महापापप्रशमनं महापुण्यफलप्रदम् । पठनाच्छ्रवणान्मर्त्यः सर्वपापैः प्रमुच्यते
It destroys great sins and bestows the fruit of great merit; by reciting or hearing it, a mortal is freed from all sins.
इति श्रीपाद्मे महापुराणे पंचपंचाशत्साहस्र्यां संहितायामुत्तरखंडे उमापतिनारदसंवादे आषाढकृष्णयोगिन्येकादशीमाहात्म्यंनाम द्विपंचाशत्तमोऽध्यायः
Thus ends the fifty-second chapter, named 'The Glory of the Yogini Ekadashi of the Dark Fortnight of Ashadha,' in the dialogue between Uma, Patin, and Narada, in the Uttarakanda of the great Padma Purana, comprising fifty-five thousand verses.
युधिष्ठिर उवाच- आषाढस्य सिते पक्षे का च एकादशी भवेत् । किं नाम को विधिस्तस्या एतद्विस्तरतो वद
Yudhishthira said: In the bright fortnight of Ashadha, which is the Ekadashi? What is its name and what is its procedure? Please tell me this in detail.
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच- कथयामि महापुण्यां स्वर्गमोक्षप्रदायिनीम् । शयनीं नामनामेति सर्वपापहरां पराम्
Sri Krishna said: I shall tell you of the most meritorious Ekadashi, which grants heaven and liberation; it is called Shayani, supreme and destroyer of all sins.
यस्याः श्रवणमात्रेण वाजपेयफलं लभेत् । सत्यं सत्यं मया प्रोक्तं नातः परतरं नृणाम्
By merely hearing of it, one obtains the fruit of a Vajapeya sacrifice; truly, truly I say, there is nothing higher than this for people.
पापिनां पापनाशाय सृष्टा धात्रा महोत्तमा । अतः परा न राजेंद्र वर्त्तते मोक्षदायिनी
Created by the Creator for the destruction of sins of sinners, O best of kings, there is no greater liberating Ekadashi than this.
एतस्मात्कारणाद्राजन्श्रूयतां गतिरुत्तमा । भवेन्नराणां श्रोतॄणां कथायाः श्रवणादपि
For this reason, O king, listen to the supreme path that comes even from hearing the account of this Ekadashi for men.
ते सदा वैष्णवा राजन्मम भक्तिपरायणाः । आषाढे वामनश्चैव पूज्यते परमेश्वरः
They are always Vaishnavas, O king, devoted to me in faith; in Ashadha, Vamana, the Supreme Lord, is worshipped.
वामनः पूजितो येन कमलैः कमलेक्षणः । आषाढस्य सिते पक्षे कामिकाया दिने तथा
He who worships Vamana, the lotus-eyed, with lotuses on the day of Kamika in the bright fortnight of Ashadha—
तेनार्चितं जगत्सर्वं त्रयो देवाः सनातनाः । कृता चैकादशी येन हरिवासरमुत्तमम्
By worshipping him, the entire universe and the three eternal gods are worshipped, and he has observed the supreme Ekadashi, the holy day of Hari.
युधिष्ठिर उवाच- संशयोऽस्ति महान्मेऽत्र श्रूयतां पुरुषोत्तम । कथं सुप्तोऽसि देवेश कथं च बलिमाश्रितः
Yudhishthira said: I have a great doubt here, O Supreme Person; please listen. How did you sleep, O Lord of the gods, and how did you accept Bali?
कथं च भूमौ संवेशः किं कुर्वंति जनाः परे । एतद्वद महाप्राज्ञ संशयोऽस्ति महान्मम
And how did you lie upon the earth? What do other people do? Tell me this, O greatly wise one; I have a great doubt about it.
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच - श्रूयतां राजशार्दूल कथां पापहरां पराम् । यस्याः श्रवणमात्रेण सर्वपापक्षयो भवेत्
Shri Krishna said: Listen, O tiger among kings, to this supreme story that destroys sin, by merely hearing which all sins are destroyed.
बलिनामा पूर्वमासीद्दैत्यस्त्रेतायुगे नृप । पूजयंश्चैव मां नित्यं मद्भक्तो मत्परायणः
Formerly, in the Treta Yuga, there was a Daitya named Bali, O king, who always worshipped me, devoted to me and intent on me alone.
यज्ञैस्तु विधिवद्दैत्यो यजते मां सनातनम् । भक्त्या च परया राजन्यज्ञकृद्व्रतकृत्तथा
That Daitya performed sacrifices to me, the Eternal One, according to the proper rites, with supreme devotion, observing vows and performing sacrifices, O king.
परं विचार्य बहुधा मघोना चैव सूक्तिभिः । गुरुणा दैवतैः सार्द्धं बहुधा पूजितोऽप्यहम्
Having considered deeply in many ways, and with many hymns by Maghavan, and worshipped by his guru together with the gods in many ways, I was still worshipped.
ततो वामनरूपेण अवतारे च पंचमे । अत्युग्ररूपेण तदा सर्वब्रह्मांडरूपिणा
Then, in my fifth incarnation, I appeared in the form of Vamana, with a most terrible form, encompassing the entire universe.
वाक्छलेन जिता दैत्याः सत्यमाश्रित्य संस्थितः । शुक्रस्तं वारयामास यन्नारायण इत्ययम्
By means of a ruse of speech, the Daityas were defeated, while I remained established in truth; Shukra tried to restrain him, saying, 'This is Narayana.'
याचिता वसुधा राजन्सार्द्धत्रयपदी मया । संकल्पोदकमात्रे तु करे तेनैव चार्पिते
O king, I asked for the earth from him, with three steps; with only the water of resolve, he placed it in my hand.
रूपमीदृग्विधं राजंस्तदा शृणु मया कृतम् । भूर्लोके चरणौ न्यस्य भुवर्लोके तु जानुनी
Hear now, O king, what form I then assumed: I placed my feet on the earth, my knees in the mid-region.
स्वर्लोके च कटिं न्यस्य महर्लोके तथोदरम् । जनलोके च हृदयं तपोलोके तु कंठकम्
I placed my waist in the heaven-world, my belly in the Maharloka, my heart in the Janaloka, and my throat in the Tapoloka.
सत्यलोके मुखं स्थाप्य मस्तकं च तदूर्द्ध्वकम् । चंद्रसूर्यग्रहाश्चैव नक्षत्राणि तथैव च
Placing my face in the Satyaloka, and my head above that, the moon, sun, planets, and also the stars were there.
देवाः सेंद्राश्च नागाश्च यक्षगंधर्वकिन्नराः । स्तुवंतो वेदसंभूतैः सूक्तैश्च विविधैस्तथा
The gods with Indra, the Nagas, Yakshas, Gandharvas, and Kinnaras praised me with various hymns born from the Vedas.
करे गृहीत्वा च बलिं त्रिपदैः पूरिता मही । अर्द्धं च तस्य पृष्ठे च पदं न्यस्तं मया तदा
Taking Bali by the hand, I filled the earth with three steps; and I placed half of him on my back, and one foot at that time.
गतो रसातलं राजन्दानवो मम पूजकः । क्षिप्तोऽधो दानवश्चैव किमकुर्वं ततः परम्
The Danava, my worshipper, went to the netherworld, O king; the Danava was cast down below—what did I do after that?
विनयेनानतोसौ वै सुप्रसन्नो जनार्दनः । आषाढशुक्लपक्षे तु कामिका हरिवासरः
He bowed with humility, and Janardana was greatly pleased; on the bright fortnight of Ashadha, on the Kamika Harivasara day—
तस्यामेका च मूर्तिर्मे बलिमाश्रित्य तिष्ठति । द्वितीया शेषपृष्ठे वै क्षीरसागरमध्यतः
One of my forms remains with Bali; the second is on Shesha’s back, in the midst of the ocean of milk.
स्वपित्येव महाराज यावदागामि कार्तिकी । तावद्भवेत्सुधर्मात्मा सर्वधर्मोत्तमोत्तमः
There I sleep, O great king, until the coming Kartika; until then, one becomes supremely righteous, the best of all the virtuous.
व्रतं च कुरुते मर्त्यः स याति परमां गतिम् । एतस्मात्कारणाद्राजन्कर्त्तव्या च प्रयत्नतः
When a mortal undertakes this vow, he attains the highest state; therefore, O King, it must be performed with great effort.
नातः परतरा काचित्पवित्रा पापनाशिनी । यस्यां स्वपिति देवेशः शंखचक्रगदाधरः
There is no purifier or destroyer of sin greater than this, upon which the Lord of gods, bearer of conch, discus, and mace, rests.