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.
प्रयागस्तीर्थराजश्च काशी पुष्कर एव च । नैमिषारण्यसंज्ञं तु तीर्थं चामरकंटकम्
Prayāga, the king of holy places, Kāśī, and also Puṣkara, the holy place called Naimiṣāraṇya, and Amarakaṇṭaka.
उत्तमं द्वारकाक्षेत्रमर्बुदारण्यमुत्तमम् । एवंविधानि दिव्यानि क्षेत्राणि विविधानि च
The excellent field of Dvārakā, the supreme Arbudā forest—such are the various divine and excellent sacred places.
श्रुतानि तत्र देवेशि माया विष्णोः प्रसादतः । पूर्वं भगीरथेनैव याचितोऽहं तु पार्वति
All these, O goddess of the gods, I have heard of by the grace of Viṣṇu's māyā. Formerly, I was requested by Bhagīratha, O Pārvatī.
तदा दत्ता इयं गंगा विष्णोर्लोकमभीप्सुना । कश्यपाय पुनर्दत्ता ऋषीणां वचनान्मया
Then, this Gaṅgā was given to him, desiring the world of Viṣṇu. Again, at the request of the sages, I gave her to Kāśyapa.
इयं वै काश्यपी गंगा रोगदोषहरा सदा । इयं या कथ्यते लोके युगे वै नामपूर्वकम्
This Kāśyapī Gaṅgā always removes diseases and faults. She is known in the world by a different name in each age.
तदहं कथयिष्यामि शृणु सुंदरि तत्वतः । कृते कृतवती नाम त्रेतायां गिरिकर्णिका
Therefore I shall tell you, listen, O beautiful one, in truth: In the Kṛta age she was called Kṛtavatī, in the Tretā age Girikarṇikā.
द्वापरे चंदना नाम कलौ साभ्रमती स्मृता । दिनेदिने विशेषेण स्नानार्थं तु नराश्च ये
In the Dvāpara age it was called Candana, but in the Kali age it is known as Sābhramatī; every day, especially, people come there for bathing.
सर्वपापविनिर्मुक्ता यांति विष्णोः सनातनम् । प्लक्षावतरणे तीर्थे सरस्वत्यां तथेश्वरि
Freed from all sins, they attain the eternal abode of Viṣṇu at the tīrtha of Plakṣāvataraṇa on the Sarasvatī, O Lady.
केदारे च कुरुक्षेत्रे यत्फलं स्नानतो भवेत् । तत्फलं तु नृणां नूनं साभ्रमत्या दिने दिने
Whatever merit is gained by bathing at Kedāra or Kurukṣetra, that very merit is surely obtained by people at Sābhramatī every single day.
भवतीति न संदेहो व्यासस्य वचनं यथा । नभस्येपरपक्षे तु प्रत्यहं वा सुरेश्वरि
There is no doubt about this, as stated by Vyāsa; and, O Lady of the gods, in the latter half of the month of Bhādrapada, or even daily,