एतदेव वरं मन्ये त्वत्तः शृणु सुरेश्वर । प्रजानां दोषभावेन न लिप्यति पिता मम
'This alone I consider the boon from you, O lord of the gods: let my father not be tainted by the faults of the people.'
तथा कुरुष्व देवेश वरं दातुं यदीच्छसि । ददस्व उत्तमं कामं चतुर्मुखनमोऽस्तु ते
'So do this, O lord of the gods, if you wish to grant a boon; give this highest desire. O four-faced one, I bow to you.'
ब्रह्मोवाच- एवमस्तु महाभाग पिता ते पूततां गतः । विष्णुना शासितो वत्स पुत्रेणापि त्वया पृथो
Brahma said: 'So be it, O greatly fortunate one. Your father has become purified, ruled by Vishnu and by you, his son, O Prithu.'
एवं पृथुं समुद्दिश्य वरं दत्वा गतो विभुः । पृथुरेव समायातो राज्यकर्मणि संस्थितः
Having granted this boon to Prithu, the mighty one departed; and Prithu himself returned and engaged in the duties of kingship.
वैन्यस्य राज्ये विप्रेन्द्राः पापं कश्चिन्न चाचरेत् । यस्तु चिंतयते पापं त्रिविधेनापि कर्मणा
In the kingdom of Vena’s son, O best of Brahmins, no one committed sin; even one who merely contemplated sin in any of the three ways—
शिरश्छेदो भवेत्तस्य यथाचक्रैर्निकृंतितः । तदाप्रभृति वै पापं नैव कोपि समाचरेत्
—for him, there would be beheading, as if cut by a discus; from that time, indeed, no one committed sin.
इत्याज्ञा वर्तते तस्य वैन्यस्यापि महात्मनः । सर्वलोकाः समाचारैः परिवर्तंति नित्यशः
Such was the command of that great-souled son of Vena; all the worlds continually followed his conduct.
दानभोगैः प्रवर्तंते सर्वधर्मपरायणाः । सर्वसौख्यैः प्रवर्द्धंते प्रसादात्तस्य भूपतेः
Devoted to all duties, they flourished through charity and enjoyment; by the king’s favor, they prospered in all happiness.
इति श्रीपद्मपुराणे भूमिखंडे वेनोपाख्याने चतुर्विंशत्यधिक शततमोऽध्यायः
Thus ends the one hundred twenty-fourth chapter in the Bhūmikhaṇḍa, in the account of Vena, of the glorious Padma Purāṇa.
सूत उवाच- वेनस्याज्ञां सुसंप्राप्य पृथुः परमधार्मिकः । संबभ्रे सर्वसंभारान्नानापुण्यान्नृपात्मजः
Sūta said: Having fully received Vena’s command, Pṛthu, the most righteous, prepared all the necessary offerings, the prince born of the king.
निमंत्र्य ब्राह्मणान्सर्वान्नानादेशोद्भवानपि । अथ वेन इयाजासावश्वमेधेन भूपतिः
He invited all the Brāhmaṇas, even those from various regions; then, King Vena performed a horse sacrifice.
दानान्यदाद्ब्राह्मणेभ्यो नानारूपाण्यनेकशः । जगाम वैष्णवं लोकं सकायो जगतीपतिः
He gave various gifts to the Brāhmaṇas, in many forms and quantities; the lord of the earth, with his family, went to the Vaishnava world.
विष्णुना सह धर्मात्मा नित्यमेव प्रवर्तते । एतद्वः सर्वमाख्यातं चरित्रं तस्य भूपतेः
Together with Viṣṇu, the righteous one always acts; all this has been told to you, the story of that king.
सर्वपापप्रशमनं सर्वदुःखविनाशनम् । पृथुरेव स धर्मात्मा राजा पृथ्वीं प्रशासति
It removes all sins and destroys all suffering; Pṛthu himself, the righteous king, rules the earth.
त्रैलोक्येन समं पृथ्वीं दुदोह नृपसत्तमः । प्रजास्तु रंजितास्तेन पुण्यधर्मानुकर्मभिः
The foremost king milked the earth equally with the three worlds; the people were delighted by him, through virtuous and righteous deeds.
एतत्ते सर्वमाख्यातं भूमिखण्डमनुत्तमम् । प्रथमं सृष्टिखंडं तु द्वितीयं भूमिखंडकम्
All this has been told to you, the excellent Bhūmikhaṇḍa; the first is the Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa, and the second is the Bhūmikhaṇḍa.
भूमिखंडस्यमाहात्म्यं कथयिष्याम्यहं पुनः । अस्य खंडस्य वै श्लोकं यः शृणोति नरोत्तमः
I will again narrate the greatness of the Bhūmikhaṇḍa; whoever, the best of men, hears a verse of this section,
दिनस्यैकस्य वै पापं तस्य चैव प्रणश्यति । यो नरो भावसंयुक्तोऽध्यायं संशृणुते सुधीः
The sin of a single day is destroyed for him; the wise man who listens to this chapter with devotion,
तस्य पुण्यं प्रवक्ष्यामि श्रूयतां द्विजसत्तमाः । दत्तस्य गोसहस्रस्य ब्राह्मणेभ्यः सुपर्वणि
I will declare his merit—listen, O best of twice-born! The fruit of giving a thousand cows to Brāhmaṇas on an auspicious day,
यत्फलं तत्प्रजायेत विष्णुस्तस्य प्रसीदति । अस्य पद्मपुराणस्य पठमानस्य नित्यशः
That fruit is obtained, and Viṣṇu is pleased with him; whoever reads this Padma Purāṇa regularly,
कलौयुगे तु विघ्नाश्च न जायंते नरस्य वै । व्यास उवाच- कस्मात्कलौ न जायंते शृण्वानस्य च पद्मज
In the Kali age, obstacles do not arise for a man; Vyāsa said: Why, in Kali, do they not arise for one who listens, O Padmaja?
नरस्य पुण्ययुक्तस्य नाना विघ्नाः सुदारुणाः । ब्रह्मोवाच- मखस्याप्यश्वमेधस्य यत्फलं परिकथ्यते
For the man endowed with merit, various severe obstacles do not occur; Brahmā said: The fruit of the horse sacrifice is described,
तत्फलं दृश्यते तात पुराणे पद्मसंज्ञके । अश्वमेधमखः पुण्यः कलौ नैव प्रवर्तते
That fruit, dear one, is seen in the Purāṇa called Padma; the horse sacrifice, though meritorious, is not performed in Kali.
पुराणं चापि यत्तद्वदश्वमेधसमं किल । अश्वमेधस्य यत्पुण्यं स्वर्गमोक्षफलप्रदम्
And the Purāṇa itself is said to be equal to the horse sacrifice; the merit of the horse sacrifice, which grants heaven and liberation,
न भुंजंति नराः पापाः पापमार्गेषु संस्थिताः । पुराणस्यास्य पुण्यस्य पद्मसंज्ञस्य सत्तम
Sinful men, established on the path of sin, do not enjoy it; O best one, the merit of this Purāṇa named Padma,
अश्वमेधसमं पुण्यं न भुंजंति कलौ नराः । कलौ युगे नरैः पापैर्गंतव्यं नरकार्णवम्
The merit equal to the horse sacrifice is not enjoyed by men in Kali; in the Kali age, sinful men must go to the ocean of hell.
कस्माच्छ्रोष्यंति तत्पुण्यं चतुर्वर्गप्रसाधनम् । येन श्रुतमिदं पुण्यं पुराणं पद्मसंज्ञकम्
Why would they listen to that merit-bestowing text, which brings about the four aims of life, by which this sacred Purāṇa called Padma is heard?
सर्वं हि साधितं तेन चतुर्वर्गस्य साधनम् । अश्वमेधादयो यज्ञास्तस्मान्नष्टा महामते
Indeed, through it, all means for attaining the four aims of life are accomplished; therefore, O wise one, great sacrifices like the Aśvamedha and others are no longer performed.
कलौ युगे गताः स्वर्गे सवेदाः सांगसस्वराः । यः कोपि सत्वसंपन्नः श्रद्धावान्भगवत्परः
In the Kali age, the Vedas with their limbs and intonations have gone to heaven; yet, if any virtuous person, full of faith and devoted to the Lord, exists—
श्रोतुमिच्छति धर्मात्मा सपुत्रो भार्यया सह । श्रवणार्थं महाश्रद्धा पूर्वं तस्य प्रजायते
A righteous soul, desiring to hear, together with his wife and son, is first born with great faith for the sake of listening.