ततः कालेन महता तापसी सुमहाव्रता । सदेहा स्वर्गमायाता व्रतचर्या प्रभावतः
Then, after a long time, that ascetic woman of great vows, by the power of her vow-practice, went to heaven with her body.
मृत्पिंडिकाप्रदानेन गृहं प्राप्तं मनोरमम् । संजातं चैव विप्रर्षे धान्यराशि विवर्जितम्
By giving the lump of clay, she obtained a delightful house; but, O sage among Brahmins, it was devoid of any heap of grain.
गृहं यावन्निरीक्षेत न किंचित्तत्र पश्यति । तावद्गृहाद्विनिष्क्रांता ममांते चागता द्विज
As long as she looked at the house, she saw nothing there; then she left the house and came to me, O Brahmin.
क्रोधेन महताविष्टमिदं वचनमब्रवीत् । मया व्रतैश्च कृच्छ्रैश्च उपवासैरनेकशः
Filled with great anger, she spoke these words: 'By vows, severe austerities, and repeated fasting,
पूजयाराधितो देवः सर्वलोकस्य पालकः । न तत्र दृश्यते किंचिद्गृहे मम जनार्दन
'I have worshipped and honored the god, the protector of all worlds; but nothing is seen in my house, O Janardana.'
ततश्चोक्तं मया तस्यै गृहं गच्छ महाव्रते । आगमिष्यंति सुतरां कौतूहल समन्विताः
Then I said to her, 'Go to your house, O woman of great vows; many will come, filled with curiosity.'
देवपत्न्यो हि द्रष्टुं त्वां विस्मयाभिसमन्विताः । द्वारं नोद्घाटय विना षट्तिलापुण्यवाचनात्
'The wives of the gods will come to see you, filled with wonder; do not open the door without reciting the merit of the Six-Sesame Vow.'
एवमुक्ता मया सा तु गता वै मानुषी तदा । अत्रांतरे समायाता देवपत्न्यश्च वाडव
Thus addressed by me, she went away, being human at that time; meanwhile, the wives of the gods arrived, O Vadava.
ताभिश्च कथितं तत्र त्वां द्रष्टुं हि समागताः । द्वारमुद्घाटयस्वाद्य त्वां प्रपश्याम शोभने
There, they said, 'We have come to see you; open the door, O beautiful one, so that we may behold you.'
मानुष्युवाच- यदि मद्दर्शनं कार्यं सत्यं वाच्यं विशेषतः । षट्तिलाया व्रतं पुण्यं द्वारोद्घाटनकारणात्
The human woman said: 'If my sight is desired, let the truth be spoken especially; the merit of the Six-Sesame Vow is the cause for opening the door.'
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच-। एकापिनावदत्तत्र षट्तिलैकादशीव्रतम् । अन्यया कथितं तत्र द्रष्टव्या मानुषी मया
Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: There, only one woman was not speaking about the Ṣaṭtilā Ekādaśī vow; the rest were narrating it, and I, in human form, observed her.
ततो द्वारं समुद्घाट्य दृष्टा ताभिश्च मानुषी । न देवी न च गंधर्वी नासुरी न च पन्नगी
Then, opening the door, that woman was seen by them; she was not a goddess, nor a gandharvī, nor an asurī, nor a serpent-woman.
दृष्टा पूर्वं तथा नारी यादृशीयं द्विजर्षभ । देवीनामुपदेशेन षट्तिलाया व्रतं कृतम्
Never before had such a woman been seen, O best of twice-born; by the instruction of the goddesses, she had performed the Ṣaṭtilā vow.
मानुष्या सत्यव्रतया भुक्तिमुक्तिफलप्रदम् । रूपकांतिसमायुक्ता क्षणेन समवाप सा
Being human and steadfast in her vow, she attained both enjoyment and liberation as fruits, and in a moment she became endowed with radiant beauty.
धनं धान्यं च वस्त्रादि सुवर्णं रौप्यमेव च । भवनं सर्वसंपन्नं षट्तिलायाः प्रभावतः
Through the power of Ṣaṭtilā, she obtained wealth, grain, garments, gold, silver, and a house filled with all prosperity.
रूपकांतिसमायुक्ता क्षणेन समपद्यत
Endowed with radiant beauty, she was instantly transformed.
अतितृष्णा न कर्त्तव्या वित्तशाठ्यं विवर्जयेत् । आत्मवित्तानुसारेण तिलान्वस्त्राणि दापयेत्
One should not be excessively greedy, nor resort to deceit for wealth; according to one’s means, one should give sesame seeds and garments.
लभते चैवमारोग्यं नरो जन्मनि जन्मनि । न दारिद्र्यं न कष्टत्वं न च दौर्भाग्यमेव च 6.42.
In this way, a person attains health in every birth; there is no poverty, no suffering, nor misfortune.
संभवेद्वै द्विजश्रेष्ठ षट्तिलासमुपोषणात् । अनेन विधिना भूप तिलदाता न संशयः
O best of twice-born, by observing the Ṣaṭtilā fast, and by this method, there is no doubt that the giver of sesame attains this.
मुच्यते पातकैः सर्वैरनायासेन मानवः । दानं च विधिवत्पात्रे सर्वपातकनाशनम् । नानर्थः कश्चिन्नायासः शरीरे नृपसत्तम
A person is freed from all sins without effort; giving, properly and to a worthy recipient, destroys all sins. There is no harm, nor any hardship to the body, O best of kings.
युधिष्ठिर उवाच- साधु कृष्ण त्वया प्रोक्तमादिदेवो भवान्प्रभो । स्वेदजा अंडजाश्चैव उद्भिज्जाश्च जरायुजाः
Yudhiṣṭhira said: Excellent, Kṛṣṇa, what you have spoken! You are the primeval Lord, O Master. Beings born from sweat, eggs, sprouts, and wombs—
तेषां कर्त्ता विकर्त्ता त्वं पालकः क्षयकारकः । माघस्य कृष्णपक्षे तु षट्तिला कथिता त्वया
You are their creator, their destroyer, their protector, and the one who brings about their end. In the dark fortnight of Māgha, you have described the Ṣaṭtilā.
शुक्ले च का भवेद्देव कथयस्व प्रसादतः । किं नाम को विधिस्तस्याः को देवस्तत्र पूज्यते
O God, what occurs in the bright fortnight? Please tell me graciously—what is its name, what is its procedure, and which deity is worshipped there?
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच- कथयिष्यामि राजेंद्र शुक्ले माघस्य या भवेत् । जया नामेति विख्याता सर्वपापहरा परा
Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: I shall tell you, O king, about the vow that occurs in the bright fortnight of Māgha, which is renowned as Jayā, supreme and destroyer of all sins.
पवित्रा पापहंत्री च कामदा मोक्षदा नृणाम् । ब्रह्महत्यापहंत्री च पिशाचत्वविनाशिनी
It is pure, destroys sin, grants desires and liberation to people; it removes the sin of killing a brāhmaṇa and destroys ghostly afflictions.
नैव तस्या व्रते चीर्णे प्रेतत्वं जायते नृणाम् । नातः परतरा काचित्पापघ्नी मोक्षदायिनी
When this vow is observed, people do not become ghosts; there is no greater destroyer of sin or giver of liberation than this.
एतस्मात्कारणाद्राजन्कर्त्तव्या सा प्रयत्नतः । श्रूयतां राजशार्दूल कथा पौराणिकी शुभा
For this reason, O king, it should be performed diligently. Listen, O tiger among kings, to the auspicious ancient tale.
पंकजे च पुराणेऽस्या महिमा कथितो मया । एकदा नाकलोके वै इंद्रो राज्यं चकार ह
In the Purāṇa called Padma, I have described its greatness. Once, in the world of the gods, Indra was ruling as king.
देवास्तत्र सुखेनैव निवसंति मनोरमे । पीयूषपाननिरता अप्सरोगणसेविताः
The gods dwell there in happiness, in that delightful place, devoted to drinking nectar, attended by hosts of apsarases.
नंदनं तु वनं तत्र पारिजातोपसेवितम् । रमयंति रमंतेऽत्र अप्सरोभिर्दिवौकसः
There is the Nandana grove, adorned with parijata trees; there, the celestials find pleasure and delight with the apsarases.