त्रिकालमेव स्नायीत आहारं भैक्ष्यमाचरेत् । त्रिभिर्मासैः प्रमुच्येत प्रयागात्तु न संशयः
One should bathe three times a day and subsist on alms; within three months at Prayaga, he is certainly released.
प्रज्ञानेन तु यस्येह तीर्थयात्रादिकं भवेत् । सर्वकामसमृद्धस्तु स्वर्गलोके महीयते
But for one whose pilgrimage and related acts are guided by wisdom, all desires are fulfilled and he is honored in heaven.
स्थानं स लभते नित्यं धनधान्यसमाकुलम् । एवं ज्ञानेन संपूर्णः सदा भवति भोगवान्
He obtains a place always filled with wealth and grain; thus, filled with knowledge, he is ever endowed with enjoyment.
तारिताः पितरस्तेन नरकात्प्रपितामहाः । धर्मानुसारे तत्त्वज्ञ पृच्छतस्ते पुनः पुनः । त्वत्प्रियार्थं समाख्यातं गुह्यमेतत्सनातनम्
By him, ancestors and great-grandfathers are rescued from hell; O knower of truth, in accordance with dharma, you have asked repeatedly; for your sake, this ancient secret has been declared.
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 simply by seeing you today; by your sight, 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 fortune, your birth is fruitful, by fortune, your lineage is saved; 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: O great sage, what merit and what fruit is there 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, the greatly fortunate Yamuna, where she flows as a river.
येनैव निःसृता गङ्गा तेनैव यमुना गता । योजनानां सहस्रेषु कीर्तनात्पापनाशिनी
Wherever the Ganga has gone forth, there too the Yamuna has gone; 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, one gains merit by her praise and, having seen her, 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
By immersing and drinking there, one purifies even the seventh generation of his lineage; whoever gives up his life there attains the highest state. The confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna at Prayaga is famed as Agnitirtha on the southern bank of the Yamuna, and to the west is the sacred tirtha of Dharmaraja, remembered as the best of all.
तत्र स्नात्वा दिवं यांति ये मृतास्तेऽपुनर्भवाः । एवं तीर्थसहस्राणि यमुना दक्षिणे तटे
Those who bathe there ascend to heaven; those who die there do not return to rebirth. In this way, there are thousands of sacred places on the southern bank of the Yamuna.
उत्तरेण प्रवक्ष्यामि आदित्यस्य महात्मनः । तीर्थं तु विरजं नाम यत्र देवाः सवासवाः
Now I shall speak of the tirtha to the north, named Viraja, belonging to the great-souled Sun, where the gods with Indra reside.
उपासते स्म संध्यां तु नित्यकालं युधिष्ठिर । देवाः सेवंति तत्तीर्थं ये चान्ये विदुषो जनाः
There, O Yudhishthira, the gods and other wise people always worship at the time of twilight.
श्रद्दधानपरो भूत्वा कुरु तीर्थाभिषेचनम् । अन्ये च बहवस्तीर्थाः सर्वपापहराः शुभाः
With devotion, perform the ablution at the tirtha; there are many other auspicious tirthas that remove all sins.
तेषु स्नात्वा दिवं यांति ये मृतास्तेऽपुनर्भवाः । गंगा च यमुना चैव उभे तुल्यफले स्मृते
Those who bathe in them ascend to heaven; those who die there do not return to rebirth. The Ganga and the Yamuna are both remembered as giving equal fruit.
केवलं श्रेष्ठभावेन गंगा सर्वत्र पूज्यते । एवं कुरुष्व कौंतेय स्वर्गतीर्थाभिषेचनम्
Only because of its supreme status is the Ganga revered everywhere; in the same way, O son of Kunti, perform the consecration with the waters of the heavenly pilgrimage.
यावज्जीवकृतं पापं तत्क्षणादेव नश्यति । यस्त्विदं कल्य उत्थाय पठते च शृणोति वा
All the sins committed throughout one's life are instantly destroyed for one who, rising early in the morning, recites or listens to this.
मुच्यते सर्वपापेभ्यः स्वर्गलोकं च गच्छति
He is freed from all sins and attains the world of heaven.
इति श्रीपाद्मे महापुराणे स्वर्गखंडे यमुनामाहात्म्ये पंचचत्वारिंशोऽध्यायः
Thus ends the forty-fifth chapter, entitled 'The Greatness of the Yamuna,' in the Svarga-khanda of the glorious Padma Purana.
युधिष्ठिर उवाच- श्रुतं मे ब्रह्मणा प्रोक्तं पुराणे पुण्यसम्मितम् । तीर्थानां तु सहस्राणि शतानि नियुतानि च
Yudhishthira said: I have heard, as spoken by Brahma in the Purana, which is regarded as holy, that there are thousands and hundreds of thousands of sacred places.
सर्वे पुण्याः पवित्राश्च गतिश्च परमा स्मृता । पृथिव्यां नैमिषं पुण्यमंतरिक्षे च पुष्करम्
All are considered holy and pure, and their path is said to be supreme; on earth, Naimisha is sacred, and in the sky, Pushkara.
प्रयागमपि लोकानां कुरुक्षेत्रं विशिष्यते । सर्वाणि संपरित्यज्य कथमेकं प्रशंससि
Even Prayaga surpasses all other places for the people, as does Kurukshetra; having set aside all others, how do you praise only one?
अप्रमाणमिदं प्रोक्तमश्रद्धेयमनुत्तमम् । गतिं च परमां दिव्यां भोगांश्चैव यथेप्सितान्
This statement is immeasurable, unbelievable, and unsurpassed; and yet you speak of the highest and divine path and the enjoyments as one desires.
किमर्थमल्पयोगेन बहुधर्मं प्रशंससि । एतं मे संशयं ब्रूहि यथादृष्टं यथाश्रुतम्
For what reason 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: That which is not to be believed should not be spoken, even if it is directly perceived; for a person whose mind is afflicted by sin, even if he has faith—
अश्रद्दधानो ह्यशुचिर्दुर्मतिस्त्यक्तमंगलः । एते पातकिनः सर्वे तेनेदं भाषितं मया
One who lacks faith, is impure, of evil mind, and forsaken by fortune—all these are sinners; therefore, I have spoken this.
शृणु प्रयागमाहात्म्यं यथादृष्टं यथाश्रुतम् । प्रत्यक्षं च परोक्षं च यथान्यत्संभविष्यति
Hear now the greatness of Prayaga, as I have seen and heard, both directly and indirectly, and as it may occur otherwise.
यथैवान्यन्मया दृष्टं पुरा राजन्यथाश्रुतम् । शास्त्रं प्रमाणं कृत्वा तु पूज्यते योगमात्मनः
Just as I have seen and heard other things before, O king, so too, making scripture the authority, one attains the yoga of the self.
क्लिश्यते चापरस्तत्र नैव योगमवाप्नुयात् । जन्मांतरसहस्रेभ्यो योगो लभ्येत मानवैः
Another person struggles there but does not attain yoga; for humans, yoga may be obtained only after thousands of births.