षष्टिंपुत्रसहस्राणि एका वव्रे तरस्विनाम् । एका वंशधरं त्वेकं यथेष्टं वरशालिनी
One asked for sixty thousand energetic sons, and the other, endowed with the power to choose, requested a single son to continue the lineage.
तत्रैका सुषुवे तुंब्यां पुत्रान्शूरान्बहूनथ । ते तु सर्वेऽपि धात्रीभिर्वर्द्धितास्तु यथाक्रमम्
Then one gave birth to many valiant sons in a gourd, and all of them were raised by nurses, each in due order.
कपिलानां तु दुग्धानां तेषां तत्र महात्मनाम्
Those great souls were nourished there with the milk of Kapila cows.
तेनैव दुग्धयोगेन ववृधुस्ते महात्मनः । एकः पंचजनो नाम पुत्रो राजा बभूव ह
By that very nourishment from the milk, those great souls grew; and one son named Panchajana became king.
ततः पंचजनस्यासीदंशुमान्नाम वीर्यवान् । दिलीपस्तनयस्तस्य पुत्रो यस्य भगीरथः
Then Panchajana had a son named Anshuman, powerful and strong; his son was Dilipa, whose son was Bhagiratha.
यस्तु गंगासरिच्छ्रेष्ठामानयामास सुव्रतः । समुद्र मानयित्वैनां दुहितृत्वमकल्पयत्
He, steadfast in his vows, brought down the supreme river Ganga, and, honoring the ocean, established her as his daughter.
नारद उवाच- कथं गंगा समानीता किं तपस्तेन वै कृतम् । तत्सर्वं मे समाचक्ष्व सुव्रतोऽसि दयानिधे
Narada said: How was Ganga brought down? What austerity did he perform? Tell me all of this, for you are steadfast and a treasure of compassion.
महादेव उवाच- पूर्वजानां हितार्थाय गतोऽसौ हैमके गिरौ । तत्र गत्वा तपस्तप्तं वर्षाणामयुतं तदा
Mahadeva said: For the welfare of his ancestors, he went to the golden mountain; there, he performed austerity for ten thousand years.
आदिदेवः प्रसन्नोऽभूद्योऽसौ देवो निरंजनः । तेन दत्ता इयं गंगा आकाशात्समुपस्थिता
The primeval Lord, pure and gracious, was pleased; by him, this Ganga was given, who then descended from the sky.
तत्र विश्वेश्वरो देवो यत्र तिष्ठति नित्यशः । गंगां दृष्ट्वाऽगतां तेन गृहीता जाह्नवी तदा
There, where the Lord of the universe eternally resides, seeing Ganga arrive, he took her—she became known as Jahnavi.
जटाजूटे च संधार्य वर्षाणामयुतं स्थितम् । न निःसृता तदा गंगा ईशस्यैव प्रभावतः
Held in the matted locks for ten thousand years, Ganga did not flow forth then, by the power of the Lord alone.
विचारितं तदा तेन क्व गता मम मातृका । स ध्यानेन विचार्यैवं गृहीता चेश्वरेण तु
He wondered then, 'Where has my mother gone?' Reflecting in meditation, he realized she had been taken by the Lord.
ततः कैलासमगमत्स तु भगीरथो नृपः । तत्र गत्वा मुनिश्रेष्ठ ह्यकरोदुल्बणं तपः
Then King Bhagiratha went to Kailasa; arriving there, O best of sages, he performed severe austerity.
आराधितस्तदा तेन दत्तवानहमापगाम् । एकं केशं परित्यज्य दत्ता त्रिपथगा तदा
Pleased by him, I granted the river; releasing a single hair, I then gave the threefold-flowing Ganga.
स गृहीत्वा गतो गंगां पाताले यत्र पूर्वजाः । अलकनंदा तदा नाम गंगायाः प्रथमं स्मृतम्
He took her and went to the subterranean region, where the ancestors dwell; at that time, the Ganga was first known by the name Alakananda.
हरिद्वारे यदायाता विष्णुपादोदकी तदा । तदेव तीर्थं प्रवरं देवानामपि दुर्ल्लभम्
When she arrived at Haridwar, she became the water from Vishnu’s feet; that very place is the foremost holy site, rare even for the gods.
तत्तीर्थे च नरः स्नात्वा हरिं दृष्ट्वा विशेषतः । प्रदक्षिणं ये कुर्वंति न चैते दुःखभागिनः
A person who bathes at that holy site and especially beholds Hari, and those who perform circumambulation there, do not partake of suffering.
ब्रह्महत्यादि पापानां राशयः संत्यनेकशः । विलयं यांति ते सर्वे हरेर्दर्शनतः सदा
The heaps of sins such as the killing of a Brahmin and others, however many there may be, all are dissolved always by the sight of Hari.
एकदा केशवस्थाने हरिद्वारे ह्यहं गतः । तस्मात्तीर्थप्रभावाच्च जातोऽहं विष्णुरूपवान्
Once, I went to the place of Kesava at Haridwar; by the power of that holy site, I was born in the form of Vishnu.
ये गच्छंति नरश्रेष्ठास्ते वै यांति ह्यनामयम् । चतुर्भुजास्तु ते लोकाः नरा नार्यश्च सर्वशः
Those best among men who go there indeed attain freedom from affliction; their worlds are four-armed, both men and women entirely.
वैकुंठं यांति ते सर्वे हरेर्दर्शनमात्रतः । ममाप्यधिक तीर्थं तु हरिद्वारं सुशोभनम्
All of them go to Vaikuntha merely by seeing Hari; for me also, Haridwar is the most excellent and beautiful holy place.
तीर्थानां प्रवरं तीर्थं चतुर्वर्गप्रदायकम् । कलौ धर्मकरं पुंसां मोक्षदं चार्थदं तथा
Among holy places, it is the foremost, bestowing the four aims of life; in the Kali age, it brings righteousness to people, and grants liberation and wealth as well.
यत्र गंगा महारम्या नित्यं वहति निर्मला । एतत्कथानकं पुण्यं हरिद्वाराख्यमुत्तमम्
There, the delightful and ever-pure Ganga always flows; this is the supreme and sacred story called Haridwar.
उक्तं च शृण्वतां पुंसां फलं भवति शाश्वतम् । अश्वमेधे कृते यागे गोसहस्रे तथैव च
And for those who listen, the fruit is eternal; it is as if one had performed an Ashvamedha sacrifice or given a thousand cows.
तत्पुण्यं लभते विद्वान्हरेर्दर्शनमात्रतः । गोहंता ब्रह्महा चैव ये चान्ये पितृघातकाः
The wise person attains that merit merely by seeing Hari; even a killer of cows, a Brahmin-slayer, or those who have slain their fathers.
एवंविधानि पापानि बहून्यपि च वै द्विज । विलयं यांति सर्वाणि हरेर्दर्शनमात्रतः
O twice-born, however many such sins there may be, all of them are dissolved merely by seeing Hari.
महादेव उवाच-। गांगं वक्ष्यामि माहात्म्यं यथोक्तं मुनिसत्तम । यस्य श्रवणमात्रेण अघं नश्यति तत्क्षणात्
Mahadeva said: I will speak of the greatness of the Ganga as declared, O best of sages; by merely hearing it, sin is destroyed at that very moment.
गंगागंगेति योब्रूयाद्योजनानां शतैरपि । मुच्यते सर्वपापेभ्यो विष्णुलोकं स गच्छति
Whoever utters 'Ganga, Ganga,' even from hundreds of yojanas away, is freed from all sins and goes to the world of Vishnu.
चरणाब्जसमुद्भूता गंगा नामेति विश्रुता । पापानां स्थूलराशीनां नाशिनी चेति नारद
She is renowned as Ganga, born from the lotus feet; O Narada, she is also the destroyer of great heaps of sins.
नर्मदा सरयूश्चैव तथा वेत्रवती नदी । तापी पयोष्णी चंद्रा च विपाशा कर्मनाशिनीम्
The Narmada, Sarayu, and likewise the river Vetravati; the Tapti, Payoshni, Chandra, and Vipasha are destroyers of karma.