अथांतरिक्षे वागुच्चैरिति जाता नृपोत्तम । सत्यं सत्यं सत्यमिदं संदेहोनात्र विद्यते
Then, in the sky, a voice loudly spoke, O best of kings: 'True, true, true is this; there is no doubt here.'
ततः स पक्षी विप्रर्षे सहसा भार्यया सह । गङ्गा माहात्म्यकथनात्पूर्वस्थित इवाभवत्
Then that bird, O sage among Brahmins, together with his wife, became as he was before, due to the narration of the greatness of the Ganges.
दिवि दुंदुभयो नेदुर्जगुर्गन्धर्वसत्तमाः । ननृतुश्चाप्सरोवर्गा ह्यपतत्पुष्पवर्षणम्
Drums resounded in the heavens, the best of Gandharvas sang, the groups of Apsaras danced, and a shower of flowers fell.
विमानमागतं दिव्यं सर्वभोगसमन्वितम् । समायाता दूतगणाः प्रेषिताः कैटभद्विषा
A divine chariot arrived, endowed with every enjoyment; groups of messengers sent by the enemy of Kaitabha came.
अथासौ सर्वगो विप्र प्रियया सह भार्यया । सद्यो विमानमारुह्य जगाम भवनं हरेः
Then he, all-pervading, O Brahmin, together with his beloved wife, immediately ascended the chariot and went to the abode of Hari.
एतच्छ्रुत्वाद्भुतं कर्म स राजा द्विजसत्तम । सपुत्रदारः सेवायां गङ्गायास्तत्परोऽभवत्
Hearing of this wondrous deed, the king, O best of twice-born, together with his sons and wife, became devoted to service of the Ganges.
भागीरथ्या समं तीर्थं नास्ति वै भुवनत्रये । यन्नामोच्चारणादेव सर्वगो मोक्षमाप्नुयात्
There is truly no holy place in the three worlds equal to Bhagirathi; by merely uttering her name, anyone attains liberation.
गङ्गाद्वारस्य माहात्म्यं कथितं ते द्विजोत्तम । समस्तपापविध्वंसि किमन्यच्छ्रोतुमिच्छसि
The greatness of Gangadvara, destroyer of all sins, has been told to you, best of twice-born; what else do you wish to hear?
अध्यायमेतत्परमादरेण पठंति ये देवगृहे मनुष्याः । शृण्वंति ये च द्विजवर्गभक्ता नश्यंति तेषां दुरितानि सद्यः
Those people who recite this chapter with utmost reverence in a temple, and those devoted twice-born who listen, their sins are destroyed at once.
व्यास उवाच- पुनर्वक्ष्यामि विप्रेन्द्र गङ्गामाहात्म्यमुत्तमम् । गङ्गाकथासुधापानं कुरु मुक्तिं यदीच्छसि
Vyasa said: Once again, O foremost of Brahmins, I will declare to you the supreme glory of Ganga; drink the nectar of Ganga's stories if you desire liberation.
दानं दत्तं तेन सर्वं तेन सर्वे मखाः कृताः । तेन प्रपूजितो विष्णुर्यद्भक्तिर्भीष्म मातरि
By her, all charity is given, all sacrifices are performed; by her, Vishnu is worshipped, O Bhishma, as by devotion to the mother.
गङ्गायां धर्मकर्माणि क्रियंते यानि कानि च । अक्षयानि भवंत्यस्य तानि सर्वाणि जैमिने
Whatever righteous acts are performed in Ganga—of any kind, O Jaimini—all those become inexhaustible for that person.
वहंतं जलमालोक्य गाङ्गेयानि जलानि यः । भक्त्या गच्छेत्समुत्थाय सोऽश्वमेधसहस्रकृत्
Whoever, seeing the flowing waters of Ganga, rises and approaches her waters with devotion, is as if he has performed a thousand horse sacrifices.
गङ्गाजलेष्वागतेषु यो नो तिष्ठति भक्तितः । पशुता शाश्वती तस्य जन्मजन्मनि जैमिने
Whoever does not stand with devotion in the waters of Ganga, when they are present, O Jaimini, for him there is perpetual animal birth, life after life.
गाङ्गेयं जलमासाद्य यो न गृह्णाति भक्तितः । जन्मकोट्यर्जितं पुण्यं क्षणादेव तु नश्यति
Whoever, having reached Ganga's water, does not take it with devotion, his merit accumulated over ten million births is instantly destroyed.
गङ्गातीरं जिगमिषुं यस्तु वारयते द्विज । स कोटिकुलसंयुक्तो रौरवं नरकं व्रजेत्
A Brahmin who prevents someone wishing to go to the bank of Ganga, he, though born in a noble family, goes to the hell called Raurava.
मूत्रं वाथ पुरीषं वा गंगातीरे करोति यः । न दृष्टा निष्कृतिस्तस्य कल्पकोटिशतैरपि
Whoever passes urine or feces on the bank of Ganga, for him there is no expiation, even in a hundred million aeons.
श्लेष्माणं वापि निष्ठीवं दूषिकां वाश्रु वा मलम् । गंगातीरे त्यजेद्यस्तु स नूनं नारकी भवेत्
Whoever spits phlegm, saliva, or throws filth, tears, or excrement on the bank of Ganga, he certainly becomes a denizen of hell.
उच्छिष्टं कफकं चैव गङ्गागर्भे च यस्त्यजेत् । स याति नरकं घोरं ब्रह्महत्यां च विंदति
Whoever discards leftovers or phlegm in the body of Ganga, he goes to terrible hell and incurs the sin of killing a Brahmin.
गङ्गारोधसि यः पापं कुरुते मूढधीर्नरः । तदक्षय भवेन्नूनं नान्यतीर्थेषु शाम्यति
A foolish man who commits sin on the bank of Ganga—such sin is surely inexhaustible and is not pacified at any other holy place.
अन्यतीर्थे कृतं पापं गङ्गायां च विनश्यति । गङ्गायां यत्कृतं पापं तत्कुत्रापि न शाम्यते
Sin committed at other holy places is destroyed in Ganga, but sin committed in Ganga is not pacified anywhere.
तस्मात्पापं न कर्तव्यं गङ्गायां शास्त्रकोविदैः । कर्मणा मनसा वाचा कर्तव्यो धर्मसंग्रहः
Therefore, those learned in scripture should not commit sin in Ganga; by deed, thought, and word, one should practice the collection of righteousness.
न ते देशा न ते शैला न च तानि वनानि च । पापविध्वंसिनी यत्र न तिष्ठेत्सुरनिम्नगा
There are no lands, no mountains, nor forests where the divine river does not destroy sin by her presence.
गङ्गातीरं परित्यज्य मुहूर्तमपि जैमिने । न च स्थातव्यमन्यत्र यदि कार्यशतान्यपि
O Jaimini, having left the bank of Ganga, one should not stay elsewhere even for a moment, even if there are hundreds of duties to perform.
भिक्षान्नमपि भुक्त्वा च स्थातव्यं जाह्नवीतटे । न चान्यत्र क्षणमपि प्राप्य भूपालतामपि
Even after eating alms-food, one must remain on the bank of the Ganges; not even for a moment should one go elsewhere, even if one attains kingship.
संत्यज्य देहं गङ्गायां ब्रह्महापि विमुच्यते । अन्यत्र मुक्तये न स्यादश्वमेधसहस्रकृत्
Even a slayer of a Brahmin, abandoning the body in the Ganges, is freed; elsewhere, liberation is not attained, even by performing a thousand horse sacrifices.
गङ्गातीरे वसन्यस्तु हरिपूजापरो भवेत् । जन्मजन्मांतरे येन कदाचिन्नार्चितो हरिः
Whoever dwells on the bank of the Ganges and is devoted to worshipping Hari, even if Hari was never worshipped by him in any birth,
भक्तिर्भवति नैतस्य गङ्गायां लोकमातरि । श्रूयतां मानवाः सर्वे भूयोभूयो ब्रवीम्यहम्
Devotion does not arise in him towards the Ganges, the mother of worlds. Hear, all humans, I declare again and again.
स्नानं विधाय गङ्गायां गम्यतां परमं पदम् । मृत्युकाले भजेद्यस्तु गङ्गागङ्गेति मानवः
After bathing in the Ganges, one attains the supreme state; whoever, at the time of death, chants 'Ganga, Ganga,'
विमुक्तःपातकैः सर्वैर्दिवि देवयुगायुतम् । यस्य गङ्गाकथारम्भो मृत्युकाले भवेद्द्विज
Is freed from all sins and dwells in heaven for tens of thousands of divine ages; for whom the narration of the Ganges begins at the time of death, O twice-born.