तत्र पूर्वकर्मबलात्पिशाचः सह वै द्विजः । समीक्ष्य लोमशं राजन्साष्टांगं प्रणिपत्य च
Then, by the power of previous karma, the piśāca along with the brāhmaṇa, O king, seeing Lomaśa, prostrated himself with eight limbs.
उवाच सूनृतां वाचं बद्ध्वा शिरसि चांजलिम् । महाभाग्योदये विप्र साधूनां संगतिर्भवेत्
He spoke gentle words, joining his hands on his head: 'O brāhmaṇa, when great fortune arises, the company of the virtuous occurs.'
गंगादिपुण्यतीर्थेषु यो नरः स्नाति सर्वथा । यः करोति सतां संगं तयोः सत्संगमो वरः
Among those who bathe at the sacred fords of the Ganges and other holy rivers, and those who associate with the virtuous, the company of the good is superior.
गुरूणां संगमो विप्र दृष्टादृष्टफलो भुवि । स्वर्गदो रोगहारी च किं तमोपहरो मतः
O Brahmin, the association with teachers yields visible and invisible results on earth; it grants heaven, removes disease, and is considered to dispel darkness.
इत्युक्त्वा कथयामास पूर्ववृत्तांतमद्भुतम् । इमा गंधर्वकन्यास्ता मुने सोऽहं द्विजात्मजः
Having spoken thus, he began to recount a wondrous tale from the past: 'O sage, I am the son of a twice-born, and these are Gandharva maidens.'
सर्वे पिशाचरूपेण मिथः शापविमोहिताः । दीनाननास्सुतिष्ठामस्तवाग्रे मुनिसत्तम
All of us, bewildered by a curse, have taken the form of spirits; with sorrowful faces, we stand before you, O best of sages.
त्वद्दर्शनेन बालानां निस्तारो नो भविष्यति । सूर्योदये तमस्तोमः किं नु लीयेत पुष्करे
By your sight, deliverance will come for us, O noble one; just as a mass of darkness vanishes at sunrise, so shall our affliction dissolve.
श्रुत्वैतल्लोमशो वाक्यं कृपार्द्रीकृतमानसः । प्रत्युवाच महातेजा दुःखितं तं मुनेः सुतम्
Hearing these words, Lomaśa, his heart softened with compassion, replied to the grieving son of the sage, radiant in his ascetic power.
मत्प्रसादाच्च सर्वेषां स्मृतिः सपदि जायताम् । धर्मे च वर्ततां येन मिथः शापो लयं व्रजेत्
By my grace, may memory arise instantly for all of you; by abiding in righteousness, may the curse among you come to an end.
पिशाच उवाच- महर्षे कथ्यतां धर्मो मुच्येम येन किल्बिषात् । नायं कालो विलंबस्य शापाग्निर्दारुणो यतः
The spirit said: 'Great sage, tell us the righteous act by which we may be freed from sin; this is no time for delay, for the fire of the curse is terrible.'
लोमश उवाच- मया सार्द्धं प्रकुर्वंतु रेवास्नानं विधानतः । शापान्मोक्ष्यति वो रेवा नान्यथा निष्कृतिर्भवेत्
Lomaśa said: 'Let them perform, together with me, the prescribed bath in the Revā; the Revā will release you from the curse—there is no other expiation.'
शृणुष्वावहितो विप्र पापनाशो ध्रुवं नृणाम् । रेवास्नानेन जायेत इति मे निश्चिता मतिः
Hear attentively, O Brahmin: the destruction of sin for people is certain; it arises from bathing in the Revā—this is my firm conviction.
सप्तजन्मकृतं पापं वर्तमानं च पातकम् । रेवास्नानं दहेत्सर्वं तूलराशिमिवानलः
The sin accumulated over seven births, and present wrongdoing as well, bathing in the Revā burns it all away, as fire consumes a heap of cotton.
प्रायाश्चित्तं न पश्यंति यस्मिन्पापे पिशाचक । तत्सर्वं नर्मदातोये स्नानमात्रेण नश्यति
O spirit, for those sins for which no expiation is seen, all of them are destroyed merely by bathing in the waters of the Narmadā.
ज्ञानकृन्नर्म्मदास्नानमतो मोक्षफला हि सा । हिमवत्पुण्यतीर्थानि सर्वपापहराणि वै
Therefore, bathing in the Narmadā, performed with knowledge, yields the fruit of liberation; the holy fords of Himavat are indeed removers of all sins.
इंद्रलोकप्रदं हीदं निर्मितं ब्रह्मवादिभिः । सर्वकामफला रेवा मोक्षदा परिकीर्तिता
This place, granting the world of Indra, was established by the knowers of Brahman; the Revā is renowned as bestower of all desires and giver of liberation.
पापघ्नी पापहारिणी सर्वकामफलप्रदा । विष्णुलोकदआप्लावो नार्मदः पापनाशनः
The Narmadā destroys sin, removes evil, grants all desired fruits; bathing in her gives the world of Viṣṇu, for she is the destroyer of sin.
यामुनः सूर्यलोकाय भवेदाप्लाव उत्तमः । सारस्वतोघविध्वंसी ब्रह्मलोकफलप्रदः
Bathing in the Yamunā leads to the world of the Sun; it destroys the floods of Sarasvatī and grants the fruit of the world of Brahmā.
विशालफलदा प्रोक्ता विशाला हि पिशाचक । पापेंधनदवाग्निस्तु गर्भहेतुक्रियापहः
The Viśālā is said to grant great rewards, O spirit, for she is vast indeed; she is like a forest fire consuming the fuel of sin, removing the effects of actions leading to rebirth.
विष्णुलोकाय मोक्षाय नार्मदः परिकीर्तितः । सरयूगंडकीसिंधुश्चंद्रभागा च कौशिकी
The Narmadā is renowned as granting the world of Viṣṇu and liberation; and so too are the Sarayū, Gaṇḍakī, Sindhu, Candrabhāgā, and Kauśikī.
तापी गोदावरी भीमा पयोष्णी कृष्णवेणिका । कावेरी तुंगभद्रा च अन्याश्चापि समुद्रगाः
The Tāpi, Godāvarī, Bhīmā, Payoṣṇī, Kṛṣṇaveṇikā, Kāverī, Tuṅgabhadrā, and other rivers that flow to the ocean—
तासु रेवा परा प्रोक्ता विष्णुलोकप्रदायिनी । रेवा तु प्राप्यते पुण्यैः पूर्वजन्मकृतैर्द्विज । अपुनर्भवदं तत्र मज्जनं मुनिपुत्रक
Among them, the Revā is declared supreme, bestowing the realm of Viṣṇu. The Revā is attained by the merit of deeds from previous births, O twice-born; bathing there brings freedom from rebirth, O son of the sage.
गायंति देवाः सततं दिविष्ठा रेवा कदा दृष्टिगता हि नो भवेत् । स्नाता नरा यत्र न गर्भवेदनां पश्यंति तिष्ठंति च विष्णुसन्निधौ
The gods dwelling in heaven always sing: 'When will the Revā come within our sight? For those who bathe there, no longer do they experience the pain of the womb, and they remain in the presence of Viṣṇu.'
मज्जंति ये प्रत्यहमत्र मानवा रेवासुतो ये बहुपापकंचुकाः । मज्जंति ते नो निरयेषु धर्म्मतः स्वर्गे तु ते चारुचरंति देववत्
Those people who bathe here daily in the Revā, even if covered by many sins, do not fall into hell according to righteousness; rather, they move about in heaven, beautiful like the gods.
तीव्रैर्व्रतैर्दानतपोभिरध्वरैः सार्धं विधात्रा तुलया धृता पुरा । रेवापिशाचाशु तयोर्द्वयोरभूद्रेवा वरा तत्र च मोक्षसाधिका
By intense vows, gifts, austerities, and sacrifices, the Creator once weighed these together on a scale; the Revā surpassed them both, and there, she became the foremost means to liberation.
नारद उवाच- एतच्छ्रुत्वा वचस्तस्य लोमशस्य पिशाचकाः । तेन सार्द्धं ययुः शीघ्रं रेवामज्जनहेतवे
Nārada said: Hearing these words of Lomaśa, the piśācas quickly went with him for the purpose of bathing in the Revā.
ततो दैवात्समुत्पन्नो रेवारोधसि मारुतः । तेषां प्रवाहस्पृष्टानां गात्रे जलकणप्रदः
Then, by divine will, a wind arose on the banks of the Revā, sprinkling drops of water on their bodies as it touched their flow.
रेवाजलकणस्पर्शात्पैशाच्यात्ते विमोचिताः । तत्क्षणाद्दिव्यवपुषः प्रशशंसुश्च नर्मदाम्
By the touch of the Revā’s water-drops, those piśācas were freed; at that very moment, they gained divine forms and praised the Narmadā.
ततो लोमशवाक्येन ताश्च गंधर्वकन्यकाः । परिणीताः सुखं तेन विप्रेण नर्मदातटे
Then, by the words of Lomaśa, those gandharva maidens were happily married by that brāhmaṇa on the banks of the Narmadā.
उवास सुचिरं कालं स्नानपानावगाहनैः । अर्चित्वा नर्मदामत्र विष्णुलोकं गताश्च ते
They dwelled there for a long time, bathing, drinking, and immersing themselves; after worshipping the Narmadā, they attained the world of Viṣṇu.