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.
तस्यां च पूजयेद्देवं शंखचक्रगदाधरम् । रात्रौ जागरणं कृत्वा भक्त्या चैव विशेषतः
On that day, one should worship the Lord bearing conch, discus, and mace, keeping vigil at night, especially with devotion.
नास्याः पुण्यस्य संख्यानं कर्तुं शक्तश्चतुर्मुखः । एवं यः कुरुते राजन्नेकादश्या व्रतोत्तमम्
Even the Four-faced One is unable to count the merit of this; thus, O King, whoever performs this supreme vow of Ekadashi—
सर्वपापहरं चैव भुक्तिमुक्तिप्रदायकम् । स च लोके मम सदा श्वपचोऽपि प्रियंकरः
It destroys all sins and grants both enjoyment and liberation; even a person of lowest birth who does this is always dear to me in this world.
दीपदानेन पालाशपत्रे भुक्त्या व्रतेन च । चातुर्मास्यं नयंतीह ते नरा मम वल्लभाः
By offering lamps, by using palasha leaves, by food, and by the vow, those who observe the Caturmasya here become my beloved.
चातुर्मास्ये हरौ सुप्ते भूमिशायी भवेन्नरः । श्रावणे वर्जयेच्छाकं दधि भाद्रपदे तथा
During Caturmasya, while Hari sleeps, a man should lie on the ground; in Shravana he should avoid green vegetables, and in Bhadrapada, curd as well.
दुग्धमाश्वयुजि त्याज्यं कार्तिके द्विदलं त्यजेत् । अथवा ब्रह्मचर्यस्थः स याति परमां गतिम्
In Ashvayuja, milk is to be given up; in Kartika, two-grained pulses should be abandoned; or, remaining in celibacy, he attains the highest state.
एकादश्या व्रतेनैव पुमान्पापैर्विमुच्यते । कर्तव्या सर्वदा राजन्विस्मर्तव्या न कर्हिचित्
By the vow of Ekadashi alone, a man is freed from sins; it must always be performed, O King, and never neglected.
शयनी बोधिनी मध्ये या कृष्णैकादशीभवेत् । सैवोपोष्या गृहस्थस्य नान्या कृष्णा कदाचन
Of the Shayani and Bodhini Ekadashis, the Krishna Ekadashi that falls between them alone should be observed by a householder, never any other Krishna Ekadashi.
शृणुयाच्चैव यो राजन्कथां पापहरां पराम् । अश्वमेधस्य यज्ञस्य फलं प्राप्नोति मानवः
Whoever, O King, listens to this supreme, sin-destroying story attains the fruit of the Ashvamedha sacrifice.
इति श्रीपाद्मे महापुराणे पंचपंचाशत्साहस्र्यां संहितायामुत्तरखंडे उमामहेश्वरसंवादे देवशयन्येकादशीनाम त्रिपंचाशत्तमोऽध्यायः
Thus ends the fifty-third chapter, named 'Deva-shayani Ekadashi,' in the dialogue between Uma and Maheshvara, in the Uttara-khanda of the glorious Padma Purana, comprising fifty-five thousand verses.