स च पापी भवेद्व्याघ्रः पश्चादृक्षः प्रजायते । मातरंपितरं पुत्रो यो न मन्येत दुष्टधीः
Such a sinner becomes a tiger, and then is born as a bear, if, with evil mind, a son does not honor his mother and father.
कुंभीपाके वसेत्तावद्यावद्युगसहस्रकम् । नास्ति मातृसमं तीर्थं पुत्राणां च पितुः समम्
He dwells in the hell Kumbhīpāka for a thousand ages; there is no holy place for sons equal to the mother, nor any equal to the father.
तारणाय हितायैव इहैव च परत्र च । तस्मादहं महाप्राज्ञ पितृदेवं प्रपूजये
For deliverance and welfare, both here and hereafter, therefore, O wise one, I honor the father as divine.
मातृदेवं सर्वदेव योगयोगी तथाभवम् । मातृपितृप्रसादेन संजातं ज्ञानमुत्तमम्
I became a yogi of all the gods by regarding the mother as divine; through the grace of mother and father, supreme knowledge arose in me.
त्रिलोकीयं समस्ता तु संयाता मम वश्यताम् । अर्वाचीनगतिं जाने देवस्यास्य महात्मनः
All the three worlds have come under my control; I know the direct path to this great-souled god.
वासुदेवस्य तस्यैव पराचीनां महामते । सर्वं ज्ञानं समुद्भूतं पितृमातृप्रसादतः
O wise one, all knowledge has arisen in me concerning Vāsudeva, both the direct and the indirect, through the grace of father and mother.
को न पूजयते विद्वान्पितरं मातरं तथा । सांगोपांगैरधीतैस्तैः श्रुतिशास्त्रसमन्वितैः
Who, being learned, does not honor father and mother, along with all the limbs and branches of the Vedas and scriptures studied?
वेदैरपि च किं विप्रा पिता येन न पूजितः । माता न पूजिता येन तस्य वेदा निरर्थकाः
What use are the Vedas, O brāhmaṇa, if one does not honor his father? If one does not honor his mother, his Vedas are fruitless.
यज्ञैश्च तपसा विप्र किं दानैः किं च पूजनैः । प्रयाति तस्य वैफल्यं न माता येन पूजिता
What use are sacrifices, austerities, gifts, or worship, O brāhmaṇa, if one does not honor his mother? All these become fruitless for him.
न पिता पूजितो येन जीवमानो गृहे स्थितः । एष पुत्रस्य वै धर्मस्तथा तीर्थं नरेष्विह
If one does not honor his father, who is alive and dwelling in the house, this is the son’s true dharma and the highest holy place among men.
एष पुत्रस्य वै मोक्षस्तथा जन्मफलं शुभम् । एष पुत्रस्य वै यज्ञो दानमेव न संशयः
This is the son’s liberation, his auspicious fruit of birth, his sacrifice and his gift—of this there is no doubt.
पितरं पूजयेन्नित्यं भक्त्या भावेन तत्परः । तस्य जातं समस्तं तद्यदुक्तं पूर्वमेव हि
One should always honor the father with devotion and sincerity; all that has been said before is born from this.
दानस्यापि फलं तेन तीर्थस्यापि न संशयः । यज्ञस्यापि फलं प्राप्तं माता येनाप्युपासिता
By serving one's mother, one attains the fruit of giving gifts, of pilgrimage—without doubt—and even the fruit of sacrifice.
पिता येन सुभक्त्या च नित्यमेवाप्युपासितः । तस्य सर्वा सुसंसिद्धा यज्ञाद्याः पुण्यदाः क्रियाः
He who always serves his father with great devotion, all his acts—sacrifices and other meritorious deeds—are perfectly accomplished.
एतदर्थं समाज्ञातं धर्मशास्त्रं श्रुतं मया । पितृभक्तिपरो नित्यं भवेत्पुत्रो हि पिप्पल
For this reason, I have learned from the Dharmaśāstra that a son should always be devoted to his father, O Pippala.
तुष्टे पितरि संप्राप्तं यदुराज्ञा पुरा सुखम् । रुष्टे पितरि च प्राप्तं महत्पापं पुरा शृणु
When the father is pleased, happiness was obtained by King Yadu in ancient times; but when the father was angered, great sin was incurred—listen to this.
रुरुणा पौरवेणापि पित्रा शप्तेन भूतले । एवं ज्ञानं मया चाप्तं द्वावेतौ यदुपासितौ
Even Ruru of the Paurava line, having been cursed by his father on earth—thus I have come to know this, having served both of them.
एतयोश्च प्रसादेन प्राप्तं फलमनुत्तमम्
And by the grace of these two, the highest fruit was attained.
इति श्रीपद्मपुराणे भूमिखंडे वेनोपाख्याने मातापितृतीर्थ-माहात्म्ये त्रिषष्टितमोऽध्यायः
Thus ends the sixty-third chapter, on the greatness of the mother and father as holy places, in the story of Vena in the Bhūmikhaṇḍa of the glorious Padma Purāṇa.
पिप्पलउवाच- पितुःप्रसादभावाद्वै यदुना सुखमुत्तमम् । कथं प्राप्तं सुभुक्तं च तन्मे विस्तरतो वद
Pippala said: By the favor of his father, how did Yadu obtain and enjoy the highest happiness? Tell me this in detail.
कस्मात्पापप्रभावं च रुरुर्भुंक्ते द्विजोत्तम । सकलं विस्तरेणापि वद मे कुंडलात्मज
And for what reason did Ruru experience the effect of sin, O best of twice-born? Tell me everything in detail, O son of Kuṇḍala.
सुकर्मोवाच- श्रूयतामभिधास्यामि चरित्रं पापनाशनम् । नहुषस्य सुपुण्यस्य ययातेश्च महात्मनः
Sukarma said: Listen, I will tell the story that destroys sin—of Nahusha, supremely virtuous, and of the great-souled Yayāti.
सोमवंशात्प्रभूतो हि नहुषो मेदिनीपतिः । दानधर्माननेकांश्च चका रह्यतुलानपि
Nahusha, born of the Soma lineage, became lord of the earth; he performed many acts of charity and dharma, even those difficult to match.
मखानामश्वमेधानामियाज शतमुत्तमम् । वाजपेयशतं चापि अन्यान्यज्ञाननेकधा
He performed a hundred excellent horse sacrifices, and a hundred Vājapeya sacrifices, and many other sacrifices in various ways.
आत्मनः पुण्यभावेन इंद्रलोकमवाप सः । पुत्रं धर्मगुणोपेतं प्रजापालं चकार सः
By the power of his own merit, he attained the world of Indra; he made his son, endowed with righteousness and virtue, the protector of the people.
ययातिं सत्यसंपन्नं धर्मवीर्यं महामतिम् । एंद्रं पदं गतो राजा तस्य पुत्रः पदे स्वके
That son was Yayāti, endowed with truth, dharma, strength, and great wisdom; the king attained the position of Indra, and his son held his own position.
ययातिः सत्यसंपन्नः प्रजा धर्मेण पालयेत् । स्वयमेव प्रपश्येत्स प्रजाकर्माणि तान्यपि
Yayāti, endowed with truth, protected his subjects with righteousness; he himself observed all the actions of his people.
याजयामास धर्मज्ञः श्रुत्वा धर्ममनुत्तमम् । यज्ञतीर्थादिकं सर्वं दानपुण्यं चकार सः
He, knowing dharma, had sacrifices performed after hearing of the highest dharma; he performed all acts of merit—sacrifices, pilgrimages, and gifts.
राज्यं चकार मेधावी सत्यधर्मेण वै तदा । यावदशीतिसहस्राणि वर्षाणां नृपनंदनः
That wise one ruled the kingdom with truth and dharma, O delight of kings, for eighty thousand years.
तावत्कालं गतं तस्य ययातेस्तु महात्मनः । तस्य पुत्राश्च चत्वारस्तद्वीर्यबलविक्रमाः
Such was the span of Yayāti the great-souled; and his four sons were endowed with his strength, power, and valor.