उपवासपरो भूत्वा रात्रौ जागरणं कुरु । एवमस्या व्रते चीर्णे तव पापक्षयो ध्रुवम्
Engage in fasting and keep vigil at night; thus, by observing this vow, your destruction of sin is certain.
तव पुण्यप्रभावेण चागतोऽहं नृपोत्तम । इत्येवं कथयित्वा च मुनिरंतरधीयत
By the power of your merit, O noble king, I have come; having spoken thus, the sage vanished.
मुनिवाक्यं नृपः श्रुत्वा चकार व्रतमुत्तमम् । कृते तस्मिन्व्रते राज्ञः पापस्यांतोऽभवत्क्षणात्
Hearing the sage's words, the king performed the excellent vow; when the vow was completed, the king's sin ended instantly.
श्रूयतां राजशार्दूल प्रभावोऽस्य व्रतस्य च । यद्दुःखंबहुभिर्वर्षैर्भोक्तव्यंतत्क्षयोभवेत्
Hear, O tiger among kings, the power of this vow: the suffering that must be endured for many years is destroyed.
निस्तीर्णदुःखो राजासीद्व्रतस्यास्य प्रभावतः । पत्न्या सह समायोगं पुत्रजीवनमाप सः
Freed from suffering by the power of this vow, the king was reunited with his wife and regained his son's life.
दिवि दुंदुभयो नेदुः पुष्पवर्षमभूद्दिवः । एकादश्याः प्रभावेन प्राप्यराज्यमकंटकम्
Drums resounded in heaven, flowers rained from the sky; by the power of Ekadashi, he attained a kingdom free from obstacles.
स्वर्गं लेभे हरिश्चंद्रः सपुरः सपरिच्छदः । ईदृग्विधं व्रतंराजन्ये कुर्वंति च मानवाः
Hariśchandra, together with his city and attendants, attained heaven; such a vow, when performed by kings, is also undertaken by men.
सर्वपापविनिर्मुक्तास्त्रिदिवं यांति ते नृप । पठनाच्छ्रवणाद्वापि अश्वमेधफलं लभेत्
Freed from all sins, they go to the heavenly realm, O King; even by reciting or hearing this, one obtains the fruit of an Aśvamedha sacrifice.
इति श्रीपाद्मे महापुराणे पंचपंचाशत्साहस्र्यां संहितायामुत्तरखंडे उमापतिनारदसंवादे भाद्रपदकृष्णाजैकादशीनाम षट्पंचाशत्तमोऽध्यायः
Thus ends the fifty-sixth chapter, named 'Bhādrapada Kṛṣṇa Ekādaśī,' in the dialogue between Umāpati and Nārada, in the Uttarakhaṇḍa of the glorious Padma Mahāpurāṇa, comprising fifty-five thousand verses.
युधिष्ठिर उवाच - नभस्यस्य सिते पक्षे किंनामैकादशी भवेत् । को देवः को विधिस्तस्य एतदाख्याहि केशव
Yudhiṣṭhira said: In the bright fortnight of Nabhasya, what is the name of the Ekādaśī? Which deity is associated with it, and what is its observance? Please tell me this, O Keśava.
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच- कथयामि महीपाल कथामाश्चर्यकारिणीम् । कथयामास यां ब्रह्मा नारदाय महात्मने
Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: O king, I will tell you a wondrous story, which Brahmā narrated to the great sage Nārada.
नारद उवाच- कथयस्व प्रसादेन चतुर्मुख नमोऽस्तु ते । नभस्य शुक्लपक्षे तु किं नामैकादशी भवेत् । एतदिच्छाम्यहं श्रोतुं विष्णोराराधनाय वै
Nārada said: Out of your grace, please tell me, O Four-faced One, I bow to you; in the bright fortnight of Nabhasya, what is the name of the Ekādaśī? I wish to hear this, for the worship of Viṣṇu.
ब्रह्मोवाच- वैष्णवोऽसि मुनिश्रेष्ठ साधुपृष्टं किल त्वया । नातः परतरा लोके पवित्रा हरिवासरात्
Brahmā said: You are a devotee of Viṣṇu, O best of sages; you have asked well. There is nothing in the world more sacred than the day of Hari.
पद्मा नामेति विख्याता नभस्यैकादशी सिता । हृषीकेशः पूज्यतेऽस्यां कर्त्तव्यं व्रतमुत्तमम्
It is well known as Padmā, the bright Ekādaśī of Nabhasya; on this day Hṛṣīkeśa is worshipped, and the supreme vow should be observed.
कथयामि तवाग्रेऽहं कथां पौराणिकीं शुभाम् । यस्याः श्रवणमात्रेण महापापं प्रणश्यति
I will tell you, before you, an ancient and auspicious story, by hearing which even once, great sin is destroyed.
मांधाता नाम राजर्षिर्विवस्वद्वंशसंभवः । बभूव चक्रवर्ती स सत्यसंधः प्रतापवान्
There was a royal sage named Māndhātā, born in the lineage of Vivasvat; he became a universal emperor, steadfast in truth and powerful.
धर्मतः पालयामास प्रजाः पुत्रानिवौरसान् । न तस्य राज्ये दुर्भिक्षं नाधयो व्याधयस्तथा
He ruled his subjects righteously, as if they were his own sons; in his kingdom there was no famine, nor any afflictions or diseases.
निरातंकाः प्रजास्तस्य धनधान्यसमेधिताः । न्यायेनोपार्जितं वित्तं तस्य कोशे महीपते
His subjects were free from fear, abundant in wealth and grain; the king's treasury was filled with wealth acquired justly.
स्वस्वधर्मे प्रवर्त्तंते सर्वे वर्णाश्रमास्तथा । कामधेनुसमाभूमिस्तस्य राज्ये महीपतेः
All the varṇas and āśramas engaged in their own duties; in his kingdom, the earth was like a wish-fulfilling cow.
तस्यैवं कुर्वतो राज्यं बहुवर्षगणा गताः । अथैकस्मिंश्च संप्राप्ते विपाकः कर्मणः खलु
While he ruled thus, many years passed; then, at a certain time, the result of karma indeed manifested.
वर्षत्रयं तद्विषये न ववर्ष बलाहकः । तेन भग्नाः प्रजास्तस्य बभूवुः क्षुधयार्दिताः
For three years in that land, the clouds did not rain; because of this, his subjects were broken, afflicted by hunger.
स्वाहा स्वधा वषट्कार वेदाध्ययनवर्जिताः । बभूव विषयस्तस्या भाग्येन दैवपीडितः । अथ प्रजाः समागम्य राजानमिदमब्रुवन्
Oblations to the gods and ancestors, and the utterance of 'vaṣaṭ,' and Vedic study ceased; his land, struck by fate, became deprived by misfortune. Then the people gathered and spoke to the king.
प्रजा ऊचुः - श्रोतव्यं नृपशार्दूल प्रजानां वचनं त्वया । आपो नारा इति प्रोक्ताः पुराणेषु मनीषिभिः
The people said: O best of kings, you must listen to the words of your subjects; in the Purāṇas, the wise have said that waters are called 'nārā.'
अयनं भगवतस्तस्मान्नारायण इति स्मृतः । पर्जन्यरूपो भगवान्विष्णुः सर्वगतः स्थितः
Therefore, the Lord is remembered as Nārāyaṇa; the all-pervading Lord Viṣṇu exists in the form of the rain-cloud.
स एवं कुरुते वृष्टिं वृष्टेरन्नं ततः प्रजाः । तदभावे नृपश्रेष्ठ क्षयं गच्छंति वै प्रजाः । तथा कुरु नृपश्रेष्ठ योगः क्षेमो यथा भवेत्
He thus causes rain, and from rain comes food, and from food arise the people; in its absence, O foremost of kings, the people indeed perish. Therefore, O best of kings, act so that welfare and security may be attained.
राजोवाच-। सत्यमुक्तं भवद्भिश्च न मिथ्याभिहितं क्वचित् । अन्नं ब्रह्म यतः प्रोक्तमन्ने सर्वं प्रतिष्ठितम्
The king said: What you have spoken is true, never false; food is called Brahman, for all is established in food.
अन्नाद्भवंति भूतानि जगदन्नेन वर्तते । इत्येवं श्रूयते लोके पुराणे बहुविस्तरे
From food beings arise, and the world subsists by food; thus it is heard in the world, and in the extensive Purāṇas.
नृपाणामपचारेण प्रजानां पीडनं भवेत् । नाहं पश्याम्यात्मकृतमेवं बुद्ध्या विचारयन्
By the misconduct of kings, the people are afflicted; I do not see, upon reflection, that I myself have acted thus.
तथापि प्रयतिष्यामि प्रजानां हितकाम्यया । इति कृत्वा मतिं राजा परिमेयपरिच्छदः
Nevertheless, I shall strive for the welfare of the people; having resolved thus, the king, with his attendants, set out.
नमस्कृत्य विधातारं जगाम गहनं वनम् । चचार मुनिमुख्यांश्च आश्रमान्तापसैः श्रितान्
Having bowed to the Creator, he went to the dense forest; he visited the chief sages who dwelt in hermitages with ascetics.