यत्र पादोदकं वैश्य श्रद्धया शिरसा धृतम् । गंधपुष्पाक्षतैर्धूपैर्दीपैर्भावपुरःसरम्
Where the Vaiśya, with faith, placed the foot-water upon his head, offering fragrant flowers, rice grains, incense, lamps, and devotion.
संपूज्य सुंदरान्नेन भोजिता यतयस्तथा । तृप्ताः परमहंसास्ते विश्रांता मंदिरे निशि
Having honored them with beautiful food, the ascetics were fed; the supreme swans were satisfied and rested in the temple at night.
ध्यायंतश्च परं ब्रह्म यज्ज्योतिर्ज्योतिषां मतम् । तेषामातिथ्यजं पुण्यं जातं यत्ते विशांवर
Meditating on the supreme Brahman, the light of lights, as taught by the wise, the merit arising from their hospitality was obtained by you, O best of men.
न तद्वक्त्रसहस्रेण वक्तुं शक्नोम्यहं खलु । भूतानां प्राणिनः श्रेष्ठाः प्राणिनां मतिजीविनः
I am truly unable to speak of it, even with a thousand mouths; among beings, the best are those who live by wisdom.
मतिमत्सु सुराः श्रेष्ठा नरेषु ब्रह्मजातयः । ब्राह्मणेषु च विद्वांसो विद्वत्सु कृतबुद्धयः
Among the wise, the gods are foremost; among men, those born of Brahma; among Brahmins, the learned; among the learned, those of established understanding.
कृतबुद्धिषु कर्तारः कर्तृषु ब्रह्मवेदिनः । अतएव सुपूज्यास्ते तस्माच्छ्रेष्ठा जगत्त्रये
Among those of established understanding, the doers; among the doers, the knowers of Brahman; therefore, they are highly worthy of worship and thus the best in the three worlds.
तत्संगतिर्विशांश्रेष्ठ महापातकनाशिनी । विश्रांता गृहिणो गेहे संतुष्टा ब्रह्मवेदिनः
That association, O best of men, destroys great sins; householders are at rest in their homes, and the knowers of Brahman are content.
आजन्मसंचितं पापं नाशयंतीक्षणेन वै । संचितं यद्गृहस्थस्य पापमामरणांतिकम्
The sins accumulated since birth are destroyed in an instant; whatever sin a householder has gathered up to the time of death.
विनिर्दहति तत्सर्वमेकरात्रोषितो यतिः । स्वभ्रात्रे देहि तत्पुण्यं नरकाद्येन मुच्यते
All of that is burned away by the ascetic who stays even one night; give that merit to your brother, by which he is freed from hell.
इति दूतवचः श्रुत्वा ददौ पुण्यं स सत्वरम् । हृष्टेन चेतसा भ्राता निरयात्सोऽपि निर्गतः
Hearing these words of the messenger, he quickly gave the merit; with a joyful heart, his brother was released from hell.
देवैस्तु पुष्पवर्षेण पूजितौ च दिवंगतौ । ताभ्यां संपूजितः सम्यग्गतो दूतो यथागतः
Honored by the gods with a shower of flowers, and worshipped as they ascended to heaven, the messenger was properly honored and returned as he had come.
अखिलभुवनबोधं देवदूतस्यवाक्यं निगमवचनतुल्यं वैश्यपुत्रो निशम्य । स्वकृतसुकृतदानाद्भ्रातरं तारयित्वा सुरपतिवरलोकं तेन सार्द्धं जगाम
Hearing the words of the divine messenger, which were equal to the teachings of scripture and revealed the knowledge of all worlds, the Vaiśya's son, having rescued his brother through the gift of his own merit, went together with him to the excellent realm of the lord of the gods.
इतिहासमिमं राजन्यः पठेच्छृणुयादपि । स गोसहस्रदानस्य विशोको लभते फलम्
If a kshatriya reads or even listens to this history, he obtains the sorrowless fruit equal to the gift of a thousand cows.
नारदउवाच- ततो गच्छेत राजेंद्र सुगंधंलोकविश्रुतम् । सर्वपापविशुद्धात्मा ब्रह्मलोके महीयते
Nārada said: Thereafter, O king, one should go to the renowned and fragrant place; with a mind purified from all sins, he is honored in the world of Brahma.
रुद्रावर्तं ततो गच्छेत्तीर्थसेवी नराधिप । तत्र स्नात्वा नरो राजन्स्वर्गलोके महीयते
Then, O lord of men, the pilgrim should proceed to Rudrāvarta; there, O king, by bathing, a man is honored in the heavenly world.
गंगायाश्च नरश्रेष्ठ सरस्वत्याश्च संगमे । स्नातोऽश्वमेधमाप्नोति स्वर्गलोकं च गच्छति
O best of men, by bathing at the confluence of the Gaṅgā and Sarasvatī, one attains the fruit of an Aśvamedha sacrifice and goes to the heavenly world.
तत्र कर्णह्रदे स्नात्वा देवमभ्यर्च्य शंकरम् । न दुर्गतिमवाप्नोति स्वर्गलोकं च गच्छति
There, by bathing in Karṇahrada and worshipping the god Śaṅkara, one does not attain a bad fate and goes to the heavenly world.
ततः कुब्जाम्रकं गच्छेत्तीर्थसेवी यथाक्रमम् । गोसहस्रमवाप्नोति स्वर्गलोकं च गच्छति
Then, proceeding in order, the pilgrim should go to Kubjāmra; he obtains the fruit of a thousand cows and goes to the heavenly world.
अरुंधतीवटं गच्छेत्तीर्थसेवी नराधिप । सामुद्रकमुपस्पृश्य त्रिरात्रोपोषितो नरः
O lord of men, the pilgrim should go to the Arundhatī tree; after touching the Sāmudraka water and fasting for three nights, a man—
गोसहस्रफलं विंद्यात्स्वर्गलोकं च गच्छति । ब्रह्मावर्त्तं ततो गच्छेद्ब्रह्मचारी समाहितः
—obtains the fruit of a thousand cows and goes to the heavenly world; then, a devoted celibate should go to Brahmāvarta.
अश्वमेधमवाप्नोति स्वर्गलोकं च गच्छति । यमुनाप्रभवं गच्छेत्समुपस्पृश्य यामुनम्
He attains the fruit of an Aśvamedha sacrifice and goes to the heavenly world; he should go to the source of the Yamunā and touch the water of the Yamunā.
अश्वमेधफलं लब्ध्वा ब्रह्मलोके महीयते । दर्वीसंक्रमणं प्राप्य तीर्थं त्रैलोक्यविश्रुतम्
Having obtained the fruit of an Aśvamedha sacrifice, he is honored in the world of Brahma; reaching Darvīsaṃkramaṇa, the pilgrimage renowned in the three worlds—
अश्वमेधमवाप्नोति स्वर्गलोकं च गच्छति । सिंधोश्च प्रभवं गत्वा सिद्धगंधर्वसेवितम्
—he attains the fruit of an Aśvamedha sacrifice and goes to the heavenly world; going to the source of the Sindhu, served by siddhas and gandharvas—
तत्रोष्य रजनीः पंच दद्याद्बहुसुवर्णकम् । अथ देवीं समासाद्य नरः परमदुर्गमाम्
—if he stays there for five nights and gives abundant gold, then, having approached the exceedingly difficult goddess—
अश्वमेधमवाप्नोति गच्छेच्चौशनसीं गतिम् । ऋषिकुल्यां समासाद्य वसिष्ठं चैव भारत
—he attains the fruit of an Aśvamedha sacrifice and goes to the path of Uśanas; reaching Ṛṣikulyā and Vasiṣṭha, O descendant of Bharata—
वसिष्ठं समतिक्रम्य सर्वे वर्णा द्विजातयः । ऋषिकुल्यां नरः स्नात्वा ऋषिलोकं प्रपद्यते
—having passed Vasiṣṭha, all twice-born of all varṇas, by bathing at Ṛṣikulyā, a man attains the world of the sages.
यदि तत्र वसेन्मासं शाकाहारो नराधिप । भृगुतुंगं समासाद्य वाजिमेधफलं लभेत्
If, O lord of men, he stays there for a month, subsisting on vegetables, upon reaching Bhṛgutunga, he obtains the fruit of a horse sacrifice.
गत्वा वीरप्रमोक्षं च सर्वपापैः प्रमुच्यते । कार्तिकमाघयोश्चैव तीर्थमासाद्य दुर्लभम्
Going to Vīrapramokṣa, he is freed from all sins; and, in the difficult-to-attain pilgrimage of Kārtika and Māgha—
अग्निष्टोमातिरात्राभ्यां फलं प्राप्नोति पुण्यकृत् । ततः संध्यां समासाद्य विद्यातीर्थमनुत्तमम्
—the doer of merit obtains the fruit of Agniṣṭoma and Atirātra sacrifices; then, reaching Saṃdhyā, the supreme place of learning—
उपस्पृशेत्स विद्यानां सर्वासां पारगो भवेत् । महाश्रमे वसेद्रात्रिं सर्वपापप्रमोचने
—if he touches the water there, he becomes accomplished in all knowledge; if he stays a night in the great hermitage, he is freed from all sins.