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.
प्रीयतां धर्मराजेति पितॄन्देवांश्च तर्पयेत् । यावज्जीवकृतं पापं तत्क्षणादेव नश्यति
Saying, 'May Dharmarāja be pleased,' one should satisfy the ancestors and the gods; all the sins committed in life are destroyed at that very moment.
वैशाख्यां पौर्णमास्यां च सृष्टाः कमलयोनिना । तिला देयाश्च भक्त्या च स्पृश्याः सर्वांगतो द्विज
On the full moon of Vaiśākha, created by the Lotus-born (Brahmā), sesame seeds should be given with devotion and touched with the whole body, O twice-born one.
यस्तिलैर्यवसम्मिश्रैः स्नाति सर्वांगतस्तदा । तस्य ब्रह्मा च धर्मोऽत्र ददाति वरमीप्सितम्
Whoever bathes the whole body with barley mixed with sesame seeds, for him Brahmā and Dharma grant the desired boon here.
प्रीतये धर्मराजस्य यो दद्यादुदकुंभकान् । सप्तसप्त कुलं तेन तारितं स्यान्न संशयः
Whoever, for the pleasure of Dharmarāja, gives water pots, seven by seven, saves his lineage for seven generations—of this there is no doubt.
त्रयोदश्यां चतुर्दश्यां पूर्णायां भक्तितत्परः । स्नात्वा जप्त्वा तथा हुत्वा दत्वा संपूज्य माधवम्
On the thirteenth, fourteenth, or full moon day, being devoted, after bathing, reciting, offering oblations, giving gifts, and worshipping Mādhava,
यत्फलं जायते पुत्र तदस्माकं प्रयच्छ भोः । नैतौ परिचितौ प्रेतौ हित्वा स्वर्गतिमाश्रये
Whatever fruit arises from this, O son, grant that to us; abandoning these two pretas, I seek the path to heaven.
एतयोरपिपापस्य ह्यं तोयं समुपस्थितः । यम उवाच- तथेत्युक्त्वा गतः सर्वं ततश्चक्रे स वै द्विजः
Even for these two sinful pretas, water has been offered; Yama said: 'So be it,' and after saying this, that brāhmaṇa did everything accordingly.
प्रीतः परमया भक्त्या वैशाख्यां स्नानदानकृत् । स्नातः समुदितो भक्त्या प्राप्य माधवपूर्णिमाम्
Pleased with supreme devotion, he performed bathing and giving in Vaiśākha; having bathed and arisen with devotion, he reached the full moon of Mādhava.
दत्वा बहूनि दानानि तेभ्यः पुण्यं ददौ पृथक् । तत्क्षणादेव ते सर्वे विमानस्था दिवं ययुः
Giving many gifts to them, he separately bestowed merit; at that very moment, all of them, dwelling in aerial chariots, went to heaven.
तत्पुण्यदानयोगेन मुदिता द्विजसत्तम । धनशर्मापि विप्रेंद्र श्रुःतिस्मृतिपुराणवित्
By the power of that meritorious giving, O best of brāhmaṇas, Dhanaśarman too, the foremost brāhmaṇa, learned in the Vedas, Smṛtis, and Purāṇas, rejoiced.