न दत्तं न हुतं किंचिद्वैशाख्यां चाविशेषतः । नार्चितो मधुहा तत्र तोषिता न मनीषिणः
I gave nothing, offered no oblations, especially in the month of Vaishakha; I did not worship Madhusudana there, nor did I please the wise.
मणिकोदककुंभैश्च न दानैः पितृदेवताः । तर्पिता न तिला दत्ताः सक्षौद्राः श्रोत्रियेषु च
With jeweled water-pots, I did not satisfy the ancestors or gods by gifts; nor did I give sesame with honey to the learned.
न पुष्पफलतांबूल चंदन व्यजनांबरैः । विद्वांसो नार्चितास्तत्र पितृदैवततुष्टये
I did not honor the learned there with flowers, fruits, betel, sandalwood, fans, or garments for the satisfaction of ancestors and deities.
मया नैकापि वैशाखी पूर्णा पूर्णफल प्रदा । स्नानदानक्रियापूजा सुकृतैः परिपालिता
Not even one complete Vaishakha, fruitful in full merit, did I observe with bathing, giving, ritual, or worship, protected by good deeds.
तेन मे वैदिकं कर्म सर्वं चैव तु निष्फलम् । ततोऽवैशाखनामाहं प्रेतो जातोऽस्मि सर्वतः
Because of this, all my Vedic rituals have become fruitless; therefore, I have been born as a preta called Avaiśākha in every way.
एतत्ते सर्वमाख्यातं त्रयाणामपि कारणम् । त्वं नो भव समुद्धर्ता पापाद्विप्रोसि वै यतः
All this has been told to you, including the reason for all three; you must become our deliverer from sin, for you are indeed virtuous.
विमुक्तं ब्रह्मतीर्थं च साधवः परमं यतः । तारयंति महापापान्निरयेभ्योऽपि संश्रितान्
The sacred Brahma-tīrtha, being supremely pure, is where the noble ones rescue those who have taken refuge there from even the greatest sins and from hells.
गंगादि पुण्यतीर्थेषु यो नरः स्नाति सर्वदा । यः करोति सतां संगं तयोः सत्संगमो वरः
Among those who always bathe at holy places like the Ganga, and those who associate with the virtuous, the company of the good is superior.
अथवा मम पुत्रोऽस्ति धनशर्मेति विश्रुतः । तं गत्वा बोधय स्वामिन्नस्मदर्थे कृतोद्यमः
Or else, I have a son named Dhanaśarman, who is well known; go to him, O master, and inform him—let him make an effort for our sake.
कार्ये समुद्यमं कृत्वा परेषां समुपस्थिते । पुष्कलं फलमाप्नोति यज्ञदानक्रियाधिकम्
When one makes a determined effort for the benefit of others in their time of need, one obtains abundant fruit, greater than that of sacrifices, gifts, or rituals.
यम उवाच- प्रेतवाक्यं तदाकर्ण्य धनशर्माति दुःखितः । स तं जनकमाज्ञाय पतितं निरये निजम्
Yama said—Hearing the words of the preta, Dhanaśarman became extremely distressed, realizing that his own father had fallen into hell.
आत्मानमभितो निंदन्निदं वचनमब्रवीत् । धनशर्मोवाच- अहं तव सुतः स्वामिन्गौतमस्य निरर्थकः
Blaming himself deeply, he spoke these words: Dhanaśarman said—O master, I am your son, but useless to Gautama.
यस्तु पुत्रो न निस्तारं पितुः कुर्यादतंद्रितः । आत्मानं पावयेन्नासावदाता द्रव्यवानिति
A son who does not untiringly rescue his father cannot purify himself, even if he is wealthy.
धर्मो हि गहनो ज्ञेयः प्रयत्नेनापि धीमता । यथा मम पिता च त्वमिमां प्राप्तोसि दुर्गतिम्
Dharma is indeed profound and hard to know, even for the wise with effort, as my father and you have now come to this misfortune.
यदा च सुखसंतानं न मत्तः प्राप्तवानसि । लोकयोः सुखसंताने तथा स तनयो मतः
Since you did not obtain the continuity of happiness from me, so too, in both worlds, a son is considered the one who continues happiness.
द्वौ गुरू पुरुषस्येह पिता माता च धर्मतः । तयोरपि पिता श्रेयान्बीजप्राधान्यदर्शनात्
A person has two teachers here: father and mother, by righteousness; yet the father is superior, because of the primacy of the seed.
किं करोमि क्व गच्छामि कथं तातगतिस्तव । धर्मतत्त्वं न जानामि संश्रयामि भवद्वचः
What shall I do, where shall I go, how can I change your condition, father? I do not know the true nature of dharma; I seek refuge in your words.
प्रेत उवाच- शृणु पुत्र वचः सत्यं भाविनोऽर्थस्य मे बलात् । अथ पुण्येन केनापि भवित्री सुगतिर्मम
The preta said—Listen, my son, to my true words about my future fate; perhaps, by some merit, I may attain a good destiny.
मया श्रौतानि कर्माणि कुर्वता किल गर्वतः । अनादृतं गुरुवचो गुरुस्तत्रावमानितः
While performing Vedic rites, I acted with pride; I disregarded the words of my teacher, and the teacher was insulted there.
गुरूणामपमानेन प्रहर्षक्रोधविस्मयैः । पुण्यानि क्षयमायांति यशांसीव हि दुर्नयैः
By disrespecting teachers, with delight, anger, or astonishment, merits are destroyed, just as fame is lost by bad conduct.
पौराणिक विधानेन कर्म श्रौताविरोधि यत् । केवलं वैदिकं कर्म कृतमज्ञानतो मया
According to the Purāṇic injunctions, I performed only Vedic rites, not opposed to śruti, but did so out of ignorance.
पापेंधन दवज्वाला पापद्रुमकुठारिका । कृता नैकापि वैशाखी विधिना पुत्र पूर्णिमा
The Vaiśākhī full moon, my son, is prescribed as the fire to burn the fuel of sin, and as the axe to cut down the tree of sin.
अव्रता यस्य वैशाखी सोऽवैशाखो भवेन्नरः । दशजन्मानि च ततस्तिर्यग्योनिषु जायते
A person whose Vaiśākhī observance is neglected is not truly a Vaiśākha observer; as a result, he is born in animal wombs for ten lifetimes.
चिरं भुक्त्वा दुःखमंते प्रेतः पर्यायतो भवेत् । लभते मानुषं जन्म कथंचिदपि दुर्लभम्
After long suffering, at the end he becomes a preta (restless spirit) in succession; only with great difficulty does he obtain a human birth, which is rare.
उपायं ते वदिष्यामि प्रेतमोक्षकरं परम् । श्रुतवान्यदहंपूर्वजन्मनिस्वगुरोर्मुखात्
I will tell you the supreme means that grants release from the preta state, which I once heard from the mouth of my own teacher in a previous birth.
गच्छ पुत्र गृहं स्नात्वा यमुनायां विधानतः । अद्यतः सर्वगतिदा कल्पाद्या साप्युपागता । पश्चिमेऽहनि वैशाखी पितृदेवार्चने हिता
Go, my son, to your house, bathe properly in the Yamunā; from today, the Vaiśākhī, which grants all destinies and begins the kalpa, has arrived; on its last day, the Vaiśākhī is beneficial for worshipping ancestors and gods.
पानीयमप्यत्र तिलैर्विमिश्रं सहोदकुंभान्नफलानि भक्त्या । दद्यात्पितृभ्यो भवतीह दत्तं श्राद्धं सदा तेन समा सहस्रम्
Here, with devotion, one should offer to the ancestors water mixed with sesame seeds, together with water pots, food, and fruits; by this, the śrāddha offered here is equal to a thousand performed elsewhere.
वैशाख्यां पौर्णमास्यां यो भोजयेद्भूमिदेवताः । सिक्थेसिक्थे भवेत्तृप्तिः पितॄणां युगसंख्यया
Whoever feeds the earth deities on the full moon of Vaiśākha, the ancestors are satisfied for as many ages as there are grains of flour.
वैशाख्यां विधिना स्नात्वा भोजयेद्ब्राह्मणान्दश । पायसं सर्वपापेभ्यो मुच्यते नात्र संशयः
Bathing according to the rite in Vaiśākha and feeding ten brāhmaṇas with milk-rice, one is freed from all sins—of this there is no doubt.
गौरान्वा यदि वा कृष्णांस्तिलान्क्षौद्रेण संयुतान् । दत्वा दशभ्यो विप्रेभ्यस्तेनैव स्वस्ति वाचयेत्
By giving to ten brāhmaṇas either white or black sesame seeds mixed with honey, one thereby invokes blessings for oneself.