं वृत्तांतं तव पूर्वकम्
You never told them the story, and, abandoning your life, you went to Yama; thus, I have revealed to you your previous story in full.
अनेन कर्मणा विप्र निर्धनोसि दरिद्रवान् । संसारे यस्य सत्पुत्रा भक्तिमंतः सदैव हि
Because of this action, O Brahmin, you are poor and destitute; in this world, one whose sons are devoted always has happiness.
सुशीला ज्ञानसंपन्नाः सत्यधर्मरताः सदा । संभवंति गृहे तस्य यस्य विष्णुः प्रसीदति
Those whose homes have virtuous, wise, and truth-loving children, always devoted to righteousness, are so because Viṣṇu is pleased with them.
धनं धान्यं कलत्रं तु पुत्रपौत्रमनंतकम् । स भुंक्ते मर्त्यलोके वै यस्य विष्णुः प्रसन्नवान्
He who has the favor of Viṣṇu enjoys wealth, grain, wife, sons, grandsons, and endless prosperity in this mortal world.
विना विष्णोः प्रसादेन दारापुत्रान्न चाप्नुयात् । सुजन्म च कुलं विप्र तद्विष्णोः परमं पदम्
Without the grace of Viṣṇu, one does not obtain wife or sons, nor a good birth or noble family, O Brahmin; that is the supreme state of Viṣṇu.
सोमशर्मोवाच- पूर्वजन्मकृतं पापं त्वयाख्यातं च मे मुने । शूद्रत्वेन तु विप्रेन्द्र मयैव परिवर्जितम्
Somaśarman said: O sage, you have told me of the sin committed in my previous birth; as a Śūdra, O best of Brahmins, I myself avoided it.
विप्रत्वं हि मया प्राप्तं तत्कथं द्विजसत्तम । तत्सर्वं कारणं ब्रूहि ज्ञानविज्ञानपंडित
Indeed, I have attained the state of a Brahmin—how did this come to be, O best of twice-born? Tell me the entire reason for this, O wise one learned in knowledge and realization.
वसिष्ठ उवाच-। यत्त्वया चेष्टितं पूर्वं कर्मधर्माश्रितंद्विज । तदहं संप्रवक्ष्यामि श्रूयतां यदि मन्यसे
Vasiṣṭha said: O twice-born, I shall now recount to you what you did before, rooted in the duties of action; listen, if you so desire.
ब्राह्मणः कश्चिदनघः सदाचारः सुपंडितः । विष्णुभक्तस्तु धर्मात्मा नित्यं विष्णुपरायणः
There was a certain Brahmin, sinless, of good conduct, highly learned, devoted to Viṣṇu, righteous in soul, and ever dedicated to Viṣṇu.
यात्राव्याजेन तीर्थानां भ्रमत्येकः समेदिनीम् । अटमानः समायातस्तव गेहं महामतिः
On the pretext of pilgrimage, that great-minded one wandered alone for many days among holy places, and came to your house.
याचितं स्थानमेकं वै वासार्थं द्विजसत्तम । तवैव भार्यया दत्तं त्वया च सह पुत्रकैः
He requested a single place to stay, O best of twice-born; your wife gave it to him, together with you and your sons.
एयतामेयतां ब्रह्मन्सुखेन सुगृहे मम । वैष्णवं ब्राह्मणं पुण्यमित्युवाच पुनः पुनः
Again and again he said: 'O Brahmin, let me stay here happily in your excellent house; this Vaiṣṇava Brahmin is indeed meritorious.'
सुखेन स्थीयतामत्र गृहोयं तव सुव्रत । अद्य धन्योस्म्यहं पुण्यमद्य तीर्थमहं गतः
'Stay here comfortably; this house is yours, O virtuous one. Today I am blessed; today I have attained merit; today I have reached a holy place.'
अद्य तीर्थफलं प्राप्तं तवांघ्रिद्वयदर्शनात् । गवां स्थानं वरं पुण्यं निवासाय निवेदितम्
'Today I have obtained the fruit of pilgrimage by seeing your two feet. The most excellent and holy place of the cows has been offered for your residence.'
अंगसंवाहनं कृत्वा पादौ चैव प्रमर्दितौ । क्षालितौ चपुनस्तोयैः स्नातः पादोदकेन हि
After massaging his limbs and pressing his feet, you washed them again with water, and he bathed with the water from your feet.
सद्यो घृतं दधिक्षीरमन्नं तक्रं प्रदत्तवान् । तस्मै च ब्राह्मणायैव भवानित्थं महात्मने
Immediately you gave him ghee, curd, milk, food, and buttermilk—thus you offered to that Brahmin, the great-souled one.
एवं संतोषितो विप्रस्त्वया च सह भार्यया । पुत्रैः सार्धं महाभागो वैष्णवो ज्ञानपंडितः
Thus, that Vaiṣṇava Brahmin, learned and blessed, was satisfied by you together with your wife and sons.
अथ प्रभाते संप्राप्ते दिने पुण्ये सुभाग्यदे । आषाढस्य तु शुद्धस्यैकादशी पापनाशनी
Then, when the auspicious and blessed day dawned, it was the pure eleventh day of Āṣāḍha, the destroyer of sins.
तस्मिन्दिने सुसंप्राप्ता सर्वपातकनाशिनी । यस्यां देवो हृषीकेशो योगनिद्रां प्रगच्छति
On that day, which destroys all sins, when the Lord Hṛṣīkeśa enters yogic sleep, that day arrived in due course.
तां प्राप्य च ततो लोकास्तत्यजुर्बुद्धिपंडिताः । गृहस्य सर्वकर्माणि विष्णुध्यानरता द्विज
Having attained that day, the wise householders gave up all household duties and, O twice-born, became absorbed in meditation on Viṣṇu.
उत्सवं परमं चक्रुर्गीतमंगलवादनैः । स्तुवंति ब्राह्मणाः सर्वे वेदैः स्तोत्रैः सुमंगलैः
They celebrated a great festival with auspicious songs and music; all the Brahmins praised with Vedic hymns and auspicious chants.
एवं महोत्सवं प्राप्य स च ब्राह्मणसत्तमः । तस्मिन्दिने स्थितस्तत्र संप्राप्तं समुपोषणम्
Thus, having reached that great festival, the best of Brahmins remained there on that day, and the observance of fasting was undertaken.