पातकेभ्यो न संदेहो निर्मलत्वं गमिष्यथ । आदिष्टास्तेन वै सर्वे प्रणेमुस्तं प्रयत्नतः
'There is no doubt that you will attain purity from your sins.' Thus instructed by him, they all bowed to him with great reverence.
कालंजरात्ततो जग्मुः सत्वरं पापपीडिताः । वाराणसीं समासाद्य स्नात्वा चै वद्विजोत्तमाः
Then, afflicted by sin, they quickly departed from Kālañjara; reaching Vārāṇasī, they bathed, O best of the twice-born.
प्रयागं पुष्करं चैव अर्घतीर्थं तु सत्तम । अमासोमं सुसंप्राप्य जग्मुस्ते च महापुरीम्
O noble one, they also reached Prayāga, Puṣkara, and Arghatīrtha at the proper time, and then went to the great city.
विदुरश्चंद्रशर्मा च वेदशर्मा तृतीयकः । वैश्यो वंजुलकश्चैव सुरापः पापचेतनः
Vidura, Candraśarmā, Vedaśarmā as the third, and the merchant Vaṃjulaka, a sinful-minded drinker of liquor—
तस्मिन्पर्वणि संप्राप्ते स्नाता गंगांभसि द्विज । स्नानमात्रेण मुक्तास्तु गोवधाद्यैश्च किल्बिषैः
When that sacred occasion arrived, they bathed in the waters of the Gaṅgā, O twice-born; by that very bath, they were freed from sins such as cow-slaughter.
ब्रह्महत्या गुरुहत्या सुरापानादि पातकैः । लिप्तानि तानि तीर्थानि परिभ्रमंति मेदिनीम्
The sacred places, tainted by sins like the slaying of a Brāhmaṇa, the killing of a guru, and drinking of liquor, wander about the earth.
पुष्करो अर्धतीर्थस्तु प्रयागः पापनाशनः । वाराणसी चतुर्थी तु लिप्ता पापैर्द्विजोत्तम
Puṣkara is half a sacred place, Prayāga is the destroyer of sins, Vārāṇasī is the fourth, O best of the twice-born, but it is tainted by sins.
कृष्णत्वं पेदिरे सर्वे हंसरूपेण बभ्रमुः । सर्वेष्वेव सुतीर्थेषु स्नानं चक्रुर्द्विजोत्तमाः
They all became dark in color, and wandered in the form of swans; at all the sacred places, O best of the twice-born, they performed bathing rites.
कृष्णत्वं नैव गच्छेत तेषां पापेन चागतम् । सुतीर्थेषु महाराज स्नाताः सर्वेषु वै पुनः
They do not attain blackness, nor does the sin that has come to them remain, O great king, when they have bathed again in all the holy places.
यं यं तीर्थं प्रयांत्येते सर्वे तीर्था द्विजोत्तम । हंसरूपेण वै यांति तैः सार्द्धं तु सुदुःखिताः
Whichever sacred place these best of twice-born visit, all the holy places go there as swans, accompanying them in their great distress.
भार्याः पातकरूपाश्च भ्रमंति परितस्तथा । अष्टषष्टिसु तीर्थानि हंसरूपेण बभ्रमुः
Their wives, taking the form of sin, wander about in the same way; in the sixty-eight holy places, they too roamed in the form of swans.
तैः सार्द्धं सु महाराज महातीर्थैः समं पुनः । मानसं चागतास्ते च पातकाकुलमानसाः
Together with them, O great king, along with the great holy places, they again reached Mānasa, their minds filled with accumulated sin.
तत्र स्नाता महाराज न जहाति च पातकः । लज्जयाविष्टमनसा मानसो हंसरूपधृक्
There, having bathed, O great king, the sin does not leave; with a mind overcome by shame, the swan-formed one at Mānasa remains.
संजातः कृष्णकायस्तु यं त्वं वै दृष्टवान्पुरा । रेवातीरं ततो जग्मुरुत्तरं पापनाशनम्
He who had become black-bodied, whom you saw before, then went to the northern bank of the Revā, the destroyer of sin.
कुब्जायाः संगमे ते तु सुरसिद्धनिषेविते । स्नानमात्रेण मुक्तास्ते पापेभ्यो द्विजसत्तम
At the confluence of Kubjā, frequented by gods and perfected beings, by merely bathing, they were freed from sins, O best of twice-born.
विहाय वर्णमेवैतं सुकृतं प्रतिजग्मिरे । यं यं तीर्थं प्रयांत्येते हंसाः स्नानं प्रचक्रमुः
Abandoning that very color, they returned to merit; wherever these swans went, they performed bathing at the holy places.
जहसुस्ताः स्त्रियो दृष्ट्वा पातकं नैव गच्छति । तोयानलेन कुब्जायाः पातकं वरमेव च
Those women laughed when they saw that sin did not depart; by the water and fire of Kubjā, the sin was truly destroyed.
भस्मावशेषं संजातं तदा मृतास्तु ताः स्त्रियः । ब्रह्महत्या गुरोर्हत्या सुरापानागमागमाः
Then, what remained was only ashes, and those women died; the sins of killing a Brahmin, killing a guru, and drinking liquor were destroyed.
भस्मीभूतास्तु संजाता रेवायाः कुब्जया हताः । तास्तु हता महाभाग या मृतास्तु सरित्तटे
They became reduced to ashes, destroyed at Kubjā of the Revā; those who died on the riverbank, O highly fortunate one, were thus destroyed.
अष्टषष्टि सुतीर्थानां हंसरूपेण तानि तु । सार्द्धं हंसः समायातो विद्धि तं त्वं तु मानसम्
Of the sixty-eight holy places, those in the form of swans, together with the swan, came; know that swan as Mānasa.
चत्वारः कृष्णहंसाश्च तेषां नामानि मे शृणु । प्रयागः पुष्करश्चैव अर्घतीर्थमनुत्तमम्
There are four black swans; hear their names from me: Prayāga, Puṣkara, and the unsurpassed Arghatīrtha.
वाराणसी चतुर्थी च चत्वारः पापनाशनाः । ब्रह्महत्याभिभूतानि चत्वारि परिबभ्रमुः
Vārāṇasī is the fourth; these four destroy sin. Overcome by the sin of killing a Brahmin, the four wandered.
तीर्थान्येतानि दुःखेन तीर्थेषु च महामते । न गतं पातकं घोरं तेषां तु भ्रमतां सुत
These holy places, O wise one, with difficulty, while wandering among the holy places, the terrible sin did not depart from them, O son.
कुब्जायाः संगमे शुद्धा विमुक्ताः किल्बिषात्किल । तीर्थानामेव सर्वेषां पुण्यानामिह संमतः
At the confluence of Kubjā, they became pure, freed from sin indeed; among all the holy places, this one is considered the most meritorious.
राजा प्रयागः संजात इंद्रस्य पुरतः किल । तावद्गर्जंतु तीर्थानि यावद्रेवा न दृश्यते
King Prayāga was created before Indra, it is said; let the holy places roar until the Revā is seen.
ब्रह्महत्यादि पापानां विनाशाय प्रतिष्ठिता । कपिलासंगमे पुण्ये रेवायाः संगमे तथा
Established for the destruction of sins such as Brahmin-killing, at the auspicious confluence of Kapilā and also at the confluence of the Revā.
मेघनादसमायोगे तथा चैवोरुसंगमे । महापुण्या महाधन्या रेवा सर्वत्रदुर्लभा
At the confluence with Meghanada, and likewise at the great union, the Reva is supremely holy, greatly blessed, and rare to be found everywhere.
सा च ॐकारे भृगुक्षेत्रे नर्मदाकुब्जसंगमे । दुःप्राप्या मानवै रेवा माहिष्मत्यां सुरोत्तमैः
There, at Omkara, in the land of Bhrigu, at the meeting of Narmada and Kubja, the Reva is difficult for mortals to attain, even for the best of gods at Mahishmati.
विटंकासंगमे पुण्या श्रीकंठे मंगलेश्वरे । सर्वत्र दुर्लभा रेवा सुरपुण्यसमाकुला
At the confluence with Vitanka, at Shrikantha, at Mangaleshvara, the Reva is holy and everywhere rare, filled with the merit of the gods.
तीर्थमाता महादेवी अघराशिविनाशिनी । उभयोः कूलयोर्मध्ये यत्र तत्र सुखी नरः
The mother of sacred fords, the great goddess, destroyer of sin and evil, between both her banks, wherever one may be, a person is happy.