श्वपचास्ते तमुन्नीय चंद्रभागापरे तटे । योजनद्वयभूभागं चिच्छिदुस्तस्य मस्तकम्
Those outcastes, taking him to the far bank of the Candrabhāgā, at a distance of two yojanas, severed his head.
स पापो मारवे देशे सर्पोऽभूत्कालविग्रहः । धवकोटरमध्यस्थो विषज्वालाकराननः
That sinner became a serpent in the region of Māra, with the form of Time, dwelling in the hollow of a dhava tree, his mouth blazing with poison flames.
स शुष्को धववृक्षस्तु तस्य फूत्कारवह्निना । तथा तपनतापेन सरसोऽपि यथा ह्रदः
Just as a dry dhava tree is consumed by the blast of fire, or as a pond dries up from the heat of the sun,
गमनात्तस्य पापस्य सर्वतो वृक्षमूषरम् । उच्छिद्य तृणजातादि जातं पश्वहितं तदा
so, because of that sinner's passage, the entire grove became barren, all grasses and plants useful for cattle were destroyed.
तत्र जातु समायातः सार्थो दक्षिणदेशतः । नारायणाश्रमं गच्छन्बदर्याख्यं शिवे नृप
Once, a caravan arrived there from the southern region, O king, traveling toward the holy hermitage of Nārāyaṇa, called Badarī.
तत्रैको ब्राह्मणः कश्चित्सार्थेसंमीलितः पथि । निश्छिद्रां काष्ठमंजूषां पितृमात्रस्थिसंयुताम्
There, a certain brāhmaṇa from the caravan, having stopped on the path, was carrying a wooden box without any holes, containing the bones of his father and mother.
स्कंधेन धारयन्याति तानि पातयितुं नृप । गंगांभसि महाभाग पापिनामपि कामदे
He carried it on his shoulder, O blessed one, intending to immerse those remains in the waters of the Gaṅgā, which fulfills the wishes even of sinners.
सोऽप्यागतस्तत्र वने यत्रास्ति स भुजंगमः । विविक्ते क्षिप्य मंजूषां शलाकालोहनिर्मिताम्
He too arrived in that forest where the serpent resided, and in a secluded spot he set down the box, which was made with iron rods.
अथागत्य भुजंगोऽसौ शलाकां फणयाघटत् । किंचिदुद्धाटितायां स मंजूषायां समाविशत्
Then the serpent came there, struck the rod with his hood, and, as the box was slightly opened, he entered inside.
पुनः शलाका स्वंस्थानमागताथ स कुंडली । तत्रैव तस्थौ निश्चेष्टो मंजूषायां विषोल्बणः
The rod returned to its place, and the coiled serpent remained there, motionless and full of venom, inside the box.
अथ प्रभाते सर्वे ते चेलुः स्थानात्ततो नृप । ब्राह्मणः सोऽपि मंजूषां कंबलेन समावृताम्
At dawn, all those people set out from that place, O king, and the brāhmaṇa too took up the box, wrapping it with a blanket.
कृत्वा शिरसि राजेंद्र चचाल प्रति जाह्नवीम् । कतिभिर्वासरैः सार्थः संप्राप्तस्तीर्थगामिनाम्
Placing it on his head, O king, he proceeded toward the Gaṅgā; after a few days, the caravan reached the place of the pilgrims.
इहैव कोशलायां वै पुनीतायां महीपते । अथ शीतातुरो विप्रः कंबलं चोदघाटयत्
There, in the purified land of Kośalā, O king, the brāhmaṇa, afflicted by cold, unwrapped the blanket.
मंजूषावरणं राजन्तत्रायोध्यातटे शुभे । सोऽपि सर्पो निराहारो लब्ध्वा मारुतभोजनम्
On the auspicious bank of Ayodhyā, O king, he uncovered the box, and the serpent, having fasted, survived by consuming air.
निश्चक्राम बहिस्तस्मादुत्क्षेप्य सुशलाकिकाम् । तं निःसृतं समालोक्य सर्प्प सर्प इति क्रुधा
He emerged from it, lifting the well-barred lid; seeing him come out, people angrily shouted, 'Snake! Snake!'
व्याहरंतो जनाः सर्वे लोष्टहस्ताः समभ्ययुः । यावत्पलायते सर्पस्तावदेकेन घातितः
All the people, shouting and holding clods of earth, rushed toward him; as the serpent tried to flee, he was struck down by one of them.
तत्याज स तदा प्राणान्पश्यतां तीर्थगामिनाम् । त्यक्त्वा भुजंगदेहं स देवत्वं प्राप दुर्लभम्
There, in the sight of the pilgrims, he gave up his life; leaving the serpent's body, he attained the rare state of divinity.
दिव्यं विमानमारुह्य प्रोवाचेदं जनानि ह । सर्प उवाच- भो दाक्षिणात्याः शृणुत ब्राह्मणा वचनं मम
Ascending a divine aerial chariot, he addressed the people, saying: The serpent spoke— 'O brāhmaṇas from the south, listen to my words.'
पुरा चंडकनामाहं नापितो ब्रह्महाधमः । ब्रह्महत्याप्रदोषेण सर्पआसं मरुस्थले
'Formerly, I was a barber named Caṇḍaka, a wretched slayer of a brāhmaṇa; because of the sin of killing a brāhmaṇa, I became a serpent in the desert.'
भुक्त्वा नरकदुःखानि वर्षाणां लक्षपंचकम् । अतीतं सर्पयोनौ मे वर्षाणामयुतद्वयम्
'Having suffered the torments of hell for five hundred thousand years, I have now spent twenty thousand years in the serpent's womb.'
तीर्थस्यास्य प्रसादेन प्राप्तं देवत्वमुत्तमम् । तस्मादिदं न वै त्याज्यं तीर्थं वै कोशलाभिधम् । सर्वार्थदं यतो नाकः प्राप्तः पापीयसा मया
By the grace of this holy place, I attained the highest state of divinity; therefore, this sacred site called Kosala should never be abandoned. For it grants all desires, and even I, though sinful, have reached heaven because of it.
नारद उवाच- एवं स नापितः पापो योनिं प्राप्य विनिंदिताम् । जगाम द्यां विमानस्थस्तीर्थस्यास्य प्रसादतः
Nārada said: Thus, that sinful barber, having taken a condemned birth, ascended to heaven in a celestial chariot by the grace of this holy place.
ते दाक्षिणात्या यतयो भूत्वा तत्रैव तीर्थके । ऊषुर्गोविंदपादाब्ज मानसा दृष्टवैभवे
Those ascetics from the south, having become mendicants, remained at that very holy site, their minds fixed on the lotus feet of Govinda, beholding his glory.
माहात्म्यमस्य तीर्थस्य दृष्ट्वा स ब्राह्मणोत्तमः । तीर्थेऽत्रजातविश्रद्धः पित्रोरस्थीनि सोऽक्षिपत्
Having witnessed the greatness of this holy place, that foremost Brahmin, with unwavering faith, cast the bones of his parents into the sacred waters here.
पतितेष्वस्थिखंडेषु पितरौ तस्य तत्क्षणात् । विमानवरमारूढौ दिव्यौ तत्र समागतौ
The moment the fragments of bone were cast in, his parents immediately ascended a splendid celestial chariot and appeared there in divine form.
ऊचतुश्च स्वतनयं शृण्वानेषु जनेषु वै । वत्स जीव चिरं लोके धनधान्यसुखी भव
And, in the hearing of the assembled people, they spoke to their son: 'Dear child, may you live long in this world, blessed with wealth, grain, and happiness.'
आवयोर्मुक्तिदानाच्च मुक्तिं यास्यसि नो मृषा । गंगायां पिंडदानेन यत्फलं स्यात्सुतस्य वै । पितॄणां या गतिश्चात्र द्वयं स्यादस्थिपाततः
Because you have granted us liberation, you too shall attain release—this is no falsehood. The fruit that a son gains by offering rice-balls in the Ganges, and the destiny attained by ancestors there, both are obtained here by the casting of bones.
इति श्रीपाद्मे महापुराणे पंचपंचाशत्साहस्र्यां संहितायामुत्तरखंडे। कालिंदीमाहात्म्ये मुकुंदोपाख्यानं नामैकादशाधिकद्विशतमोध्यायः
Thus ends the two hundred and eleventh chapter, named 'The Story of Mukunda,' in the section on the Glory of the Yamunā, in the Uttara-khaṇḍa of the great Padma Purāṇa, comprising fifty-five thousand verses.
नारद उवाच- आकर्णय शिबे राजन्वर्णयामि तवाग्रतः । पुण्यं यशस्यमायुष्यं काश्या माहात्म्यमुत्तमम्
Nārada said: Hear, O Śibi, king, as I describe before you the supreme glory of Kāśī, which brings merit, fame, and long life.
इंद्रप्रस्थतटस्थायां काश्यामेकस्तु पादपः । शिंशपाख्योभवेद्राजन् पुरा पुण्ययुगे कृते
On the bank of Indraprastha, O king, there was once a single tree called Śiṃśapā, in the sacred age of Kṛta.