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.
एककालं निराहारो लोकान्संवसते शुभान् । षष्ठकालोपवासेन मासमुष्य महालये
Fasting for one period, he dwells among auspicious worlds; by fasting every sixth period during the great dissolution, he attains a month there.
तीर्णस्तारयते जंतून्दशपूर्वान्दशापरान् । दृष्ट्वा माहेश्वरं पुण्यं परं सुरनमस्कृतम्
Having crossed over, he leads across creatures—ten before and ten after; seeing the holy place of Maheśvara, revered by the gods, brings supreme merit.
कृतार्थः सर्वकृत्येषु न शोचेन्मरणं क्वचित् । सर्वपापविशुद्धात्मा विंद्याद्बहुसुवर्णकम्
One who has fulfilled all duties should never grieve for death at any time; with a mind purified from all sins, he attains abundant gold.
अथ वेतसिकां गच्छेत्पितामहनिषेविताम् । अश्वमेधमवाप्नोति गतिं च परमां व्रजेत्
Then, going to Vetasikā, honored by the grandsire, he obtains the fruit of an Aśvamedha sacrifice and attains the highest state.
अथ सुंदरिकां तीर्थं प्राप्य सिद्धनिषेविताम् । रूपस्य भागी भवति दृष्टमेतत्पुरातनैः
Then, reaching the holy place Sundarikā, frequented by the perfected beings, he becomes endowed with beauty, as seen by the ancients.
ततो ब्राह्मणिकां गत्वा ब्रह्मचारी समाहितः । पद्मवर्णेन यानेन ब्रह्मलोकं प्रपद्यते
Then, going to Brāhmaṇikā, the devoted celibate, with concentrated mind, attains the world of Brahmā in a vehicle shining like a lotus.
ततश्च नैमिषं गच्छेत्पुण्यं द्विजनिषेवितम् । तत्र नित्यं निवसति ब्रह्मा देवगणैः सह
After that, he should go to Naimiṣa, the holy place frequented by twice-born sages; there, Brahmā always resides with the hosts of gods.
नैमिषं प्रार्थयानस्य पापस्यार्द्धं प्रणश्यति । प्रविष्टमानस्तु नरः सर्वपापात्प्रमुच्यते
For one who desires Naimiṣa, half of his sin is destroyed; but the man who enters it is freed from all sin.
युधिष्ठिर उवाच- वाराणस्याश्च माहात्म्यं संक्षेपात्कथितं त्वया । विस्तरेण मुने ब्रूहि तदा प्रीणाति मे मनः
Yudhiṣṭhira said: You have briefly described the greatness of Vārāṇasī; O sage, tell it to me in detail, for my mind is delighted by it.
नारद उवाच-। अत्रेतिहासं वक्ष्यामि वाराणस्या गुणाश्रयम् । यस्य श्रवणमात्रेण मुच्यते ब्रह्महत्यया
Nārada said: Here I shall recount an ancient tale, the source of Vārāṇasī's virtues; by merely hearing it, one is freed from the sin of killing a Brahmin.