त्वया मात्स्यं वपुर्धृत्वा शंखस्तु निहतोसुरः । वेदाः सुरक्षिता ब्रह्मन्महापुरुषपूर्वज
Assuming the form of a fish, You slew the demon Śaṅkha; O Brahman, ancient Great Person, You protected the Vedas.
शेषो न वेत्ति महि ते भारत्यपि महेश्वरी । किमुतान्ये महाविष्णो मादृशास्तु कुबुद्धयः
Even Śeṣa does not know Your greatness, nor does Bhāratī or Maheśvarī; how much less, O Great Viṣṇu, can others like me, of small understanding?
मनसा त्वां न चाप्नोति वागियं परमेश्वरी । तस्मादहं कथं त्वां वै स्तोतुं स्यामीश्वरः प्रभो
The mind cannot attain You, nor can this supreme speech, O Lord of lords; so how then, O Master, am I able to praise You?
इति स्तुत्वा स शिरसा प्रणाममकरोन्मुहुः । गद्गदस्वरसंयुक्तो रोमहर्षांकितांगकः
Thus praising, he repeatedly bowed his head, his voice choked with emotion, his body marked by hairs standing on end.
इति स्तुत्या प्रहृष्टात्मा भगवान्पुरुषोत्तमः । उवाच वचनं सत्यं राजानं प्रति सार्थकम्
Thus, being delighted by the praise, the Blessed Supreme Person spoke true and meaningful words to the king.
श्रीभगवानुवाच। तव स्तुत्या प्रहर्षोऽभून्मम राजन्महामते । जानीहि त्वं महाराज मां च प्रकृतितः परम्
The Blessed Lord said: O king of great wisdom, your praise has brought me joy; know, O great king, that I am truly the Supreme by nature.
नैवेद्यभक्षणं त्वं हि शीघ्रं कुरु मनोहरम् । चतुर्भुजत्वमाप्तः सन्गंतासि परमं पदम्
Quickly partake of the delightful offering; you have attained four-armed form and will reach the supreme abode.
त्वत्कृत्स्तुतिरत्नेन यो मां स्तोष्यति मानवः । तस्यापि दर्शनं दास्ये भुक्तिमुक्तिवरप्रदम्
Any person who praises me with your jewel-like hymn, I will grant them a vision as well, bestowing both enjoyment and liberation.
इत्येवं वचनं राजा श्रुत्वा भगवतोदितम् । नैवेद्यभक्षणं चक्रे चतुर्भिः सह सेवकैः
Hearing these words spoken by the Blessed Lord, the king partook of the offering together with his four attendants.
ततो विमानं संप्राप्तं किंकिणीजालमंडितम् । अप्सरोवृंदसंसेव्यं सर्वभोगसमन्वितम्
Then a celestial chariot appeared, adorned with networks of tinkling bells, attended by groups of apsarases, and filled with every enjoyment.
पुरुषोत्तमसंज्ञं च पश्यन्राजा स धार्मिकः । ववंदे चरणौ तस्य कृपापात्रकृतात्मकः
That righteous king, seeing the one called Puruṣottama, bowed at his feet, his heart made worthy by grace.
तदाज्ञया विमाने स आरुह्य महिलायुतः । जगाम पश्यतस्तस्य दिवि वैकुंठमद्भुतम्
By his command, the king, together with a host of women, ascended the chariot and, as all watched, went to the wondrous Vaikuṇṭha in the heavens.
मंत्री धर्मपरो राज्ञः सर्वधर्मविदुत्तमः । ययौ साकं विमानेन ललनावृन्दसेवितः
The king's minister, devoted to righteousness and foremost knower of all dharma, went along in the chariot, attended by a company of women.
तापसब्राह्मणस्तत्र सर्वतीर्थावगाहकः । चतुर्भुजत्वं संप्राप्तो ययौ देवैर्विमानिभिः
There, the ascetic brāhmaṇa, who had bathed in all the sacred waters, attained a four-armed form and departed with the gods in their chariots.
करंबोऽपि महाराज गानपुण्येन दर्शनम् । प्राप्तो ययौ सुरावासं सर्वदेवादिदुर्ल्लभम्
And Karamba too, O great king, by the merit of his singing, attained a vision and went to the divine abode, which is difficult even for all the gods to reach.
सर्वे प्रचलिता विष्णुलोकं परममद्भुतम् । चतुर्भुजाः शंखचक्रगदापाथोजधारिणः
All of them set out for Viṣṇu's world, most wondrous, four-armed, bearing conch, discus, mace, and lotus.
सर्वे मेघश्रियः शुद्धा लसदंभोजपाणयः । हारकेयूरकटकैर्भूषितांगा ययुर्दिवम्
All shone with the splendor of clouds, pure, with radiant lotus hands, their bodies adorned with necklaces, armlets, and bracelets, they went to the heavens.
तद्विमानावलीर्दृष्ट्वा लोकैः प्रकृतिभिस्तदा । दुंदुभीनां तु निर्घोषस्तैः कृतः कर्णगोचरः
Seeing that line of chariots, the people and their leaders heard the resounding thunder of drums, made audible to their ears.
तदैको ब्राह्मणो ह्यासीद्विष्णुपादाब्जवल्लभः । गतस्तद्विरहाकृष्टचेता जातश्चतुर्भुजः
At that time there was a single brāhmaṇa, beloved of Viṣṇu's lotus feet, who, his mind drawn by separation, became four-armed.
तच्चित्रं वीक्ष्य लोकास्ते प्रशंसंतो महोदयम् । गंगासागरसंयोगे स्नात्वाऽगुस्तं पुरं प्रति
Seeing that marvelous event, the people praised the great fortune, and after bathing at the confluence of the Ganges and the ocean, they returned to the city of Agastya.
अहो भाग्यं भूमिपते रत्नग्रीवस्य सन्मतेः । जगामानेन देहेन तद्विष्णोः परमं पदम्
O lord of the earth, how blessed is Ratnagrīva, of noble mind! With this very body he went to that supreme abode of Viṣṇu.
राजन्नसौ नीलगिरिः पुरुषोत्तमसत्कृतः । यं वीक्ष्यैव व्रजंत्यद्धा वैकुंठं परमायनम्
O king, that Nīlagiri, honored by Puruṣottama, is such that merely by seeing it, one truly goes to Vaikuṇṭha, the supreme destination.
एतन्नीलस्य माहात्म्यं यः शृणोति स भाग्यवान् । यः श्रावयति लोकान्वै तौ गच्छेतां परं पदम्
Whoever hears this greatness of Nīla is truly fortunate; and whoever causes others to hear it—both will attain the supreme state.
एतच्छ्रुत्वा तु दुःस्वप्नो नश्यति स्मृतिमात्रतः । प्रांते संसारनिस्तारं ददाति पुरुषोत्तमः
By merely remembering and hearing this, an evil dream is destroyed; at the end, the Supreme Person grants liberation from the cycle of existence.
योऽसौ नीलाधिवासी च स रामः पुरुषोत्तमः । सीतासाक्षान्महालक्ष्मीः सर्वकारणकारणम्
He who dwells upon Nīla is that very Rāma, the Supreme Person; Sītā herself is Mahālakṣmī, the cause of all causes.
हयमेधं चरित्वा स लोकान्वै पावयिष्यति । यन्नामब्रह्महत्यायाः प्रायश्चित्ते प्रदिश्यते
Having performed the horse sacrifice, he will purify the worlds; his name is prescribed as atonement for the sin of killing a brāhmaṇa.
इदानीं त्वद्धयः प्राप्तो नीलेपर्वतसत्तमे । पुरुषोत्तमदेवं त्वं नमस्कुरु महामते
Now your horse has reached the excellent Nīla mountain; O wise one, offer your reverence to the god Puruṣottama.
तत्र निष्पापिनो भूत्वा यास्यामः परमं पदम् । यस्य प्रसादाद्बहवो निस्तीर्णा भवसागरात्
There, becoming free from sin, we shall attain the supreme state—by whose grace many have crossed over the ocean of existence.
एवं प्रवदतस्तस्य प्राप्तोऽश्वो नीलपर्वतम् । वायुवेगेन पृथिवीं कुर्वन्संक्षुण्णमंडलाम्
As he was speaking thus, the horse reached the Nīla mountain, making the earth tremble with the force of the wind, crushing the land.
तदा राजापि तत्पृष्ठचारी नीलाभिधं गिरिम् । प्राप्तो गंगाब्धिसंयोगे स्नात्वागात्पुरुषोत्तमम्
Then the king, following behind, reached the mountain called Nīla at the confluence of the Gaṅgā and the ocean; after bathing, he approached Puruṣottama.