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.
शश्वत्क्रोधनिदानेषु यः क्रोधेन न जीयते । जितस्वर्गः स मंतव्यः पुरुषोऽक्रोधनो भुवि
He who is not overcome by anger, even in situations that provoke wrath, is to be considered one who has conquered heaven, a man free from anger upon the earth.
मातरं पितरं पुत्र आराधयति देववत् । अप्राप्ते वार्द्धके काले न याति च यमालयम्
He who worships his mother, father, and son as if they were gods, and does so before they reach old age, does not go to the abode of Yama.
पितुश्चाधिकभावेन येऽर्चयंति गुरुं नराः । भवंत्यतिथयो लोके ब्रह्मणस्ते विशांवर
Those men who honor their teacher even more than their father, O Viśāṃvara, become guests in the world of Brahmā.
इह चैव स्त्रियो धन्याः शीलस्य परिरक्षणात् । शीलभंगे च नारीणां यमलोकः सुदारुणः
Here, too, women are blessed because of their protection of virtue; but for women who break their virtue, the world of Yama is exceedingly dreadful.
शीलं रक्ष्यं सदा स्त्रीभिर्दुष्टसंगविवर्जनात् । शीलेन हि परः स्वर्गः स्त्रीणां वैश्य न संशयः
Women must always guard their virtue, avoiding evil company; for by virtue alone, O Vaiśya, women certainly attain the highest heaven—of this there is no doubt.
शूद्रस्य पाकयज्ञेन निषिद्धाचरणेन च । दुर्गतिर्विहिता वैश्य तस्य सा नारकी गतिः
For the Śūdra, by performing forbidden acts and unauthorized sacrifices, a miserable fate is ordained, O Vaiśya—that is the path to hell.
विचारयंति ये शास्त्रं वेदाभ्यासरताश्च ये । पुराणं संहितां ये च श्रावयंति पठंति च
Those who reflect upon scripture, who are devoted to the study of the Vedas, and those who recite and teach the Purāṇas and Saṃhitās,
व्याकुर्वंति स्मृतिर्ये च ये धर्मप्रतिबोधकाः । वेदांतेषु निषण्णा ये तैरियं जगती धृता
Those who explain the Smṛtis, who awaken understanding of dharma, and who are established in the Vedāntas—by them this world is upheld.
तत्तदभ्यासमाहात्म्यैः सर्वे ते हतकिल्बिषाः । गच्छंति ब्रह्मणो लोकं यत्र मोहो न विद्यते
All these, purified of sin by the greatness of such study and practice, go to the world of Brahmā, where delusion does not exist.
ज्ञानमज्ञाय यो दद्याद्वेदशास्त्रसमुद्भवम् । अपि वेदास्तमर्चंति भवबंधविदारणम्
He who gives knowledge born of the Vedas and scriptures, even without fully knowing it, is said to sever the bonds of worldly existence—even the Vedas praise him.
श्रूयतामद्भुतं ह्येतद्रहस्यं वैश्यसत्तम । सम्मतं धर्मराजस्य सर्वलोकामृतप्रदम्
Hear now, O best of Vaiśyas, this wondrous secret, approved by Dharma-rāja, which bestows the nectar of immortality upon all worlds.
न यमं यमलोकं च न भूतान्घोरदर्शनान् । पश्यंति वैष्णवा नूनं सत्यं सत्यं मयोदितम्
The Vaiṣṇavas truly do not see Yama, the world of Yama, nor the terrifying beings there—this is the truth, the truth I declare.
प्राहास्मान्यमुना भ्राता सदैव हि पुनःपुनः । भवद्भिर्वैष्णवास्त्याज्या न ते स्युर्ममगोचराः
Yama himself has always said again and again: 'You Vaiṣṇavas must be avoided; you are not within my domain.'
स्मरंति ये सकृद्भूताः प्रसंगेनापि केशवम् । ते विध्वस्ताखिलाघौघा यांति विष्णोः परं पदम्
Those beings who even once remember Keśava, even incidentally, are freed from all heaps of sin and attain the supreme abode of Viṣṇu.
दुराचारो दुष्कृतोऽपि सदाचाररतोऽपि यः । भवद्भिः स सदा त्याज्यो विष्णुं च भजते नरः
Whether a person is of bad conduct or has committed evil deeds, or is devoted to good conduct, if he worships Viṣṇu, he should always be avoided by you.
वैष्णवो यद्गृहे भुंक्ते येषां वैष्णवसंगतिः । तेऽपि वः परिवार्याः स्युस्तत्संगहतकिल्बिषाः
In whose house a Vaiṣṇava eats, or those who associate with Vaiṣṇavas—these too should be shunned by you, for they are tainted by that association.
इत्थं वैश्यानुशास्त्यस्मान्देवो दंडधरः सदा । अतो नो वैष्णवा यांति राजधानीं यमस्य तु
Thus the god who wields the staff always instructs the Vaiśyas; therefore, Vaiṣṇavas do not go to the city of Yama.
विष्णुभक्तिं विना नॄणां पापिष्ठानां विशां वर । उपायो नास्ति नास्त्यन्यः संतर्तुं नरकांबुधिम्
O best of men, for the most sinful among people, there is no other means—none at all—to cross the ocean of hell except devotion to Viṣṇu.
श्वपाकमपि नेक्षेत लोकेष्टं वैश्य वैष्णवम् । वैष्णवो वर्णबाह्योऽपि पुनाति भुवनत्रयम्
A Vaiśya should not even look upon a dog-eater who is hostile to Vaiṣṇavas; but a Vaiṣṇava, even if outside the social order, purifies the three worlds.
एतावता लमघनिर्हरणाय पुंसां संकीर्तनं भगवतो गुणकर्मनाम्नाम् । विक्रुश्य पुत्र मघवान्यदजामिलोऽपि नारायणेति म्रियमाण इयाय मुक्तिम्
By this alone—the loud chanting of the Lord's names, qualities, and deeds—are the sins of people destroyed; even Ajāmila, crying out 'Nārāyaṇa' at death, attained liberation.