नारद उवाच-। गोकर्णं केवलं शैवं क्षेत्रं परमपावनम् । तस्मिन्मृतो नरो राजन्शिवः स्यान्नात्र संशयः
Nārada said: Gokarṇa is solely a Śaiva field, supremely pure; if a man dies there, O king, he becomes Śiva—there is no doubt.
स्थले जलेंतरिक्षे च जंतुस्तत्र मृयेत चेत् । तदा कैलासशिखरो शिवः संभूय दीव्यति
Whether on land, in water, or in the sky, if a creature dies there, then Śiva, lord of Kailāsa's peak, appears and rejoices.
अत्र गोकर्णतीर्थे स्यान्मृतस्य न पुनर्भवः । शिवेन स समं राजन्मुक्तिं यास्यति कर्हिचित्
At this Gokarṇa holy place, there is no rebirth for one who dies; together with Śiva, O king, he will attain liberation at some time.
अस्यापि तव माहात्म्यं गोकर्णस्य महामते । वर्णयामि यदाकर्णि मया ब्रह्ममुखात्प्रभो
I will describe to you, O wise one, the greatness of Gokarṇa, as I heard it from the mouth of Brahmā, O lord.
प्रयागादेकगव्यूतौ गुरुतीर्थसमीपगः । मर्यादापर्वतो योऽयं दृश्यते पुण्यदर्शनः
Near Prayāga, in one cow's length, beside the great holy place, is seen the boundary mountain, auspicious to behold.
तत्रैकः कर्कटो नाम भिल्ल आसीत्सुदारुणः । तस्य भार्या जरा नाम सा जघ्ने पतिपंचकम्
There, a Bhilla named Karkaṭa lived, very cruel; his wife, named Jarā, killed five husbands.
सा जरा विषसंयुक्तं षष्ठं कर्कटकं तदा । अकरोन्मोदकं हंतुं तदा तेन स्वसुः श्रुतम्
Then that old woman, having mixed poison, made the sixth sweetmeat in order to kill, as she had heard from her sister.
निजाया मुखतो राजन्भिल्लेन च महात्मना । बालां तां हंतुमारेभे कर्कटो भृशदारुणः
O King, the great-souled Bhilla, with his own wife before him, set out to kill that girl; the crab was exceedingly fierce.
खङ्गपाणिर्यदा याति तद्वधाय स भिल्लपः । यावत्तावत्तु सा यायाज्ज्ञात्वा निजवधोद्यमम्
When the Bhilla, sword in hand, came to kill her, she, realizing his intention to kill her, quickly fled.
वनमभ्यद्रवद्भीता निजप्राणपरीप्सया । तामनुद्रवता तेन कर्कटेन महीपते
Frightened and desiring to save her own life, she ran into the forest, pursued by that crab, O King.
अत्र गोकर्णतीर्थे तु गृहीता खङ्गपाणिना । शिरश्छित्वा तु खङ्गेन पातयित्वा जले वपुः
There, at the Gokarna holy place, she was seized by the sword-wielding man; he cut off her head with the sword and cast her body into the water.
तस्य गोकर्णतीर्थस्य निजस्थानमगाच्च सः । सा जरा तत्र गोकर्णे पापापि निधनं गता
He then returned to his own place at the Gokarna holy site; that old woman, though sinful, met her end there at Gokarna.
कैलासशिखरे राजन्पार्वत्या अभवत्सखी । अहं कथितवानेतत्तव गोकर्णवैभवम्
O King, on the peak of Kailasa, I became a companion of Parvati; I have told you this glory of Gokarna.
शिवकांच्याश्च माहात्म्यं पवित्रं वर्णयामि ते । इंद्रप्रस्थतटस्थायां शिवकांच्यामपि प्रभो
I will describe to you the sacred greatness of Shivakanchi, which stands on the bank at Indraprastha, O Lord.
गतिः सा परमा पुंसां गोकर्णे या मयोदिता । अत्र श्रीमन्महादेवो विष्णुं सर्वसुरेश्वरम्
That supreme state for men at Gokarna, which I have described—here, the glorious Mahadeva worshipped Vishnu, lord of all the gods.
आराध्य भक्तराजत्वं लेभे ज्ञानं च तात्विकम् । अतः सर्वे वयं पुत्रा ब्रह्मणस्तं महेश्वरम्
Having worshipped him, he attained the kingship of devotees and true knowledge; therefore, O sons of Brahma, we all worship that great Lord.
आराधयामः सततं सद्भक्तिज्ञानलिप्सया । अत्र बाणासुरो राजन्नारराध महेश्वरम्
We always worship him here, desiring true devotion and knowledge; here, O King, Bana the demon worshipped the great Lord.
निराहारो वर्षशतं तद्गुणत्वबुभूषया । तस्मै प्रसन्नो भगवान्गणत्वं दत्तवान्निजम्
Fasting for a hundred years, wishing for the quality of being his attendant, the blessed Lord, pleased with him, granted him his own attendant-hood.
स्वयं च सर्वदा तस्य पुरपालो बभूवह । इयं पुरी पुरा राजन्नासीद्विष्णोर्महात्मनः
And always, I myself became the guardian of his city; O King, this city was once the abode of the great-souled Vishnu.
दत्ता शिवाय तुष्टेन तपसा तस्य विष्णुना । अस्यामेकं पुरावृत्तं महदाश्चर्यकारकम्
It was given to Shiva by Vishnu, who was pleased by his austerity; in this city, a great and wondrous event once occurred.
विप्रस्य शिवभक्तस्य वैकुंठाप्तिर्यथाभवत् । एकस्तु ब्राह्मणो राजन् हेरंबो नाम धार्मिकः
How a Brahmin devoted to Shiva attained Vaikuntha—there was a righteous Brahmin named Heramba.
कायेन मनसा वाचा शिवपूजारतः सदा । एकदा स महाभागः शिवतीर्थानि पर्यटन्
Always devoted to the worship of Shiva in body, mind, and speech, that blessed one once traveled to the holy places of Shiva.
शिवभक्तः शिवे राजन्शिवकांच्यामिहागतः । एनां मनोहरां चैव न तत्याज स बुद्धिमान्
O King, that devotee of Shiva came here to Shivakanchi; he, wise as he was, did not abandon this enchanting place.
पश्चात्तत्रैव तत्याज प्राणानस्या जलांतरे । तत्रैव श्रीमहादेवगणास्तं ब्राह्मणोत्तमम्
Later, right there, he gave up his life in the water; there, the hosts of the glorious great Lord received that foremost Brahmin.
नीत्वा कैलासमचलं चेलुस्तदनुशासनात् । अथ मध्ये समायाता गणा वैकुंठतो हरेः
Having brought the mountain Kailāsa, they moved it at his command; then, in the midst, the hosts from Hari's Vaikuṇṭha arrived.
तेभ्यो बलात्समादातुं तं द्विजश्रेष्ठमुद्यताः । आसीत्तेषां महयुद्धं गणानां हरिशर्वयोः
Intent on seizing that foremost of twice-born by force from them, there arose a great battle between the hosts of Hari and Śarva.
तत्र युद्धेन वैकेषां विजयो न पराजयः । तत्र वैकुंठतो विष्णुरागतो गरुडासनः
In that battle, there was neither victory nor defeat for the hosts of Viṣṇu; then Viṣṇu himself came from Vaikuṇṭha, seated upon Garuḍa.
कैलासाद्वृषभारूढो महेशश्च त्रिलोकधृक् । तावन्योन्यं मुखं दृष्ट्वा विहस्य जगदीश्वरौ
From Kailāsa, Maheśa, the upholder of the three worlds, arrived mounted on the bull; seeing each other's faces, the two Lords of the universe smiled.
पश्यतस्म महद्युद्धं नभस्येव गणैः कृतम् । अथ स्वीयान्गणान्विष्णुः शैवांश्च दिवि युद्धतः
As they watched that great battle waged in the sky by the hosts, then Viṣṇu restrained his own hosts and the Śaiva hosts from fighting in heaven.
निवार्य तं द्विजं तार्क्ष्यमारोप्यागाच्छिवालयम् । शिवेन तद्गणैश्चापि स्वकीयैरपि माधवः
He placed that twice-born upon Garuḍa and, having restrained the battle, went to Śiva's abode; Śiva, along with his hosts, and Mādhava with his own, accompanied him.