युधिष्ठिर उवाच- अद्य मे सफलं जन्म अद्य मे सफलं कुलम् । प्रीतोऽस्म्यनुगृहीतोऽस्मि दर्शनादेव तेऽद्य वै । त्वद्दर्शनात्तु धर्मात्मन्मुक्तोऽहं सर्वपातकैः
Yudhishthira said: Today my birth is fruitful, today my lineage is fulfilled; I am pleased and blessed by your very sight; by seeing you, O righteous one, I am freed from all sins.
मार्कंडेय उवाच- दिष्ट्या ते सफलं जन्म दिष्ट्या ते तारितं कुलम् । कीर्तनाद्वर्द्धते पुण्यं श्रुतं पापप्रणाशनम्
Markandeya said: By destiny your birth is fruitful, by destiny your lineage is rescued; by recitation, merit increases, and what is heard destroys sin.
युधिष्ठिर उवाच- यमुनायां तु किं पुण्यं किं फलं तु महामुने । एतन्मे सर्वमाख्याहि यथादृष्टं यथाश्रुतम्
Yudhishthira said: What merit and what fruit, O great sage, is found in the Yamuna? Tell me all this as you have seen and heard.
मार्कंडेय उवाच-। तपनस्य सुता देवी त्रिषु लोकेषु विश्रुता । समागता महाभागा यमुना यत्र निम्नगा
Markandeya said: The goddess, daughter of the sun, renowned in the three worlds, has come together with great fortune where the Yamuna flows.
येनैव निःसृता गङ्गा तेनैव यमुना गता । योजनानां सहस्रेषु कीर्तनात्पापनाशिनी
Where the Ganga emerged, there too the Yamuna went; for thousands of yojanas, by her praise, she destroys sin.
तत्र स्नात्वा च पीत्वा च यमुनायां युधिष्ठिर । कीर्त्तनाल्लभते पुण्यं दृष्ट्वा भद्राणि पश्यति
There, by bathing and drinking in the Yamuna, O Yudhishthira, through praise one obtains merit and, upon seeing, beholds auspicious things.
अवगाढा च पीत्वा च पुनात्यासप्तमं कुलम् । प्राणांस्त्यजति यस्तत्र स याति परमां गतिम् २६ thumb|प्रयागे गङ्गा-यमुनयोः सङ्गमः. अग्नितीर्थमिति ख्यातं यमुना दक्षिणे तटे । पश्चिमे धर्मराजस्य तीर्थं हरवरं स्मृतम्
One who bathes deeply and drinks here purifies even seven generations of their family; whoever gives up their life at this place attains the highest state.
तत्र स्नात्वा दिवं यांति ये मृतास्तेऽपुनर्भवाः । एवं तीर्थसहस्राणि यमुना दक्षिणे तटे
Those who bathe there ascend to heaven, and those who die there are freed from rebirth; thus, there are thousands of sacred fords on the southern bank of the Yamunā.
उत्तरेण प्रवक्ष्यामि आदित्यस्य महात्मनः । तीर्थं तु विरजं नाम यत्र देवाः सवासवाः
Now I shall describe, to the north, the pure ford of the great sun, called Viraja, where the gods together with Indra worship.
उपासते स्म संध्यां तु नित्यकालं युधिष्ठिर । देवाः सेवंति तत्तीर्थं ये चान्ये विदुषो जनाः
There, O Yudhiṣṭhira, the gods constantly worship the twilight; the gods and other wise people serve that ford.
श्रद्दधानपरो भूत्वा कुरु तीर्थाभिषेचनम् । अन्ये च बहवस्तीर्थाः सर्वपापहराः शुभाः
With faith and devotion, perform the ablution at the fords; there are many other sacred fords, auspicious and destroyers of all sins.
तेषु स्नात्वा दिवं यांति ये मृतास्तेऽपुनर्भवाः । गंगा च यमुना चैव उभे तुल्यफले स्मृते
Those who bathe in them ascend to heaven, and those who die there are freed from rebirth; the Gaṅgā and the Yamunā are both remembered as giving equal fruit.
केवलं श्रेष्ठभावेन गंगा सर्वत्र पूज्यते । एवं कुरुष्व कौंतेय स्वर्गतीर्थाभिषेचनम्
Only because of its supreme excellence is the Gaṅgā worshipped everywhere; thus, O son of Kuntī, perform the ablution at the heavenly fords.
यावज्जीवकृतं पापं तत्क्षणादेव नश्यति । यस्त्विदं कल्य उत्थाय पठते च शृणोति वा
All the sins committed throughout one's life are destroyed instantly; whoever rises early and recites or hears this—
मुच्यते सर्वपापेभ्यः स्वर्गलोकं च गच्छति
—is freed from all sins and attains the heavenly world.
इति श्रीपाद्मे महापुराणे स्वर्गखंडे यमुनामाहात्म्ये पंचचत्वारिंशोऽध्यायः
Thus ends the forty-fifth chapter, 'The Glory of the Yamunā,' in the section on heaven in the glorious Padma Purāṇa.
युधिष्ठिर उवाच- श्रुतं मे ब्रह्मणा प्रोक्तं पुराणे पुण्यसम्मितम् । तीर्थानां तु सहस्राणि शतानि नियुतानि च
Yudhiṣṭhira said: I have heard, as spoken by Brahmā in the Purāṇa, that there are thousands, hundreds, and tens of millions of sacred fords.
सर्वे पुण्याः पवित्राश्च गतिश्च परमा स्मृता । पृथिव्यां नैमिषं पुण्यमंतरिक्षे च पुष्करम्
All are holy and pure, and are remembered as giving the highest state; on earth, Naimiṣa is holy, and in the sky, Puṣkara.
प्रयागमपि लोकानां कुरुक्षेत्रं विशिष्यते । सर्वाणि संपरित्यज्य कथमेकं प्रशंससि
Even Prayāga is said to surpass all worlds, and Kurukṣetra as well; having set aside all others, why do you praise one alone?
अप्रमाणमिदं प्रोक्तमश्रद्धेयमनुत्तमम् । गतिं च परमां दिव्यां भोगांश्चैव यथेप्सितान्
This has been said to be immeasurable, incredible, and unsurpassed; and yet it is said to grant the highest and divine state, and all enjoyments as desired.
किमर्थमल्पयोगेन बहुधर्मं प्रशंससि । एतं मे संशयं ब्रूहि यथादृष्टं यथाश्रुतम्
Why do you praise great merit with little effort? Tell me this doubt of mine, as you have seen and heard.
मार्कंडेय उवाच- अश्रद्धेयं न वक्तव्यं प्रत्यक्षमपि तद्भवेत् । नरस्य श्रद्दधानस्य पापोपहतचेतसः
Markandeya said: What is not to be believed should not be spoken, even if it is visible; for a person whose mind is afflicted by sin, even faith is difficult.
अश्रद्दधानो ह्यशुचिर्दुर्मतिस्त्यक्तमंगलः । एते पातकिनः सर्वे तेनेदं भाषितं मया
One who lacks faith, is impure, of evil mind, and forsaken by fortune—these are all sinners, and for this reason I have spoken thus.
शृणु प्रयागमाहात्म्यं यथादृष्टं यथाश्रुतम् । प्रत्यक्षं च परोक्षं च यथान्यत्संभविष्यति
Hear now the glory of Prayāga, as seen and heard, both directly and indirectly, and as it will be recounted further.
यथैवान्यन्मया दृष्टं पुरा राजन्यथाश्रुतम् । शास्त्रं प्रमाणं कृत्वा तु पूज्यते योगमात्मनः
Just as I have seen and heard from others before, making scripture the authority, one should honor the yoga of the self.
क्लिश्यते चापरस्तत्र नैव योगमवाप्नुयात् । जन्मांतरसहस्रेभ्यो योगो लभ्येत मानवैः
Another person may struggle there and not attain yoga; for humans, yoga may be obtained only after thousands of lifetimes.
यथायोगसहस्रेण योगो लभ्येत मानवैः । यस्तु सर्वाणि रत्नानि ब्राह्मणेभ्यः प्रयच्छति
By thousands of efforts in yoga, humans may attain yoga; but whoever gives all jewels to the Brahmins—
तेन दानेन दत्तेन योगो लभ्येत मानवैः । प्रयागे तु मृतस्येदं सर्वं भवति नान्यथा
By that act of giving, yoga may be attained by humans; but only if one dies at Prayaga does this all come to pass, not otherwise.
प्रधानहेतुं वक्ष्यामि श्रद्दधत्सु च भारत । यथा सर्वेषु भूतेषु सर्वत्रैव तु दृश्यते
I will declare to those who have faith, O Bharata, the principal reason: just as in all beings, everywhere, it is seen—
ब्रह्म नैवास्ति वै किंचिद्यद्वक्तुं त्विदमुच्यते । यथा सर्वेषु भूतेषु ब्रह्म सर्वत्र पूज्यते
There is truly nothing apart from Brahman, though it is spoken of in this way; just as in all beings, everywhere, Brahman is honored.