रामराम महाभाग प्रीताः स्म तव भार्गव । अनया पितृभक्त्या च विक्रमेण च तेऽनघ
O Rāma, O most fortunate, O Bhārgava, we are pleased with you—by your devotion to ancestors and your valor, O sinless one.
वरं वृणीष्व भद्रं ते किमिच्छसि महामते । एवमुक्तः स राजेंद्र रामः प्रवदतां वरः
Choose a boon, may good fortune be yours; what do you desire, O wise one? Thus addressed, the best among speakers, Rāma, O king,
अब्रवीत्प्रांजलिर्वाक्यं पितॄन्स गगने स्थितान् । भवंतो यदि मे प्रीता यद्यनुग्राह्यता मयि
Spoke with joined palms to the ancestors standing in the sky: If you are pleased with me, if I am worthy of your favor,
पितृप्रसादादिच्छेयं तपसाप्यायनं पुनः । यच्च रोषाभिभूतेन क्षत्रमुत्सादितं मया
By the grace of the ancestors, I wish for renewal of my ascetic power; and that warrior class which I destroyed in anger,
ततश्च पापान्मुच्येयं युष्माकं तेजसा ह्यहम् । ह्रदाश्च तीर्थभूता मे भवेयुर्भुवि विश्रुताः
Then, by your radiance, may I be freed from sin; and may these lakes become holy places, renowned on earth.
एतच्छ्रुत्वा शुभं वाक्यं रामस्य पितरस्तदा । प्रत्यूचुः परमप्रीता रामं तोषसमन्विताः
Hearing these auspicious words of Rāma, the ancestors then replied, supremely pleased, to Rāma, filled with satisfaction.
तपस्ते वर्द्धतां भूयः पितृभक्त्या विशेषतः । यच्च रोषाभिभूतेन क्षत्रमुत्सादितं त्वया
May your ascetic power increase further, especially through your devotion to ancestors; and as for the warrior class destroyed by you in anger,
ततश्च पापान्मुक्तस्त्वं निहतास्ते स्वकर्म्मणा । ह्रदाश्च तव तीर्थत्वं गमिष्यंति न संशयः
Then you will be freed from sin; those slain have met their own fate. Your lakes will indeed attain the status of holy places—there is no doubt.
ह्रदेष्वेतेषु यः स्नात्वा पितॄन्संतर्पयिष्यति । पितरस्तस्य वै प्रीता दास्यंति भुवि दुर्ल्लभम्
Whoever bathes in these lakes and satisfies the ancestors, his ancestors, pleased, will grant him rare blessings on earth.
ईप्सितं मनसः कामं स्वर्गलोकं सशाश्वतम् । एवं दत्त्वा वरं राजन्रामस्य पितरस्तदा । आमंत्र्य भार्गवं प्रीतास्तत्रैवांतर्दधुस्ततः
Whatever desire he holds in his heart, and the eternal heavenly realm—thus granting the boon, O king, the ancestors, pleased, addressed Bhārgava and then vanished there.
एवं रामह्रदाः पुण्या भार्गवस्य महात्मनः । स्नात्वा ह्रदेषु रामस्य ब्रह्मचारी शुभव्रतः
Thus, the Rāma lakes are holy, belonging to the great-souled Bhārgava; bathing in Rāma's lakes, the celibate of pure vow,
राममभ्यर्च्य राजेंद्र लभेद्बहुसुवर्णकम् । वंशमूलं समासाद्य तीर्थसेवी कुरूद्वह
Worships Rāma, O king, and obtains much gold; having reached the root of his lineage, the devotee of the holy place, O best of the Kurus,
स्ववंशमुद्धरेद्राजन्स्नात्वा वै वंशमूलके । कायशोधनमासाद्य तीर्थं भरतसत्तम
Raises his own lineage, O king, by bathing at the root of the lineage; attaining purification of the body, O best of the Bharatas, at the holy place,
शरीरशुद्धिमाप्नोति स्नातस्तस्मिन्न संशयः । शुद्धदेहस्तु संयाति शुभाँल्लोकाननुत्तमान्
He attains bodily purity by bathing there, without doubt; and with a purified body, he goes to the most auspicious, highest worlds.
ततो गच्छेत राजेंद्र तीर्थं त्रैलोक्यदुर्लभम् । लोका यत्रोद्धृताः पूर्वं विष्णुना प्रभविष्णुना
Then, O king, he should go to the holy place, rare even in the three worlds, where the worlds were once uplifted by mighty Viṣṇu.
लोकोद्धारं समासाद्य तीर्थं त्रैलोक्यविश्रुतम् । स्नात्वा तीर्थवरे राजन्लोकानुद्धरते स्वकान्
Having attained the uplifting of the worlds, the holy place famed throughout the three worlds; bathing in that supreme holy place, O king, he uplifts his own ancestors.
श्रीतीर्थं च समासाद्य विंदते श्रियमुत्तमाम् । कपिलातीर्थमासाद्य ब्रह्मचारी समाहितः
By approaching the sacred place of Śrī, one attains supreme prosperity; by coming to the Kapilā tīrtha, a devoted celibate gains merit.
तत्र स्नात्वार्चयित्वा च देवानिह पितॄंस्तथा । कपिलानां सहस्रस्य फलं विंदति मानवः
There, after bathing and worshipping the gods as well as the ancestors, a person obtains the fruit of offering a thousand Kapilā cows.
सूर्यतीर्थं समासाद्य स्नात्वा नियतमानसः । अर्चयित्वा पितॄन्देवानुपवासपरायणः
By reaching the Sūrya tīrtha, bathing with a controlled mind, worshipping the ancestors and gods, and being devoted to fasting—
अग्निष्टोममवाप्नोति सूर्यलोकं च गच्छति । गवांभवनमासाद्य तीर्थसेवी यथाक्रमम्
—one attains the fruit of the Agniṣṭoma sacrifice and goes to the world of the Sun; by coming to the abode of cows, the tīrtha-seeker, in due order—
तत्राभिषेकं कुर्वाणो गोसहस्रफलं लभेत् । गंगातीर्थं समासाद्य तीर्थसेवी नराधिप
—by performing ablution there, gains the fruit of gifting a thousand cows; by reaching the Gaṅgā tīrtha, the tīrtha-seeking king—
केव्यास्तीर्थे नरः स्नात्वा लभते वीर्यमुत्तमम् (केव्या पाठभेदाः – कन्या, कोट्या, कोत्या, कोन्या)। ततो गच्छेत राजेंद्र द्वारपालं लवर्णकम्
—by bathing at the Kevyā tīrtha, obtains the highest vigor; then, O king, one should proceed to the gatekeeper Lavarṇaka.
तस्य तीर्थे सरस्वत्यां यथेंद्रस्य महात्मनः । तत्र स्नात्वा नरो राजन्नग्निष्टोमफलं लभेत्
At his tīrtha on the Sarasvatī, as for the great Indra, there by bathing, O king, a man obtains the fruit of the Agniṣṭoma sacrifice.
ततो गच्छेत धर्मज्ञ ब्रह्मावर्तं नराधिप । ब्रह्मावर्ते नरः स्नात्वा ब्रह्मलोकमवाप्नुयात्
Then, O knower of dharma, one should go to Brahmāvarta; by bathing there, a man attains the world of Brahmā.
ततो गच्छेत धर्मज्ञ सुतीर्थकमनुत्तमम् । यत्र सन्निहिता नित्यं पितरो दैवतैः सह
Then, O knower of dharma, one should proceed to the excellent Sutīrtha, where the ancestors are always present together with the gods.
तत्राभिषेकं कुर्वीत पितृदेवार्चने रतः । अश्वमेधमवाप्नोति पितृलोकं च गच्छति
There, performing ablution and being devoted to worship of ancestors and gods, one attains the fruit of the Aśvamedha sacrifice and goes to the world of the ancestors.
ततोऽन्यतीर्थं धर्मज्ञ समासाद्य यथाक्रमम् । काशीश्वरस्य तीर्थेषु स्नात्वा भरतसत्तम
Then, O knower of dharma, by approaching another tīrtha in due order, by bathing at the tīrthas of Kāśīśvara, O best of Bharatas—
सर्वव्याधिविनिर्मुक्तो ब्रह्मलोके महीयते । मातृतीर्थं च तत्रैव यत्र स्नातस्य पार्थिव
—one becomes free from all diseases and is honored in the world of Brahmā; and there itself is the Mātṛtīrtha, where, O king, by bathing—
प्रजा विवर्द्धते राजन्स्वर्गतिं समवाप्नुयात् । ततः शीतवनं गच्छेन्नियतो नियताशनः
—one's progeny increases, O king, and one attains the path to heaven; then, with self-restraint and regulated diet, one should go to Śītavana.
तीर्थं तत्र महाराज महदन्यत्र दुर्लभम् । पुनाति दर्शनादेव दंडेनैकं नराधिप
There is a great tīrtha, O great king, rare elsewhere; it purifies by mere sight, O lord of men, even with a staff.