कस्य देवस्य कृपया गर्भनिर्वारणं भवेत् । सेव्यः श्रीरामचंद्रोऽसौ संसारज्वरनाशकः
By the compassion of which god is miscarriage prevented? That Lord Śrī Rāma should be served, the destroyer of the fever of worldly existence.
पूज्यः स एव भगवान्पुरुषोत्तमसंज्ञकः । नाना पुर्यो मया दृष्टाः सर्वपापक्षयंकराः
He alone is to be worshipped, the Lord known as Puruṣottama. I have seen many cities that destroy all sins.
अयोध्या सरयूस्तापी तथा द्वारं हरेः परम् । अवंती विमला कांची रेवा सागरगामिनी
Ayodhyā, the Sarayū, the Tāpi, and also the supreme gate of Hari; Avantī, the pure Kāñcī, and the Revā flowing to the ocean.
गोकर्णं हाटकाख्यं च हत्याकोटिविनाशनम् । मल्लिकाख्यो महाशैलो मोक्षदः पश्यतां नृणाम्
Gokarṇa, the place called Hāṭaka, which destroys crores of murders; the great mountain called Mallikā, which grants liberation to those who behold it.
यत्रांगेषु नृणां तोयं श्यामं वा निर्मलं भवेत् । पातकस्यापहारीदं मया दृष्टं तु तीर्थकम्
Wherever the water, dark or clear, touches the limbs of men, that holy place removes sin—I have seen this.
मया द्वारवती दृष्टा सुरासुर निषेविता । गोमती यत्र वहति साक्षाद्ब्रह्मजला शुभा
I have seen Dvāravatī, frequented by gods and demons, where the auspicious river Gomati flows, truly water of Brahman.
यत्र स्वापो लयः प्रोक्तो मृतिर्मोक्ष इति श्रुतिः । यस्यां संवसतां नॄणां न कलि प्रभवेत्क्वचित्
Where sleep, dissolution, and death are said to be liberation, so declares the scripture; and where Kali does not prevail among those who dwell there.
चक्रांका यत्र पाषाणा मानवा अपि चक्रिणः । पशवः कीटपक्ष्याद्याः सर्वे चक्रशरीरिणः
Where stones are marked with the discus, and even men bear the discus; all creatures—cattle, insects, birds—have the mark of the discus on their bodies.
त्रिविक्रमो वसेद्यस्यां सर्वलोकैकपालकः । सा पुरी तु महापुण्यैर्मया दृग्गोचरीकृता
Where Trivikrama dwells, the sole protector of all the worlds; that city, filled with great merit, has been made visible to me.
कुरुक्षेत्रं मया दृष्टं सर्वहत्यापनोदनम् । स्यमंतपंचकं यत्र महापातकनाशनम्
I have seen Kurukṣetra, which removes all killing; and there is Syamantapañcaka, destroyer of great sins.
वाराणसी मया दृष्टा विश्वनाथकृतालया । यत्रोपदिशते मंत्रं तारकं ब्रह्मसंज्ञितम्
I have seen Vārāṇasī, the abode established by Viśvanātha, where the mantra called Tāraka, signifying Brahman, is imparted.
यस्यां मृताः कीटपतंगभृंगाः पश्वादयो वा सुरयोनयो वा । स्वकर्मसंभोगसुखं विहाय गच्छंति कैलासमतीतदुःखाः
Where those who die—be they insects, moths, bees, cattle, or even gods—abandon the pleasures born of their own actions and, free from all suffering, go to Kailāsa.
मणिकर्णिर्यत्र तीर्थं यस्यामुत्तरवाहिनी । करोति संसृतेर्बंधच्छेदं पापकृतामपि
Where is the holy place Maṇikarṇikā, where the river flows northward; it cuts the bonds of transmigration even for those who have committed sins.
कपर्दिनः कुंडलिनः सर्पभूषाधरावराः । गजचर्मपरीधाना वसंति गतदुःखकाः
Where the followers of Kapardin, the coiled one, adorned with serpent ornaments, clad in elephant skins, dwell free from sorrow.
कालभैरवनामात्र करोति यमशासनम् । न करोति नृणां वार्तां यमो दंडधरः प्रभुः
Only Kālabhairava enforces Yama's command; Yama, the lord who wields the rod, does not concern himself with the affairs of men.
एतादृशी मया दृष्टा काशी विश्वेश्वरांकिता । अनेकान्यपि तीर्थानि मया दृष्टानि भूमिप
Such is the Kāśī I have seen, marked by Viśveśvara; I have also seen many other sacred places, O king.
परमेकं महच्चित्रं यद्दृष्टं नीलपर्वते । पुरुषोत्तमसान्निध्ये तन्न क्वाप्यक्षिगोचरम्
But the one supreme, wondrous thing I saw upon the Nīla mountain—by the presence of the Supreme Person—cannot be seen anywhere else by the eyes.
ब्राह्मण उवाच। राजंस्त्वं शृणु यद्वृत्तं नीले पर्वतसत्तमे । यच्छ्रद्दधानाः पुरुषा यांति ब्रह्म सनातनम्
The brāhmaṇa said: O king, listen to what happened on the excellent Nīla mountain, where faithful people attain the eternal Brahman.
मया पर्यटता तत्र गतं नीलाभिधे गिरौ । गंगासागरतोयेन क्षालितप्रांगणे मुहुः
As I wandered there, I went to the mountain called Nīla, whose courtyard was repeatedly washed by the waters of the Gaṅgā and the ocean.
तत्र भिल्ला मया दृष्टाः पर्वताग्रे धनुर्भृतः । चतुर्भुजा मूलफलैर्भक्ष्यैर्निर्वाहितक्लमाः
There I saw Bhillas on the mountain peak, armed with bows, four-armed, their fatigue relieved by roots, fruits, and edible things.
तदा मे मनसि क्षिप्रं संशयः सुमहानभूत् । चतुर्भुजाः किमेते वै धनुर्बाणधरा नराः
Then, a great doubt quickly arose in my mind: are these four-armed, bow-bearing men truly human?
वैकुंठवासिनां रूपं दृश्यते विजितात्मनाम् । कथमेतैरुपालब्धं ब्रह्माद्यैरपि दुर्ल्लभम्
The form of those dwelling in Vaikuṇṭha is seen among those who have mastered themselves; how have these attained what is hard to obtain even for Brahmā and the others?
शंखचक्रगदाशार्ङ्गपद्मोल्लसितपाणयः । वनमालापरीतांगा विष्णुभक्ता इवांतिके
With hands shining with conch, discus, mace, bow, and lotus, their bodies adorned with garlands of forest flowers, they seemed like devotees of Viṣṇu nearby.
संशयाविष्टचित्तेन मया पृष्टं तदा नृप । यूयं के बत युष्माभिर्लब्धं चातुर्भुजं कथम्
With my mind seized by doubt, I asked them then, O king: Who are you? How have you all obtained this four-armed form?
तदा तैर्बहु हास्यं तु कृत्वा मां प्रतिभाषितम् । ब्राह्मणोऽयं न जानाति पिंडमाहात्म्यमद्भुतम्
Then, after much laughter, they replied to me: 'This brāhmaṇa does not know the wondrous greatness of the piṇḍa-offering.'
इति श्रुत्वाऽवदं चाहं कः पिंडः कस्य दीयते । तन्मम ब्रूत धर्मिष्ठाश्चतुर्भुजशरीरिणः
Hearing this, I said: 'What is the piṇḍa? To whom is it given? Tell me, O righteous four-armed ones.'
तदा मद्वाक्यमाकर्ण्य कथितं तैर्महात्मभिः । सर्वं तत्र तु यद्वृत्तं चतुर्भुजभवादिकम्
Then, hearing my words, those great souls told me everything that had happened there, including the origin of their four-armed forms.
किराता ऊचुः। शृणु ब्राह्मण वृत्तांतमस्माकं पृथुकः शिशुः । नित्यं जंबूफलादीनि भक्षयन्क्रीडया चरन्
The Kirātas said: 'Listen, brāhmaṇa, to our story. Pṛthuka, a child among us, would always eat jambu fruits and wander about in play.'
एकदा रममाणस्तु गिरिशृंगं मनोरमम् । समारुरोह शिशुभिः समंतात्परिवारितः
One day, while playing, he climbed a delightful mountain peak, surrounded on all sides by other children.
तदा तत्र ददर्शाहं देवायतनमद्भुतम् । गारुत्मतादिमणिभिः खचितं स्वर्णभित्तिकम्
Then, there I saw a wondrous temple of the gods, set with gems from Garuḍa's mountain and walls of gold.