वाराणसी चार्घतीर्थं प्राप्ता राजत्वमुत्तमम्
Varanasi and Argha Tirtha attained the highest sovereignty.
कुंजल उवाच- अस्ति पंचालदेशेषु विदुरो नाम क्षत्रियः । तेन मोहप्रसंगेन ब्राह्मणो निहतः पुराः
Kuñjala said: In the land of Panchala, there was a Kshatriya named Vidura; once, due to delusion, he killed a Brahmin.
शिखासूत्रविहीनस्तु तिलकेन विवर्जितः । भिक्षार्थमटतेसोऽपि ब्रह्मघ्नोहं समागतः
Devoid of topknot and sacred thread, and lacking a tilaka mark, he wanders for alms, declaring, 'I am a slayer of Brahmins, I have arrived.'
ब्रह्मघ्नाय सुरापाय भिक्षा चान्नं प्रदीयताम् । गृहेष्वेवं समस्तेषु भ्रमते याचते पुरा
Let food and alms be given to the slayer of Brahmins and the drinker of liquor; thus he wanders, begging in every household.
एवं सर्वेषु तीर्थेषु अटित्वैव समागतः । ब्रह्महत्या न तस्यापि प्रयाति द्विजसत्तम
In this way, after wandering through all the sacred places, he arrives, yet even then, O best of twice-born, the sin of Brahmin-slaying does not depart from him.
वृक्षच्छायां समाश्रित्यदह्यमानेन चेतसा । संस्थितो विदुरः पापो दुःखशोकसमन्वितः
Taking shelter under the shade of a tree, with a mind burning in anguish, the sinful Vidura sat there, filled with pain and sorrow.
चंद्रशर्मा ततो विप्रो महामोहेन पीडितः । न्यवसन्मागधे देशे गुरुघातकरश्च सः
Then the Brahmin Candrasharma, afflicted by great delusion, dwelt in the land of Magadha, having committed the act of killing his guru.
स्वजनैर्बंधुवर्गैश्च परित्यक्तो दुरात्मवान् । स हि तत्र समायातो यत्रासौ विदुरः स्थितः
Abandoned by his own people and relatives, that wicked-souled man arrived at the very place where Vidura was staying.
शिखासूत्रविहीनस्तु विप्रलिंगैर्विवर्जितः । तदासौ पृच्छितस्तेन विदुरेण दुरात्मना
Devoid of topknot and sacred thread, and lacking the marks of a Brahmin, he was then questioned by the wicked Vidura.
भवान्को हि समायातोः दुर्भगो दग्धमानसः । विप्रलिंगविहीनस्तु कस्मात्त्वं भ्रमसे महीम्
'Who are you, so unfortunate, with a mind consumed by grief? Why do you wander the earth without the marks of a Brahmin?'
विदुरेणोक्तमात्रस्तु चंद्रशर्मा द्विजाधमः । आचष्टे सर्वमेवापि यथापूर्वकृतं स्वकम्
When thus addressed by Vidura, Candrasharma, the lowest of Brahmins, recounted everything he had previously done.
पातकं च महाघोरं वसता च गुरोर्गृहे । महामोहगतेनापि क्रोधेनाकुलितेन च
He told of the terrible sin committed while living in his guru's house, driven by great delusion and agitated by anger.
गुरोर्घातः कृतः पूर्वं तेन दग्धोस्मि सांप्रतम् । चंद्रशर्मा च वृत्तांतमुक्त्वा सर्वमपृच्छत
'Formerly, I killed my guru; because of that, I am now consumed.' Having told everything, Candrasharma then asked him in turn.
भवान्को हि सुदुःखात्मा वृक्षच्छायां समाश्रितः । विदुरेण समासेन आत्मपापं निवेदितम्
'Who are you, so afflicted, taking shelter under the shade of a tree?' Vidura briefly revealed his own sin.
अथ कश्चिद्द्विजः प्राप्तस्तृतीयः श्रमकर्षितः । वेदशर्मेति वै नाम बहुपातकसंचयः
Then a certain Brahmin arrived, a third, exhausted from toil, named Vedasharma, who had accumulated many sins.
द्वाभ्यामपि सुसंपृष्टः को भवान्दुःखिताकृतिः । कस्माद्भ्रमसि वै पृथ्वीं वद भावं त्वमात्मनः
Questioned thoroughly by the two, 'Who are you, appearing so miserable? Why do you wander the earth? Tell us your condition.'
वेदशर्मा ततः सर्वमात्मचेष्टितमेव च । कथयामास ताभ्यां वै ह्यगम्यागमनं कृतम्
Then Vedasharma told them everything about his own actions, saying that he had gone to forbidden places.
धिक्कृतः सर्वलोकैश्च अन्यैः स्वजनबांधवैः । तेन पापेन संलिप्तो भ्रमाम्येवं महीमिमाम्
'Condemned by all people and by my own kin and relatives, tainted by that sin, I wander this earth in this way.'
वंजुलो नाम वैश्योथ सुरापायी समागतः । स गोघ्नश्च विशेषेण तैश्च पृष्टो यथा पुरा
Then a merchant named Vanjula, a drinker of liquor, arrived; he was especially a killer of cows, and was questioned by them as before.
तेन आवेदितं सर्वं पातकं यत्पुराकृतम् । तैराकर्णितमन्यैश्च सर्वं तस्यप्रभाषितम्
He revealed all the sins he had previously committed; all that he spoke was heard by them and by the others.
एवं चत्वारःपापिष्ठा एकस्थानं समागताः । कः कस्यापि न संपर्कं भोजनाच्छादनेन च
Thus, these four most sinful ones gathered together in one place; none of them associated with or shared food or clothing with any other.
करोति च महाभाग वार्तां चक्रुः परस्परम् । न विशंत्यासने चैके न स्वपंत्येकसंस्तरे
O highly fortunate one, they conversed among themselves, but some would not sit together on the same seat, nor would they sleep on the same bedding.
एवं दुःखसमाविष्टा नानातीर्थेषु वै गताः । तेषां तु पापका घोरा न नश्यंति च नंदन
Thus, overwhelmed by suffering, they went to various sacred places; but their terrible sins, O Nandana, did not perish.
सामर्थ्यं नास्ति तीर्थानां महापातकनाशने । विदुराद्यास्ततस्ते तु गताः कालंजरं गिरिम्
The sacred places have no power to destroy great sins; therefore, Vidura and the others went to the Kālañjara mountain.
इति श्रीपद्मपुराणे भूमिखंडे वेनोपाख्याने गुरुतीर्थे च्यवनचरित्रे एकनवतितमोऽध्यायः
Thus ends the ninety-first chapter in the narrative of Cyavana at the holy place of Guru, in the story of Vena, within the Bhūmikhaṇḍa of the glorious Padma Purāṇa.
कुंजल उवाच- कालंजरं समासाद्य निवसंति सुदुःखिताः । महापापैस्तु संदग्धा हाहाभूता विचेतनाः
Kuñjala said: Having reached Kālañjara, they dwelled there in great distress, scorched by great sins, bewildered and distraught.
तत्र कश्चित्समायातःसिद्धश्चैव महायशाः । तेन पृष्टाः सुदुःखार्ता भवंतः केन दुःखिताः
There, a certain accomplished sage of great renown arrived; seeing their deep suffering, he asked, 'Why are you so afflicted?'
स तैः प्रोक्तो महाप्राज्ञः सर्वज्ञानविशारदः । तेषां ज्ञात्वा महापापं कृपां चक्रे सुपुण्यभाक्
That wise sage, thoroughly versed in all knowledge, was told by them; understanding their great sin, he, endowed with great merit, showed them compassion.
सिद्ध उवाच- अमासोमसमायोगे प्रयागः पुष्करश्च यः । अर्घतीर्थं तृतीयं तु वाराणसी चतुर्थका
The accomplished sage said: 'At the conjunction of the new moon and full moon, Prayāga, Puṣkara, Arghatīrtha as the third, and Vārāṇasī as the fourth—'
गच्छंतु तत्र वै यूयं चत्वारः पातकाविलाः । गंगांभसि यदा स्नातास्तदा मुक्ता भविष्यथ
'You four, stained by sin, should go there; when you have bathed in the waters of the Gaṅgā, you will be liberated.'