पितृभ्यस्तुलसीपुष्पचंदनोदकपूजितान् । कोशलां शरयूं वारिकर्णधारनभस्वता
To the ancestors, I offered tulasi flowers, sandalwood, and water in worship; then, I went to Kośalā and the Sarayū, whose waters are carried by the wind.
पवित्रिताखिलजनांस्पर्शनेनाहमागमम् । तत्रास्ति गोप्रताराख्यं तीर्थं त्रिदशदुर्ल्लभम्
I arrived there, purified by the touch of all the people; there is the sacred ford called Gopratāra, rare even for the gods.
तत्र स्नानादिकं कर्म निशाचर्यः कृतं मया । ततः काशीमहंप्राप्तो राजधानीमुमापतेः
There, I performed bathing and other rites as prescribed; then, I reached Kāśī, the royal city of Umāpati.
नत्वा विश्वेश्वरं देवं बिंदुमाधवमेव च । स्नातं मणिकर्णिकायां ज्ञानवाप्यां च भक्तितः
Having bowed to the lord Viśveśvara and also to Bindumādhava, I bathed with devotion at Maṇikarṇikā and at the well of knowledge.
त्रिरात्रिमुषितस्तत्र प्रयागं पुनरागमम् । पौषशुक्लचतुर्दश्यां साक्षाद्यत्र प्रजापतिः
I stayed there for three nights, then returned again to Prayāga, where Prajāpati is manifest on the fourteenth day of the bright fortnight of Pauṣa.
एकस्मिन्माघमासे तु स्नानं कृत्वाऽरुणोदये । पुनस्तस्मात्समायातो नैमिषं गोमतीतटे
In the month of Māgha, I bathed at dawn; then, from there, I went to Naimiṣa, on the bank of the Gomati.
यत्र तीर्थानि सर्वाणि वसंति च स्वमायया । ततोऽहं मथुरां प्राप्तो यत्र विश्रांतिसंज्ञकम्
Where all sacred fords exist by their own power; from there, I reached Mathurā, where the place called Viśrānti is found.
तीर्थं तत्सन्निधौ पुण्यमसिकुंडाख्यमुत्तमम् । कृष्णगंगा ध्रुवाक्रूर केशिकालीयतीर्थभृत्
Near that, there is the supreme sacred ford called Asikuṇḍa; Kṛṣṇagaṅgā, Dhruvā, Akrūra, Keśikālīya, and other fords.
यमुनास्ति महापुण्या यत्र सर्वार्थदायिनी । उभयोः कूलयोस्तस्या वनानि द्वादश श्रिया
There is the Yamunā, greatly sacred, granting all desires; on both her banks are twelve forests, resplendent with wealth.
राजमानानि खेचर्यः समस्तार्थकराणि च । संति तेषु नरः स्नात्वा पीत्वा भूयो न जायते
Majestic, traversed by the gods, and fulfilling all purposes; those who bathe and drink there are not born again.
ततोहमागमं पुण्यं हस्तिनापुरमुत्तमम् । यत्र श्रीपतिपादाब्ज जाता गंगा सरिद्वरा
Then, I arrived at the supremely sacred Hastināpura, where the Ganges, the best of rivers, arose from the lotus feet of Śrīpati.
ततो नारायणस्थानं हिमवद्भूमिसंस्थितम् । आगत्य माधवं दृष्ट्वा केदारमहमागमम्
Then, I went to the abode of Nārāyaṇa, situated in the land of the Himalayas; having seen Mādhava, I arrived at Kedāra.
तत्र संपूज्य विश्वेशं पीत्वा हंसोदकं पुनः । हरिद्वारं महापुण्यमागमं जाह्नवीतटे
There, having worshipped the Lord of the Universe and again drunk the water of the Hamsa, I came to the greatly sacred Haridvara on the bank of the Jahnavi.
तत्र स्नात्वापितॄन्देवानृषीन्संतर्प्य चाप्यहम् । समागतः कुरुक्षेत्रे यत्र प्राची सरस्वती
There, after bathing and satisfying the ancestors, gods, and sages, I arrived at Kurukshetra, where the eastern Sarasvati flows.
तत्राप्यहं क्रियाः सर्वाः कृतवान्नियतेंद्रियः । अर्चयित्वा च पादाब्जं श्रीपतेः पुष्करं प्रति
There too, with controlled senses, I performed all the rites, and after worshipping the lotus feet of the Lord of Shri, I set out for Pushkara.
चलितो मार्गमध्ये तु विमलो नाम मे सखा । मिलितो मां व्रजन्गेहमिंद्रप्रस्थात्तु तीर्थतः
While on the way, my friend named Vimala met me, coming from the holy place of Indraprastha to Vraja.
नीतोऽहं तेन राक्षस्यः पुनस्तत्र द्विजन्मना । तीर्थेति मे परावृत्य शक्रप्रस्थेऽखिलार्थदे
By him, a twice-born, I was again led to the place of the Rakshasi; then, turning back from the holy place, I returned to Shakraprastha, the giver of all wishes.
तत्रास्ति द्वारका पुण्या निर्मिता विष्णुना स्वयम् । तत्रावलोकितः साक्षाद्विष्णुर्वाक्यान्नरूपतः
There is the sacred Dvaraka, constructed by Vishnu himself; there, Vishnu was seen directly, in human form, as declared by his words.
तत्राहं स च संस्नातौ विष्णुभक्तिप्रलब्धये । दत्ता सा विष्णुना मह्यं तस्मै च कृष्णमूर्तिना
There, both he and I bathed for the sake of attaining devotion to Vishnu; that devotion was granted to me and to him by Vishnu in the form of Krishna.
श्रुत्वा तत्र हरेर्वाणी न रूपं वै विलोकितम् । भक्तिर्लब्धा ततः स्थानाद्यमहं पुष्करं प्रति
There, I heard the voice of Hari, but did not see his form; from that place I obtained devotion, and then I went towards Pushkara.
तस्य तीर्थाधिपस्येदं द्वारकाख्यस्य वै जलम् । कमंडलुगतं पुण्यं निशाचर्यो वदाम्यहम्
Of the lord of that holy place, called Dvaraka, this water—held in the water-pot—is sacred; I, the night-wanderer, declare this.
भवतीभिरहं पृष्टो यत्तदाख्यातमेव मे । दृष्ट्वा वो दुर्दशामेतां कृपा मे जायते हृदि
What you have asked me, I have now recounted; seeing your present misfortune, compassion arises in my heart.
उच्यतां किं करोम्यद्य भवतीनां वशो ह्यहम् । ज्ञानं भवतु युष्माकमिति ताः सिषिचेंभसा
Tell me, what shall I do today? I am under your authority. May knowledge arise in you—so saying, he sprinkled them with water.
तास्तज्जलाभिमर्शात्तु सर्वेषां जन्मकर्मणां । संस्मृत्य तत्यजुश्चैव राक्षसं देहमुल्बणम्
By the touch of that water, remembering all their births and deeds, they abandoned their fierce Rakshasa bodies.
आसाद्य देवतादेहं विमानं सप्तमागतम् । आरुह्याप्सरसो भूत्वा ताः प्रणेमुर्द्विजन्मने
Having attained divine bodies and ascending the seventh celestial chariot, they became apsarases and bowed to the twice-born sage.
ऊचुश्च भो द्विजश्रेष्ठ द्वारकाजलसंगमात् । राक्षसत्वाद्वयं मुक्ता गच्छामस्त्रिदशालयम्
And they said, 'O best of twice-born, by the union with the water of Dvaraka, we are freed from Rakshasa existence and go to the abode of the gods.'
इंद्रप्रस्थांतरावर्तिन्येषा या द्वारका द्विज । नातः परतरं लोकेऽन्यत्तीर्थमखिलार्थदम्
'O twice-born, this Dvaraka, situated within Indraprastha, is supreme; there is no other holy place in the world that grants all desires as this does.'
नारद उवाच- इत्युक्त्वा ताःसमारूढा विमानेषु महीपते । जग्मुः प्रार्चीं दिशं तेन दत्ताज्ञा वै द्विजन्मना
Narada said: Having spoken thus, they mounted the celestial chariots, O king, and went to the eastern direction, having received permission from the twice-born.
यमुनातीरवर्तिन्या द्वारकाया महीपते । शृण्वन्माहात्म्यमेतस्या नरः पापैः प्रमुच्यते
O king, by the Yamuna's bank stands Dvaraka; hearing its greatness, a man is freed from sins.
वेदज्ञानां ब्राह्मणानां शतस्येच्छासु भोजनात् । यत्फलं श्रवणादस्मान्महिम्नस्तत्प्रजायते
The merit gained by feeding a hundred Brahmins learned in the Vedas is produced by merely hearing this glory.