ते नैव नरकं यांति न जायंते कुयोनिषु । दुःस्वप्ना दुष्टचिंताश्च वंध्या भवंति सर्वदा
They do not go to hell, nor are they born in evil wombs; but those who have bad dreams, evil thoughts, or are always barren—
प्रातःस्नानेन शुद्धानां पुरुषाणां विशांवर । तिलांश्च तिलपात्रांश्च तिलप्रस्थं यथाविधि
For those men who are purified by the morning bath, O best of men, sesame seeds, vessels of sesame, and a measure of sesame, as prescribed—
दत्त्वा प्रेतपतेर्भूमौ न व्रजंति नराः क्वचित् । पृथिवीं कांचनं गां च दत्वा दानानि षोडश
Having given these to the lord of the departed on the earth, men never go anywhere (to hell); by giving the earth, gold, and a cow, and the sixteen gifts—
गत्वा न विनिवर्तंते स्वर्गलोकाद्विकुंडल । पुण्यासु तिथिषु प्राज्ञो व्यतीपाते च संक्रमे
Having gone, they do not return from heaven, O one with beautiful earrings; on auspicious lunar days, at eclipses, and at solstices—
स्नात्वा दत्त्वा च यत्किंचिन्नैव मज्जति दुर्गतौ । नैवाक्रामंति दातारो दारुणं रौरवं पथम् । इहलोके न जायंते कुले धनविवर्जिते
By bathing and giving even a little, one does not sink into misfortune; givers do not tread the dreadful path of Raurava, nor are they born in families lacking wealth in this world.
सत्यवादी सदा मौनी प्रियवादी च यो नरः । अक्रोधनः समाचारो नातिवाद्यनसूयकः
A man who always speaks the truth, is always silent, speaks pleasantly, is free from anger, of good conduct, not excessively talkative, and not envious—
सदा दाक्षिण्यसंपन्नः सदा भूतदयान्वितः । गोप्ता च परमर्माणां वक्ता परगुणस्य च
Who is always endowed with generosity, always compassionate to beings, a protector of confidences, and a speaker of others' virtues—
परस्वं तृणमात्रं च मनसापि न यो हरेत् । न पश्यंति विशांश्रेष्ठ ह्येते नरकयातनाम्
Who does not take even a blade of grass belonging to another, not even in thought—such men, O best of men, do not see the torments of hell.
परापवादी पाखंडः पापेभ्योऽपि मतोऽधिकः । पच्यते नरके तावद्यावदाभूतसंप्लवम्
One who slanders others and is a heretic is considered worse even than sinners; he is tormented in hell until the dissolution of the world.
वक्ता परुषवाक्यानां मंतव्यो नरकागतः । संदेहो न विशांश्रेष्ठ पुनर्याति च दुर्गतिम्
He who utters harsh words is to be regarded as one who has gone to hell; there is no doubt, O best of men, that he again attains a miserable state.
न तीर्थैर्न तपोभिश्च कृतघ्नस्यास्ति निष्कृतिः । सहते यातनां घोरां स नरो नरके चिरम्
For the ungrateful, there is no atonement through holy places or austerities; such a man endures terrible torment in hell for a long time.
पृथिव्यां यानि तीर्थानि तेषु मज्जति यो नरः । जितेंद्रियो जिताहारो न स याति यमालयम्
A man who bathes in the holy places on earth, with his senses and diet controlled, does not go to the abode of Yama.
न तीर्थे पातकं कुर्यान्न च तीर्थोपजीवनम् । तीर्थे प्रतिग्रहस्त्याज्यस्त्याज्यो धर्मस्य विक्रयः
One should not commit sin at a holy place, nor make a livelihood from holy places; accepting gifts at a holy place must be abandoned, as must the sale of righteousness.
दुर्जरं पातकं तीर्थे दुर्जरश्च प्रतिग्रहः । तीर्थे च दुर्जरं सर्वमेतत्किन्नरकं व्रजेत्
Sin committed at a holy place is hard to overcome, and so is accepting gifts there; all such acts at a holy place are difficult to expiate and lead to hell.
सकृद्गंगांभसि स्नातः पूतो गांगेयवारिणा । न नरो नरकं याति अपि पातकराशिकृत्
A man who bathes even once in the waters of the Ganga is purified by the water of the daughter of Ganga; he does not go to hell, even if he has committed heaps of sins.
व्रतदानतपो यज्ञाः पवित्राणीतराणि च । गंगाबिंद्वभिषिक्तस्य न समा इति नः श्रुतम्
Vows, gifts, austerities, sacrifices, and other purifying acts are not equal, as we have heard, to one who is anointed with even a drop of Ganga water.
अन्यतीर्थसमां गंगां यो ब्रवीति नराधमः । स याति नरकं वैश्य दारुणं रौरवं महत्
The lowest of men who says that the Ganga is equal to any other holy place goes, O Vaisya, to the dreadful and great hell called Raurava.
धर्मद्रवं ह्यपां बीजं वैकुंठचरणच्युतम् । धृतं मूर्ध्नि महेशेन यद्गांगममलं जलम्
The essence of righteousness, the seed of waters, fallen from the feet of Vaikuntha, is the pure Ganga water held on the head by Mahesha.
तद्ब्रह्मैव न संदेहो निर्गुणं प्रकृतेः परम् । तेन किं समतां गच्छेदपि ब्रह्मांडगोचरे
That is indeed Brahman, without doubt—formless, beyond nature; how can anything within the universe be considered equal to it?
गंगागंगेति यो ब्रूयाद्योजनानां शतैरपि । नरो न नरकं याति किं तया सदृशं भवेत् । नान्येन दह्यते सद्यः क्रिया नरकदायिनी
Whoever, even from hundreds of yojanas away, recites 'Ganga, Ganga,' does not go to hell; what can compare with her? No other act instantly destroys the giver of hell.
गंगांभसि प्रयत्नेन स्नातव्यं तेन मानवैः । प्रतिगृह निवृत्तो यः प्रतिग्रहक्षमोऽपि सन् । स द्विजो द्योतते वैश्य तारारूपश्चिरं दिवि
Therefore, men should strive to bathe in the waters of the Ganga; even one who has renounced receiving gifts, though capable, shines as a twice-born, O Vaisya, and remains like a star in heaven for a long time.
गामुद्धरंति ये पंकाद्ये रक्षंति च रोगिणः । म्रियंते गोगृहे ये च तेषां नभसि तारकाः । यमलोकं न पश्यंति प्राणायामपरायणाः
Those who rescue cows from mud, protect the sick, or die in a cowshed—stars in the sky are theirs; devoted to breath control, they do not see the realm of Yama.
अपि दुष्कृतकर्माणस्तैरेव हतकिल्बिषाः । दिवसे दिवसे वैश्य प्राणायामास्तु षोडश । अपि ब्रह्महणं साक्षात्पुनंत्यहरहः कृताः
Even those with evil deeds are freed from their sins by these acts; O Vaisya, by practicing breath control sixteen times each day, even a brahmin-slayer is purified daily.
तपांसि यानि तप्यंते व्रतानि नियमाश्च ये । गोसहस्रप्रदानं च प्राणायामस्तु तत्समः
All the austerities, vows, and disciplines that are practiced, and the giving of a thousand cows—breath control is equal to all these.
अब्बिंदुं यः कुशाग्रेण मासेमासे नरः पिबेत् । संवत्सरशतं साग्रं प्राणायामस्तु तत्समः
Whoever drinks a drop of water with kusa grass each month for a year and more—breath control is equal to that for a hundred years.
पातकं तु महद्यच्च तथा क्षुद्रोपपातकम् । प्राणायामैः क्षणात्सर्वं भस्मसात्कुरुते नरः
Whatever great or minor sin there may be, a man destroys it all in an instant through breath control.
मातृवत्परदारान्ये मन्यंते वै नरोत्तमाः । न ते यांति नरश्रेष्ठ कदाचिद्यम यातनाम्
The best of men regard the wives of others as they would their own mother; such men, O foremost of men, never go to the torments of Yama.
मनसापि परेषां यः कलत्राणि न सेवते । सह लोकद्वये नास्ति तेन वैश्य धरा धृता
He who does not even mentally desire the wives of others, O Vaiśya, upholds the earth in both worlds.
तस्माद्धर्म्मान्वितैस्त्याज्यं परदारोपसेवनम् । नयंति परदारास्तु नरकानेकविंशतिम्
Therefore, one endowed with righteousness should always avoid approaching the wives of others; for consorting with others' wives leads to twenty-one hells.
लोभो न जायते येषां परदारेषु मानसे । ते यांति देवलोकं तु न यमं वैश्यसत्तम
Those in whose minds greed does not arise for the wives of others, O best of Vaiśyas, they attain the world of the gods, not the realm of Yama.