तस्मात्सहस्रगुणितं माघे मकरगे रवौ । ततोऽपि शतसंख्यातं वैशाखेमेषगे रवौ
Therefore, when the sun is in Capricorn during Māgha, the merit is a thousandfold; and when the sun is in Aries during Vaiśākha, it is counted as a hundred times more than that.
ते धन्यास्ते सुकृतिनो नरा वैशाख मासि ये । प्रातः स्नात्वा विधानेन पूजयंति मधुद्विषम्
Blessed and virtuous are those men who, in the month of Vaiśākha, bathe in the morning according to rule and worship the slayer of Madhu.
प्रातःस्नानं च वैशाखे यज्ञदानमुपोषणम् । हविष्यं ब्रह्मचर्यं च महापातकनाशनम्
Morning bathing in Vaiśākha, sacrifice, giving, fasting, offering of oblations, and celibacy—all these destroy great sins.
पुनः कलियुगे राजन्नेतद्गोप्यं भविष्यति । अश्वमेधादिकं यस्मान्माहात्म्यं माधवस्य यत्
Again, in the Kali age, O king, this will become secret, for the greatness of Mādhava is equal to that of the Aśvamedha and the like.
अश्वमेधमखः पुण्यः कलौ नैव प्रवर्तते । एष माधवमासस्य हयमेध समो विधिः
The meritorious Aśvamedha sacrifice is not performed in the Kali age; this rule of Mādhava month is equal to the horse sacrifice.
अश्वमेधस्य यत्पुण्यं स्वर्गमोक्षफलप्रदम् । न वेत्स्यंति कलौ पापा जना दुरितबुद्धयः
The merit of the Aśvamedha, which bestows heaven and liberation, will not be known by sinful people of evil intellect in the Kali age.
तस्मिन्भवैर्नरैः पापैर्गंतव्यं नरकार्णवे । अतस्तु विरलस्तस्य प्रचारो येन निर्मितः
There, by evil deeds, people must traverse the ocean of hell; yet the path created by him is rare in its occurrence.
इति श्रीपद्मपुराणे पातालखंडे वैशाखमासमाहात्म्ये पंचाशीतितमोऽध्यायः
Thus ends the eighty-fifth chapter in the section on the glories of the month of Vaiśākha, in the Pātāla Khanda of the Padma Purāṇa.
सप्ताशीतितमोऽध्यायः । सूतउवाच- इति तस्य वचः श्रुत्वा नारदस्य स भूपतिः । प्रणम्य विस्मितः प्राह चिन्तयन्मनसा हरिम्
Chapter eighty-seven. Sūta said: Hearing these words of Nārada, the king, astonished, bowed and spoke, contemplating Hari in his mind.
अंबरीष उवाच- कथमेतद्विमुह्यामः स्वल्पायासेन वै मुने । प्राप्यते स्नानमात्रेण फलं चैवातिदुर्ल्लभम्
Ambarīṣa said: How is it, O sage, that we are bewildered? With such little effort, merely by bathing, one attains a result exceedingly rare.
नारद उवाच- सत्यमुक्तं त्वया राजन्नल्पायासेन यन्महत् । फलं संप्राप्यते तत्र श्रद्धत्स्व विधिभाषितम्
Nārada said: Truly spoken by you, O king, that with little effort a great result is obtained; therefore, have faith in what is prescribed by the rules.
धर्मस्य गतयः सूक्ष्मा दुर्ज्ञेया हीश्वरैरपि । मुह्यंते चात्र विद्वांसोऽचिंत्यशक्ति हरेः कृतौ
The paths of dharma are subtle, difficult to comprehend even for the gods; and here, the learned are bewildered by the inconceivable power of Hari's actions.
विश्वामित्रादयो राजन्धर्माधिक्येन बाहुजाः । ब्राह्मण्यं समुपायाताः सूक्ष्मा धर्मगतिस्त्वतः
O king, Viśvāmitra and others, through the abundance of dharma, attained Brahminhood; thus, the path of dharma is subtle.
अजामिलोऽपि भूपाल दासीपतिरिति श्रुतः । धर्मपत्नीपरित्यागी नित्यं पापपथिस्थितः
Even Ajāmila, O king, known as the master of a slave-woman, abandoned his lawful wife and always remained on the sinful path.
म्रियमाणः सुतस्नेहात्प्रोच्य नारायणेति च । तद्ध्याननामग्रहणात्पदं लेभे सुदुर्ल्लभम्
While dying, out of affection for his son, he uttered 'Nārāyaṇa'; through meditation and recitation of that name, he attained a state exceedingly difficult to obtain.
अनिच्छयापि दहति स्पृष्टो हुतवहो यथा । तथा दहति गोविंद नामव्याजादपीरितम्
Just as fire burns even when touched unintentionally, so Govinda's name burns away sin even when spoken casually.
कानीनस्य मुनेः पौत्रा भ्रातृजायाभिगामिनः । गोलकस्य च वै पंडोः पुत्राः कुंडाः स्वयं तथा
The grandsons of the sage Kānīna, those who approached their brothers' wives, and the sons of Golaka and Paṇḍu, and likewise Kuṇḍa himself.
ते पंचापि च भूपाल पांडवा द्रौपदीरताः । तेषां च पुण्यश्लोकत्वं सूक्ष्माधर्मगतिस्ततः
All five of them, O king, the Pāṇḍavas devoted to Draupadī, their fame as the virtuous is due to the subtle path of dharma.
विचित्राणि च कर्माणि विचित्रा भूतभावनाः । विचित्राणि च भूता निविचित्राः कर्मशक्तयः
Deeds are diverse, the creation of beings is diverse; beings themselves are diverse, and the powers of action are not uniform.
कदाचित्सुकृतं कर्म कूटस्थं यदवस्थितम् । केनचित्कर्मणा भूप शुभेन परिवर्धते
Sometimes a virtuous deed remains dormant, and by some other auspicious action, O king, it increases.
फलं ददाति सुमहत्कस्मिन्नपि च जन्मनि । सूक्ष्मो धर्मोऽतिगहनो मीयते न यथा तथा
It gives a great result in some birth; subtle dharma is exceedingly profound and is not measured as one might expect.
नैतस्य फलदानस्य श्रूयते भूपनिश्चयः । यत्किंचित्सुकृतं कर्मच्छन्नं पापांतरैरपि
No definite rule is heard, O king, regarding the giving of results; any virtuous deed, though concealed by sins, still bears fruit.
तदागत्य कुतः क्वापि स्वं फलं च प्रयच्छति । कृतस्य नेह नाशोऽस्ति पुण्यस्य दुरितस्य च
Then, arriving from somewhere, it gives its own result; there is no destruction here of what is done, whether virtuous or sinful.
तथापि बहुभिः पुण्यैर्दुरितं याति दारुणम् । यदुक्तं भवता राजन्नायासाधिक्यतो भवेत्
Yet, by many virtuous deeds, sin becomes weakened; as you have said, O king, this happens due to the preponderance of effort.
महत्पुण्यं च तत्रापि कारणं मे निशामय । स्वल्पायासमहायासौ यद्यल्पत्व महत्त्वयोः
Now hear from me the great merit and its cause in this matter: whether the effort is little or great, whether the act is small or large.
महापुण्यास्ततस्ते स्युः संततं कर्षकादयः । मंत्रोच्चारं च सिंहादेरायासं बहुलं त्वतः
Those who are always engaged in plowing and similar labors attain great merit; but for reciting mantras or for lions and others, the effort is much greater than yours.
पंचगव्यं प्रशस्तं हि व्रतांगत्वेन नो भवेत् । इति कर्तव्यबाहुल्यं महत्त्वं च तदल्पता
Even the esteemed panchagavya, as a component of a vow, is not always required; thus, the abundance of prescribed acts and their greatness may be insignificant.
जलाग्न्यादिप्रवेशस्य प्रसज्येत व्रतांतरात् । इदमल्पं महच्चैतदिति नैव नियामकम्
Entering water or fire and similar acts may pertain to other vows; this is not necessarily small or great—such distinctions are not binding.
फलं यच्चोदितं शास्त्रे तदेव स्यान्महन्नृप । यथाल्पनाशो महता महन्नाशस्तथाल्पतः
O King, the result prescribed in the scripture alone is great; just as a small loss can lead to a great loss, so too can a small act yield a great result.
किं त्वल्पविस्फुलिंगेन तृणराशिः प्रदह्यते
Indeed, a heap of grass is burned even by a small spark.