त्वत्प्रसादान्महादेव तपो मे न क्षरेत वै । ततो देवः प्रहृष्टात्मा ब्रह्मर्षिमिदमब्रवीत्
By your grace, O Mahadeva, may my asceticism never be lost; then the god, with a delighted heart, spoke to the Brahmarshi.
तपस्ते वर्द्धतां विप्र मत्प्रसादात्सहस्रधा । आश्रमे चेह वत्स्यामि त्वया सार्द्धं महामुने
May your asceticism increase a thousandfold, O Brahman, by my grace; I will stay here in your hermitage together with you, O great sage.
सप्तसारस्वते स्नात्वा अर्चयिष्यंति ये तु माम् । न तेषां दुर्लभं किंचिदिह लोके परत्र वा
Those who bathe in the seven Sarasvatis and worship me, nothing is unattainable for them in this world or the next.
गच्छेत्सारस्वतं चापि लोकं नास्त्यत्र संशयः । एवमुक्त्वा महादेवस्तत्रैवांतरधीयत
They will go to the Sarasvata world, there is no doubt about this; having spoken thus, Mahadeva vanished right there.
ततस्त्वौशनसं गच्छेत्त्रिषु लोकेषु विश्रुतम् । यत्र ब्रह्मादयो देवा ऋषयश्च तपोधनाः
Then one should go to the renowned Aushanasa, in the three worlds, where Brahma and other gods, and sages rich in asceticism, reside.
कार्तिकेयश्च भगवांस्त्रिसंध्यां किल भारत । सान्निध्यमकरोत्तत्र भार्गवप्रियकाम्यया
And Kartikeya, the blessed one, at the three junctions of the day, O Bharata, made his presence there, desiring the favor of Bhargava.
कपालमोचनं तीर्थं सर्वपापप्रणाशनम् । तत्र स्नात्वा नरव्याघ्र सर्वपापैः प्रमुच्यते
The holy place Kapālamocana destroys all sins; there, O tiger among men, one who bathes is freed from all sins.
अग्नितीर्थं ततो गच्छेत्स्नात्वा च भरतर्षभ । अग्निलोकमवाप्नोति कुलं चैव समुद्धरेत्
From there, one should go to Agnitīrtha and bathe, O best of the Bharatas; one attains the world of Agni and also uplifts one's lineage.
विश्वामित्रस्य तत्रैव तीर्थं भरतसत्तम । तत्र स्नात्वा महाराज ब्राह्मण्यमभिजायते
There too is the holy place of Viśvāmitra, O best of the Bharatas; bathing there, O great king, one is born into the state of a Brāhmaṇa.
ब्रह्मयोनिं समासाद्य शुचिः प्रयतमानसः । तत्र स्नात्वा नरव्याघ्र ब्रह्मलोकं प्रपद्यते
Having reached Brahmayoni, with a pure and concentrated mind, O tiger among men, one who bathes there attains the world of Brahmā.
पुनात्या सप्तमं चैव कुलं नास्त्यत्र संशयः । ततो गच्छेत राजेंद्र तीर्थं त्रैलोक्यविश्रुतम्
He purifies even the seventh generation of his family—of this there is no doubt; then, O king, one should go to the holy place renowned throughout the three worlds.
पृथूदकमिति ख्यातं कार्तिकेयस्य व्नृप । तत्राभिषेकं कुर्वीत पितृदेवार्चने रतः
It is known as Pṛthūdaka, O king, belonging to Kārtikeya; there, one should perform ablutions, devoted to the worship of ancestors and gods.
अज्ञानाज्ज्ञानतो वापि स्त्रिया वा पुरुषेण वा । यत्किंचिदशुभं कर्म कृतं मानुषबुद्धिना
Whatever inauspicious act has been committed, knowingly or unknowingly, by a woman or a man, with human understanding—
तत्सर्वं नश्यते तत्र स्नातमात्रस्य भारत । अश्वमेधफलं चापि लभते स्वर्गमेव च
All that is destroyed there merely by bathing, O descendant of Bharata; and one obtains the fruit of an Aśvamedha sacrifice and also heaven.
पुण्यमाहुः कुरुक्षेत्रं कुरुक्षेत्रात्सरस्वतीम् । सरस्वत्याश्च तीर्थानि तीर्थेभ्यश्च पृथूदकम्
They call Kurukṣetra holy, and from Kurukṣetra, Sarasvatī; among the holy places on Sarasvatī, Pṛthūdaka is foremost.
उत्तमे सर्वतीर्थानां यस्त्यजेदात्मनस्तनुम् । पृथूदके जप्यपरो नैव संसरणं लभेत्
Of all holy places, whoever gives up his body at the excellent Pṛthūdaka, devoted to recitation, does not obtain rebirth.
गीतं सनत्कुमारेण व्यासेन च महात्मना । वेदे च नियतं राजन्नभिगच्छेत्पृथूदकम्
This has been sung by Sanatkumāra and by the great Vyāsa, and is established in the Veda, O king: one should approach Pṛthūdaka.
पृथूदकात्पुण्यतमं नान्यत्तीर्थं नरोत्तम । एतन्मेध्यं पवित्रं च पावनं च न संशयः
There is no other holy place more sacred than Pṛthūdaka, O best of men; this is pure, sanctifying, and holy—of this there is no doubt.
तत्र स्नात्वा दिवं यांति अपि पापकृतो जनाः । पृथूदके नरश्रेष्ठमाहुरेवं मनीषिणः
Even those who have committed sins, by bathing there, ascend to heaven; thus do the wise declare regarding Pṛthūdaka, O best of men.
मधुस्रवं च तत्रैव तीर्थं भरतसत्तम । तत्र स्नात्वा नरो राजन्गोसहस्रफलं लभेत्
There too is the holy place called Madhusrava, O best of the Bharatas; by bathing there, a man, O king, obtains the fruit of giving a thousand cows.
ततो गच्छेन्नरश्रेष्ठ तीर्थं देव्या यथाक्रमम् । सरस्वत्यारुणायाश्च संगमं लोकविश्रुतम्
From there, O best of men, one should go in order to the holy place of the goddess, to the famous confluence of Sarasvatī and Aruṇā.
त्रिरात्रोपोषितः स्नात्वा मुच्यते ब्रह्महत्यया । अग्निष्टोमातिरात्राभ्यां फलं चैव समश्नुते
Fasting for three nights and bathing there, one is freed from the sin of killing a Brāhmaṇa, and attains the fruit of both Agniṣṭoma and Atirātra sacrifices.
पुनात्यासप्तमं चैव कुलं नास्त्यत्र संशयः । अवकीर्णं च तत्रैव तीर्थं कुरुकुलोद्वह
He purifies even the seventh generation of his family—of this there is no doubt; there too is the holy place Avakīrṇa, O best of the Kuru lineage.
विप्राणामनुकंपार्थं दर्भिणा निर्मितं पुरा । व्रतोपनयनाभ्यां चाप्युपवासेन वा द्विजः
Long ago, for the sake of compassion toward Brāhmaṇas, it was made with darbha grass; and by vow, initiation, or even by fasting, a twice-born may [attain merit].
क्रियामंत्रैश्च संयुक्तो ब्राह्मणः स्यान्न संशयः । क्रियामंत्रविहीनोऽपि तत्र स्नात्वा नरर्षभ
There is no doubt that a Brāhmaṇa, accompanied by ritual mantras, is complete; yet even without the ritual mantras, O best of men, one who bathes there—
चीर्णव्रतो भवेद्विप्रो दृष्टमेतत्पुरातनम् । समुद्राश्चापि चत्वारः समानीताश्च दर्भिणा
—if he is a Brāhmaṇa who has observed vows, as seen from ancient times, and if the four oceans have been brought together with darbha grass—
तत्र स्नात्वा नरव्याघ्र न दुर्गतिमवाप्नुयात् । फलानि गोसहस्राणां चतुर्णां विंदते च सः
—then, O tiger among men, by bathing there, he does not attain a bad fate; he obtains the fruits of giving a thousand cows, multiplied by four.
ततो गच्छेत राजेन्द्र तीर्थं शतसहस्रकम् । साहस्रकं च तत्रैव द्वे तीर्थे लोकविश्रुते
Then, O king, he should go to the holy place called Śatasahasraka; and there, in that very place, are two renowned tīrthas called Sāhasraka.
उभयोर्हि नरः स्नात्वा गोसहस्रफलं लभेत् । दानं वाप्युपवासो वा सहस्रगुणितो भवेत्
By bathing in both, a man obtains the merit of giving a thousand cows; and any gift or fast performed there becomes a thousand times more fruitful.
ततो गच्छेत राजेंद्र रेणुकातीर्थमुत्तमम् । तत्राभिषेकं कुर्वीत पितृदेवार्चने रतः
Then, O king, he should go to the excellent Reṇukā tīrtha; there, he should perform ablutions, devoted to worshipping the ancestors and the gods.