स्वर्गमिच्छंति ये लोकास्ते वै स्नात्वा पुनःपुनः । इहलोके सुखं भुक्त्वा यांति विष्णोः सनातनम्
Those people who desire heaven, after bathing again and again, enjoy happiness in this world and then attain the eternal abode of Viṣṇu.
सूर्यवंशे च ये जाताः सोमवंशे तथैव च । आगता वेत्रवत्यां तु स्नात्वा निर्वृतिमागताः
Those born in the Solar dynasty and likewise in the Lunar dynasty, having come to the Vetravatī and bathed there, have attained supreme contentment.
दर्शनाद्धरते दुःखं स्पर्शनान्मानसं ह्यघम् । स्नात्वा भुक्त्वा तथा देवि मुक्तिभागी न संशयः
By seeing it, suffering is removed; by touching it, mental sin is surely destroyed; and, O goddess, after bathing and eating there, one undoubtedly becomes eligible for liberation.
स्नानाज्जपात्तथाहोमादनंतं फलमश्नुते । गत्वा वाराणसीतीर्थं भक्त्या चांद्रायणं चरेत्
By bathing, reciting, and offering oblations, one attains endless reward; having gone to the holy place of Vārāṇasī, one should perform the Cāndrāyaṇa vow with devotion.
तत्र गत्वा महत्पुण्यं तत्पुण्यं सुरसत्तमे । वेत्रवत्यां विशेषेण पंचत्वं यदि गच्छति
Having gone there, O best of gods, one obtains great merit; especially at Vetravatī, if one meets death there.
स वै चतुर्भुजो भूत्वा याति विष्णोः परं पदम् । पृथिव्यां यानि तीर्थानि ये देवाः पितरस्तथा
He, becoming four-armed, goes to the supreme abode of Viṣṇu; all the holy places on earth, the gods, and the ancestors as well—
ते सर्वे च वसंतीह वेत्रवत्यां सुरेश्वरि । किमन्यद्बहुनोक्तेन भूयो भूयो वरानने
All of them, O queen of the gods, reside here at Vetravatī; what more need be said again and again, O beautiful-faced one?
वेत्रवत्याः समं तीर्थं पृथिव्यां न सनातनि । अहं विष्णुस्तथा ब्रह्मा देवाश्च परमर्षयः
There is no holy place on earth equal to Vetravatī, O eternal one; I, Viṣṇu, as well as Brahmā, the gods, and the supreme sages—
तिष्ठंति देवताः सर्वे वेत्रवत्यां महेश्वरि । एककालं द्विकालं वा त्रिकालं च विशेषतः
All the deities dwell at Vetravatī, O great goddess; whether at one time, two times, or especially three times—
स्नानं कुर्वंति ये तत्र ते वै मुक्ता न संशयः
Those who bathe there are indeed liberated, without doubt.
इति श्रीपाद्मे महापुराणे पंचपंचाशत्साहस्र्यां संहितायां उत्तरखंडे वेत्रवती माहात्म्ये चतुस्त्रिंशाधिकशततमोऽध्यायः
Thus ends the one hundred thirty-fourth chapter, entitled 'The Greatness of Vetravatī,' in the Uttarakhaṇḍa of the glorious Padma Mahāpurāṇa, comprising fifty-five thousand verses.
श्रीमहादेव उवाच। साभ्रमत्यास्तु माहात्म्यं वक्ष्ये देवि यथातथम् । कश्यपो वै मुनिश्रेष्ठस्तपो वै तप्तवान्महत्
Śrī Mahādeva said: O goddess, I shall truly relate the greatness of Sābhramatī; the eminent sage Kaśyapa performed great austerity.
अनेकवर्षपर्यंतं तेन तप्तं महत्तपः । अर्बुदे पर्वते रम्ये नानाद्रुमसमाकुले
He performed severe austerity for many years on the delightful Arbuda mountain, thickly covered with various trees.
तत्र गत्वा तपस्तप्तं ऋषिणा कश्यपेन वै । सरस्वती यत्र रम्या पवित्रा पापनाशिनी
There, the sage Kaśyapa undertook austerities, where the lovely Sarasvatī flows, pure and destroyer of sins.
एकस्मिन्दिवसे देवि गतोऽसौ नैमिषं प्रति । तदा ते ऋषयः सर्वे कथां चक्रुरनेकशः
One day, O goddess, he went towards Naimiṣa; at that time, all the sages engaged in many conversations.
तदा तैस्तु द्विजैः सम्यक्पृष्टोऽसौ कश्यपो मुनिः । अहो कश्यप नः प्रीत्यै गंगेहानीयतां प्रभो
Then, those twice-born ones properly questioned the sage Kaśyapa: 'O Kaśyapa, for our pleasure, O lord, bring the Gaṅgā here.'
भवन्नाम्ना तु सा गंगा भविष्यति सरिद्वरा । तेषां वाक्यमुपाकर्ण्य नमस्कृत्य द्विजांश्च तान्
'By your name, that Gaṅgā, the best of rivers, will be known.' Hearing their words and bowing to those twice-born—
आगतो ह्यर्बुदारण्ये सरस्वतीतीरसंनिधौ । तत्र तप्तं तदा तेन तपः परमदुष्करम्
He came to the Arbuda forest, near the bank of the Sarasvatī; there he performed that supremely difficult austerity.
आराधितो ह्यहं तेन कश्यपेन द्विजेन वै । प्रत्यक्षोऽहं तदा जातस्तस्य द्विजवरस्य च
I was indeed worshipped by that twice-born Kāśyapa, and at that time I appeared directly before that excellent Brāhmaṇa.
वरं वरय भद्रं ते यत्ते मनसि वर्त्तते
Choose a boon, auspicious one, whatever is in your mind.
कश्यप उवाच। वरं दातुं समर्थोऽसि देवदेव जगत्पते । शिरःस्थिता या गंगेयं पवित्रा पापहारिणी
Kāśyapa said: You are capable of granting boons, O god of gods, lord of the universe. The sacred Gaṅgā, who destroys sins and rests upon your head—
मम देया विशेषेण महादेव नमोस्तुते । तदा देवि मयोक्तं च गृह्णीष्व त्वं द्विजोत्तम
May she be given especially to me, O great god, I bow to you. Then, O goddess, I spoke thus: 'Accept her, O best of Brāhmaṇas.'
जटामेकां परित्यज्य दत्ता गंगा तदा मया । तां गृहीत्वा द्विजश्रेष्ठः स्वस्थानं हर्षतो ययौ
Having released a single lock of hair, I then gave Gaṅgā. Taking her, the best of Brāhmaṇas joyfully returned to his own place.
केशरन्ध्रं नाम तीर्थं वासो वै कश्यपस्य च । गतस्तत्र तु देवेशि मुनिभिः परिवारितः
The holy place called Keśarandhra became the dwelling of Kāśyapa. There, O goddess of the gods, he went surrounded by sages.
कश्यपेन समानीता काश्यपी सा सरिद्वरा । यस्या दर्शनमात्रेण ब्रह्महा मुच्यते किल
Brought by Kāśyapa, that best of rivers became known as Kāśyapī. By merely seeing her, even a slayer of Brāhmaṇas is said to be freed.
पार्वत्युवाच। स्नानमात्रेण किं पुण्यं तत्र तीर्थे वदस्व मे । विश्वनाथ कृपालुस्त्वं दयां कुरु ममोपरि
Pārvatī said: What merit arises merely from bathing at that holy place? Tell me, O Viśvanātha, compassionate one, show mercy to me.
दर्शने किं भवेत्पुण्यं स्नाने किं वद देवराट् । महिमा कीदृशो ब्रह्मन्सर्वं त्वं वक्तुमर्हसि
What merit comes from seeing, what from bathing, tell me, O king of the gods. What is its greatness, O Brāhmaṇa? You should tell me everything.
महादेव उवाच। मया श्रुतान्यनेकानि तीर्थान्यायतनानि च । श्रीविष्णोश्च प्रसादाच्च नद्यः सागरगाः प्रभोः
Mahādeva said: I have heard of many holy places and shrines, and by the grace of Lord Viṣṇu, the rivers that flow to the ocean, O Lord.
गंगा च यमुना रेवा तापी चैव महानदी । गोदावरी तुंगभद्रा कौशिकी गल्लिका तथा
Gaṅgā, Yamunā, Revā, and also the great river Tāpi, Godāvarī, Tuṅgabhadrā, Kauśikī, and likewise Gallikā.
कावेरी वेदिका भद्रा सरयूः पापहारिणी । अन्याश्च विविधा नद्यः सर्वपापहरा भुवि
Kāverī, Vedikā, Bhadrā, and the sin-removing Sarayū, and many other various rivers on earth that remove all sins.