अनाराध्य हृषीकेशं सर्वदं सर्वदेहिनाम् । कोपि क्वापि किमप्यत्र न लभेतेति निश्चितम्
Without worshipping Hṛṣīkeśa, the giver of all to all beings, no one, anywhere, can obtain anything here—this is certain.
अपत्यं द्रविणं दारास्तारहर्म्यं हया गजाः । सुखानि स्वर्गमोक्षौ च न दूरे हरिभक्तितः
Children, wealth, wives, horses, palaces, elephants, pleasures, heaven, and liberation—all are not far from devotion to Hari.
नारायणः परो देवः सत्यरूपो जनार्दनः । त्रिधात्मानंसभगवान्ससर्जपरमेश्वरः
Nārāyaṇa is the supreme god, Janārdana, whose form is truth; the blessed Lord, with threefold nature, created all as the supreme ruler.
रजस्तमोभ्यांयुक्तोऽभूद्रजःसत्वाधिकंविभुः । ससर्जनाभिकमलेब्रह्माणंकमलासनम्
Endowed with rajas and tamas, the mighty one became predominantly rajas and sattva; from the lotus of his navel, he created Brahmā, the lotus-seated.
रजसा तमसा जुष्टं स रुद्रमसृजद्विभुः । सत्वं रजस्तमश्चैव त्रितयं चैतदुच्यते
The Lord created Rudra, endowed with rajas and tamas; sattva, rajas, and tamas—this triad is thus spoken of.
सत्वेन मुच्यते जंतुः सत्वं नारायणात्मकम् । रजसा सत्वयुक्तेन भवेच्छ्रीमान्यशोधिकः
By sattva a being is liberated; sattva is of the nature of Nārāyaṇa. Through rajas joined with sattva, one becomes prosperous and surpasses others.
यद्वेदवाक्यं धर्मस्य समुद्दिश्योपसेवते । तद्रुद्रमिति विख्यातं विशिष्टं गदितं नृणाम्
Whatever Vedic statement is practiced with reference to dharma, that is renowned as Rudra, and is declared to be distinguished among men.
तेन राजा भवेल्लोके रजसा तमसा पुनः । यद्धीनं रजसा धर्मं केवलं तामसं च यत्
By that, a king is produced in the world through rajas and tamas; whatever dharma is deficient in rajas, and whatever is purely tāmasic—
तच्च दुर्गतिदं नॄणामिहलोके परत्र च । यो विष्णुः स स्वयं ब्रह्मा यो ब्रह्मा स स्वयं हरः
That brings misfortune to people in this world and the next. He who is Viṣṇu is himself Brahmā; he who is Brahmā is himself Hara.
देवास्त्रयोपि यज्ञेऽस्मिन्निज्या देवेषु नित्यशः । यो भेदं कुरुते तेषां त्रयाणां द्विजसत्तमः
The three gods are always worshipped in sacrifice among the gods. O best of twice-born, whoever creates division among these three—
स पापकारी पापात्मा अनिष्टां गतिमाप्नुयात् । विष्णुरेव परं ब्रह्म विष्णुरेव जगद्द्विज
He is a doer of evil, of sinful soul, and attains an undesirable state. Viṣṇu alone is the Supreme Brahman; Viṣṇu alone is the world, O twice-born.
तस्यायं माधवो मासः प्रियः सर्वेषु कर्मसु । कीर्त्यते हयमेधादि महाक्रतुफलप्रदः
For him, this month of Mādhava is dear in all rites; it is said to bestow the fruit of great sacrifices like the horse-sacrifice.
तीर्थस्नान तपो दान जप यज्ञफलाधिकः
Bathing at holy places, austerity, giving, recitation, and sacrifice—its merit surpasses all these.
स्नानं विभाते नियमेन नद्यामनारतं मेषगते रवौ ये । कुर्वंति येऽस्मिन्नपि विप्रपूजां मद्दंडभाजो न हि ते भवंति
Those who bathe at dawn regularly in the river when the sun enters Aries, and those who even worship brāhmaṇas in this month, they never become subject to my punishment.
हत्वा हत्वा किंकरौघं पुरो मे लुप्त्वा लुप्त्वा चित्रगुप्तस्य लेख्यम् । स्नात्वा स्नात्वा माधवे मासि तीर्थे पूर्वान्पूर्वानुद्धरंतीह पापात्
Having slain and slain hosts of servants before me, having erased and erased the records of Citragupta, by bathing and bathing in holy places during the month of Mādhava, they here lift off former sins.
इदं भयच्छेदकरं न तस्मात्प्रकाशनीयं परमं रहस्यम् । निर्वासहेतुर्नरकालयस्य ममाधिकारक्षयकारणं तत्
This is the destroyer of fear; therefore, it should not be revealed—this is the supreme secret. It is the cause of release from the realm of hell, and the reason for the loss of my authority.
भागीरथीनर्मदा च यमुना च सरस्वती । विशोका च वितस्ता च विंध्यस्योत्तरतः स्थिताः
The Bhāgīrathī, Narmadā, Yamunā, and Sarasvatī, Viśokā and Vitastā, situated to the north of the Vindhya—
गोदावरी भीमरथी तुंगभद्रा च देविका । तापी पयोष्णी विंध्यस्य दक्षिणास्तु प्रकीर्तिताः
Godāvarī, Bhīmarathī, Tuṅgabhadrā, and Devikā, Tāpī and Payoṣṇī are said to be to the south of the Vindhya.
द्वादशैता महानद्यो नित्यं तेनावगाहिताः । वैशाखे विधिना स्नानं नद्यां यः प्रातराचरेत्
These twelve great rivers, always entered by him—whoever bathes in the river at dawn in Vaiśākha, according to the prescribed rule—
सर्वाः समुद्रगाः पुण्याः सर्वे पुण्या नगोत्तमाः । सर्वे चायतनाः पुण्याः सर्वे पुण्या वनाश्रयाः
All those flowing to the ocean are holy, all the great mountains are holy, all shrines are holy, and all forest dwellings are holy.
तेनावगाहिता दृष्टाः प्रणता बहुसेविताः । स्नानमर्द्धोदिते सूर्ये वैशाखे नियतश्चरेत्
Having entered, seen, bowed to, and served them in many ways, one should bathe at sunrise in Vaiśākha with discipline.
तस्य पुण्यं महीदेव कश्चिद्वक्तुं न शक्यते । यदि वक्त्रसहस्राणां सहस्राणि भवंति हि
O lord of the earth, no one is able to describe the merit of that, even if there are thousands upon thousands of mouths.
आयुश्च ब्रह्मणा स्वल्पं यदि स्याद्द्विजसत्तम । तदा माधवमासस्य फलं कथयितुं भवेत्
O best of twice-born, if a person's lifespan, as ordained by Brahma, is short, then it would be possible to describe the fruits of the month of Mādhava.
महानिरयकर्षाग्नि माधवो माधवो यथा । ब्रह्महत्यादिकं पापमगम्यागमनादिकम्
Just as the fire of the great hell drags one in, so too does the month of Mādhava; it destroys sins such as the killing of a Brahmin and those arising from forbidden acts and places.
कामाकामकृतं पापमेति पातकमेव च । उपपापरहस्यं च संकरीकरणं परम्
Sins committed intentionally or unintentionally, as well as grave transgressions, and the secret faults of minor sins, and the highest forms of impurity from mixing of castes—
जातिभ्रंशकरं घोरमपात्रीकरणं तथा । मलावहं प्रकीर्णं च वाङ्मनः काय संभवम्
Those terrible acts that cause loss of caste, that render one unfit for offerings, that bring defilement, that are scattered, and that arise from speech, mind, or body—
माधवो निर्दहेन्मासो विधिना समुपासितः । कल्पकोटिसहस्राणि कल्पकोटि शतानि च
The month of Mādhava, when properly observed, burns all these away; one who worships accordingly dwells for thousands of millions of aeons, and hundreds of millions of aeons.
वसेद्विष्णुपुरे श्रीमान्माधवे योऽर्चयेद्धरिम्
He who worships Hari during Mādhava, the blessed one, dwells in the city of Viṣṇu.
ऋषय ऊचुः - भूयो वद महाभाग रामचारित्रमद्भुतम् । राममाहात्म्यसर्वस्वं भक्तानां प्रीतिदायकम्
The sages said: Tell us again, O greatly fortunate one, the wondrous story of Rāma, the essence of Rāma's greatness, which brings joy to devotees.
सूत उवाच- अश्वमेधं क्रतुवरं कृत्वा दाशरथिर्यथा
Sūta said: After performing the horse sacrifice, the best of sacrifices, the son of Daśaratha—