विचित्रविष्णुवार्ताभिर्विनोदितमना नृपः । मार्गेमार्गे महाविष्णुं गापयामास गायकान्
The king, his mind delighted by wondrous tales of Viṣṇu, had the singers recite hymns to the great Viṣṇu at every stage of the journey.
दीनांधकृपणानां च पंगूनां वासनोचितम् । दानं ददौ महाराजो बुद्धिमान्विजितेंद्रियः
The wise king, master of his senses, gave appropriate gifts to the poor, the blind, the wretched, and the lame.
अनेकतीर्थविरजमात्मानं भव्यतां गतम् । कुर्वन्ययौ स्वीयलोकैर्हरिध्यानपरायणः
Having purified himself at many holy places and attained blessedness, he continued on with his people, devoted to meditation on Hari.
नृपो गच्छन्ददर्शाग्रे नदीं पापप्रणाशिनीम् । चक्रांकितग्रावयुतां मुनिमानस निर्मलाम्
As the king went, he saw ahead a river that destroys sin, adorned with stones marked by the discus, pure as the mind of a sage.
अनेकमुनिवृंदानां बहुश्रेणिविराजिताम् । सारसादिपतत्रीणां कूजितैरुपशोभिताम्
It was graced by many groups of sages, shining with numerous assemblies, and beautified by the calls of cranes, swans, and other waterfowl.
दृष्ट्वा पप्रच्छ विप्राग्र्यं तापसं धर्मकोविदम् । अनेकतीर्थमाहात्म्य विशेषज्ञानजृंभितम्
Seeing this, he questioned the foremost brāhmaṇa, an ascetic learned in dharma, who was well-versed in the special glories of the many holy places.
स्वामिन्केयं नदी पुण्या मुनिवृन्दनिषेविता । करोति मम चित्तस्य प्रमोदभरनिर्भरम्
'Master, what is this sacred river, frequented by groups of sages? It fills my heart with abundant joy.'
इति श्रुत्वा वचस्तस्य राजराजस्य धीमतः । वक्तुं प्रचक्रमे विद्वांस्तीर्थमाहात्म्यमुत्तमम्
Hearing the words of that wise king of kings, the learned one began to speak of the supreme glory of the holy place.
ब्राह्मण उवाच। गंडकीयं नदी राजन्सुरासुरनिषेविता । पुण्योदकपरीवाह हतपातकसंचया
The brāhmaṇa said: 'O King, this Gaṇḍakī river is frequented by gods and demons. Its sacred waters flow pure, destroying accumulated sins.'
दर्शनान्मानसं पापं स्पर्शनात्कर्मजं दहेत् । वाचिकं स्वीय तोयस्य पानतः पापसंचयम्
'By seeing it, mental sin is burned; by touching it, sin from actions is destroyed; by drinking its own water, the accumulation of verbal sin is removed.'
पुरा दृष्ट्वा प्रजानाथः प्रजाः सर्वा विपावनीः । स्वगंडविप्रुषोनेक पापघ्नीं सृष्टवानिमाम्
'Long ago, seeing all beings in need of purification, the Lord of creatures created this river, which destroys many sins with her own drops.'
एनां नदीं ये पुण्योदां स्पृशंति सुतरंगिणीम् । ते गर्भभाजो नैव स्युरपि पापकृतो नराः
'Those who touch this sacred, many-waved river will not be born in the womb again, even if they are sinners among men.'
अस्यां भवा ये चाश्मानश्चक्रचिह्नैरलंकृताः । ते साक्षाद्भगवंतो हि स्वस्वरूपधराः पराः
Those stones here which are adorned with the mark of the discus—those, indeed, are the Supreme Lords themselves, present in their own true form.
शिलां संपूजयेद्यस्तु नित्यं चक्रयुतां नरः । न जातु स जनन्या वै जठरं समुपाविशेत्
A man who daily worships a stone marked with a discus will never again enter the womb of his mother.
पूजयेद्यो नरो धीमाञ्छालग्रामशिलां वराम् । तेनाचारवता भाव्यं दंभलोभवियोगिना
A wise man who worships the excellent Śālagrāma stone must act with proper conduct, free from hypocrisy and greed.
परदार परद्रव्यविमुखेन नरेण हि । पूजनीयः प्रयत्नेन शालग्रामः सचक्रकः
The Śālagrāma stone with a discus should be worshipped with care by a man who avoids others' wives and others' wealth.
द्वारवत्यां भवं चक्रं शिला वै गंडकीभवा । पुंसां क्षणाद्धरत्येव पापं जन्मशतार्जितम्
The discus is from Dvārakā, the stone is from the Gaṇḍakī river; in a moment, it removes the sins accumulated over hundreds of births for men.
अपि पापसहस्राणां कर्ता तावन्नरो भवेत् । शालग्रामशिलातोयं पीत्वा पूतो भवेत्क्षणात्
Even if a man has committed thousands of sins, by drinking the water from the Śālagrāma stone, he becomes purified instantly.
ब्राह्मणः क्षत्रियो वैश्यः शूद्रो वेदपथि स्थितः । शालग्रामं पूजयित्वा गृहस्थो मोक्षमाप्नुयात्
A Brāhmaṇa, Kṣatriya, Vaiśya, or Śūdra who follows the Vedic path and worships the Śālagrāma stone as a householder attains liberation.
न जातु चित्स्त्रिया कार्यं शालग्रामस्य पूजनम् । भर्तृहीनाथ सुभगा स्वर्गलोकहितैषिणी
A woman should never perform the worship of the Śālagrāma stone, whether she is without a husband, fortunate, or seeking heavenly realms.
मोहात्स्पृष्ट्वापि महिला जन्मशीलगुणान्विता । हित्वा पुण्यसमूहं सा सत्वरं नरकं व्रजेत्
Even if a virtuous woman, endowed with good birth, character, and qualities, touches it out of delusion, she quickly goes to hell, abandoning all her accumulated merit.
स्त्रीपाणिमुक्तपुष्पाणि शालग्रामशिलोपरि । पवेरधिकपातानि वदंति ब्राह्मणोत्तमाः
The best Brāhmaṇas say that flowers dropped by a woman's hand upon the Śālagrāma stone bring about excessive fault.
चंदनं विषसंकाशं कुसुमं वज्रसंनिभम् । नैवेद्यं कालकूटाभं भवेद्भगवतः कृतम्
Sandalwood like poison, flowers like thunderbolts, and offerings resembling deadly poison—such are those offered to the Lord improperly.
तस्मात्सर्वात्मना त्याज्यं स्त्रिया स्पर्शः शिलोपरि । कुर्वती याति नरकं यावदिंद्राश्चतुर्दश
Therefore, a woman must completely avoid touching the stone; if she does so, she goes to hell for as long as the fourteen Indras reign.
अपि पापसमाचारो ब्रह्महत्यायुतोऽपि वा । शालग्रामशिलातोयं पीत्वा याति परां गतिम्
Even one of sinful conduct, or burdened with the sin of killing a Brāhmaṇa, by drinking the water from the Śālagrāma stone, attains the highest state.
तुलसीचंदनं वारि शंखो घंटाथ चक्रकम् । शिला ताम्रस्य पात्रं तु विष्णोर्नामपदामृतम्
Tulasī, sandalwood, water, conch, bell, and discus, the stone, a copper vessel, and the nectar of Viṣṇu's names—
पदामृतं तु नवभिः पापराशिप्रदाहकम् । वदंति मुनयः शांताः सर्वशास्त्रार्थकोविदाः
The nectar of the names, in nine forms, burns up heaps of sins—so say the peaceful sages, well-versed in the meaning of all the scriptures.
सर्वतीर्थपरिस्नानात्सर्वक्रतुसमर्चनात् । पुण्यं भवति यद्राजन्बिंदौ बिंदौ तदद्भुतम्
The merit obtained, O King, from bathing at all holy places and worshipping with all sacrifices, is wonderfully found in each and every drop here.
शालग्रामशिला यत्र पूज्यते पुरुषोत्तमैः । तत्र योजनमात्रं तु तीर्थकोटिसमन्वितम्
Where the Śālagrāma stone is worshipped by the best of men, there, for a distance of a yojana, are found the merits of ten million holy places.
शालग्रामाः समाः पूज्याः समेषु द्वितयं नहि । विषमा एव संपूज्या विषमेषु त्रयं नहि
Śālagrāma stones are to be worshipped equally in equal numbers; there should not be two in an equal place, nor three in an unequal place.