मन्वंतरसहस्रैस्तु त्रिस्पृशाकारको हि तत् । प्राची च यमुना स्नाने वर्षैर्यत्कोटिभिः फलम्
—the merit gained by performing Trispṛśā for thousands of aeons, or by bathing in the eastern Yamunā for millions of years—
तत्फलं समवाप्नोति त्रिस्पृशाव्रतकृन्नरः । तत्फलं तु कुरुक्षेत्रे सूर्यग्रहणकोटिभिः
—that fruit is attained by the man who observes the Trispṛśā vow; and the fruit gained at Kurukṣetra during millions of solar eclipses.
हेमभारशतैर्दानैस्त्रिस्पृशाकरणेन तत् । पापकोटिसहस्राणि हत्याकोटिशतानि च
By performing Trispṛśā, one gains the fruit of giving away hundreds of loads of gold; and destroys thousands of millions of sins and hundreds of millions of acts of killing.
एकेनैवोपवासेन क्रियते भस्मसाद्द्रुतम् । त्रिस्पृशाया व्रतं यत्तु अगतीनां गतिप्रदम्
By a single fast, all is quickly reduced to ashes; the Trispṛśā vow grants a path to those who have none.
गतिमिच्छंति विप्रर्षे महत्पापशतानि च । स्वयं कृष्णेन कथितं पाराशर्यस्य चाग्रतः
Those who desire a path, O best of sages, even with hundreds of great sins—this was spoken by Kṛṣṇa himself before Vyāsa.
प्रकाशयति यश्चेदं लिखित्वा वैष्णवं द्विजे । पापोघैर्ग्रथितस्यापि तस्य मुक्तिर्भविष्यति
Whoever writes down and reveals this Vaiṣṇava vow to a twice-born, even if bound by heaps of sins, will attain liberation.
पुण्यैरवाप्यते विद्वन्मन्वंतरशतैरपि । त्रिस्पृशा दुर्लभा लोके प्राप्यते नैव मानवैः
Even with hundreds of aeons of merit, O wise one, Trispṛśā is rare in the world and not easily attained by men.
कलौ ये त्रिस्पृशां लब्ध्वा न कुर्वंति नराधमाः । तेषां जन्मफलं चैव जीवितं विफलं भवेत्
Those base men who, having obtained Trispṛśā in the Kali age, do not perform it—their birth and life are fruitless.
प्रेतत्वं तैः समुत्तीर्णं विना श्राद्धैर्विना सुतैः । कृता यैस्त्रिस्पृशा विद्वन्सकृत्प्राप्य कलौ युगे
Those who have performed Trispṛśā even once in the Kali age, O wise one, cross over the state of being a ghost, even without śrāddha rites or sons.
महादेव उवाच- एकस्मिन्समये पुत्र गतोऽहं विष्णुसन्निधौ । तत्र पृष्टं मया पूर्वं माहात्म्यं द्वादशीभवम्
Mahādeva said: Once, my son, I went into the presence of Viṣṇu. There, I previously asked about the greatness of Dvādaśī.
नारद उवाच कीदृशी स्यान्महादेव महाद्वादशिका परा । तस्या व्रते फलं कीदृग्वद सर्वेश्वर प्रभो
Nārada said: O Mahādeva, what is the nature of the supreme Mahādvādaśī? What is the fruit of its observance? Tell me, O Lord of all, O Master.
शिव उवाच- इयमेकादशी ब्रह्मन्महापुण्यफलप्रदा । ऋक्षयोगैश्च संयुक्ता कर्त्तव्या मुनिसत्तमैः
Śiva said: O Brāhmaṇa, this Ekādaśī bestows great merit and auspicious results. It should be observed by the foremost sages, being joined with auspicious lunar mansions and yogas.
जया च विजया चैव जयंती पापनाशिनी । सर्वपापहराश्चैताः कर्त्तव्याः फलकांक्षिभिः
Jaya, Vijaya, and Jayantī—these destroy sin and remove all faults; those who desire results should observe them.
एकादश्यां यदा ऋक्षं शुक्लपक्षे पुनर्वसुः । नाम्ना सा च जया ख्याता तिथीनामुत्तमा तिथिः
When, on the Ekādaśī of the bright fortnight, the lunar mansion Punarvasu occurs, that day is renowned as Jayā, the best among lunar days.
तामुपोष्य नरः पापान्मुच्यते नात्र संशयः । यदा च शुक्लद्वादश्यां नक्षत्रं श्रवणं भवेत्
By fasting on that day, a person is freed from sins—of this there is no doubt. And when, on the bright Dvādaśī, the lunar mansion Śravaṇa occurs—
विजया सा समाख्याता तिथीनामुत्तमा तिथिः । सहस्रगुणितं दानं यस्यां वै विप्र भोजनम्
That is called Vijaya, the best among lunar days. On that day, giving gifts or feeding Brāhmaṇas yields a thousandfold result.
होमस्तथोपवासश्च सहस्राधिफलप्रदः । यदा च शुक्लद्वादश्यां प्राजापत्यं हि जायते
Likewise, performing homa and fasting on that day grants a thousand times the merit. And when, on the bright Dvādaśī, the lunar mansion Prājāpatya occurs—
जयंती नाम सा प्रोक्ता सर्वपापहरा तिथिः । सप्तजन्मकृतं पापं स्वल्पं वा यदि वा बहु
That day is called Jayantī, the lunar day that removes all sins. Sins committed over seven births, whether small or great—
प्रक्षालयति गोविंदस्तस्यामभ्यर्चितो ध्रुवम् । यदा वै शुक्लद्वादश्यां पुष्यं भवति कर्हिचित्
Govinda, when worshipped on that day, certainly washes them away. And when, on the bright Dvādaśī, the lunar mansion Puṣya occurs at any time—
तदा तु सा महापुण्या भविता पापनाशिनी । यो ददाति तिलप्रस्थं नित्यं संवत्सरं प्रति
Then that day becomes supremely meritorious and a destroyer of sins. Whoever gives a prastha of sesame each year on that day—
उपवासं च यस्तस्यां करोत्येतत्समं स्मृतम् । तस्यां जगत्पतिर्देवस्तुष्टः सर्वेश्वरो हरिः
And whoever fasts on that day—these are considered equal. On that day, the Lord of the world, Hari, is pleased.
प्रत्यक्षतां प्रयात्येव तत्रानंतफलं स्मृतम् । सगरेण ककुत्स्थेन नहुषेण च साधितः
He truly becomes manifest there, and the fruit is said to be infinite. It was accomplished by Sagara, Kakutstha, and Nahuṣa.
तस्यामाराधितः कृष्णो दत्तवानखिलं भुवि । वाचिकान्मानसाद्वापि कायजाच्च विशेषतः
On that day, Kṛṣṇa, when worshipped, granted everything on earth. Whether sins are committed by speech, mind, or especially by body—
सप्तजन्मकृतात्पापान्मुच्यते नात्र संशयः । तामेकां समुपोष्याथ पुण्यनक्षत्रसंयुताम्
One is freed from sins committed over seven births—of this there is no doubt. By fasting on that one day, joined with an auspicious lunar mansion—
एकादशीसहस्रस्य फलं प्राप्नोति मानवः । स्नानं दानं जपो होमः स्वाध्यायो देवतार्चनम्
A person attains the fruit of a thousand Ekādaśīs. Bathing, giving, recitation, homa, self-study, and worship of deities—
यत्तस्यां क्रियते किंचित्तदक्षयफलं स्मृतम् । तस्मादेषा प्रकर्तव्या यत्नेन फलकांक्षिभिः
Whatever is performed on that day is said to yield imperishable fruit. Therefore, those who desire results should carefully observe it.
पंचमेनाश्वमेधेन यदि स्नातो युधिष्ठिरः । पर्यपृच्छत धर्मात्मा कृष्णं यदुकुलोद्वहम्
After bathing for the fifth Aśvamedha, Yudhiṣṭhira, righteous-souled, questioned Kṛṣṇa, the scion of the Yadu line.
युधिष्ठिर उवाच- उपवासस्य नक्तस्य त्वेकभुक्तस्य मे प्रभो । किं पुण्यं किं फलं तस्य ब्रूहि सर्वं जनार्दन
Yudhiṣṭhira said: O Lord, tell me fully what merit and fruit belong to fasting, night-fasting, or eating once a day.
श्रीभगवानुवाच- हेमंते चैव संप्राप्ते मासे मार्गे च शोभने । कृष्णपक्षे च या पार्थ द्वादशी तामुपोषयेत् । दशम्यां चैकभक्तश्च शुद्धचित्तो दृढव्रतः
The Blessed Lord said: When the beautiful month of Mārgashīrsha arrives in winter, O Pārtha, one should observe fasting on the Dvādaśī that falls in the dark fortnight, having a pure mind and firm resolve, taking only one meal on the tenth day.
नक्तं चैव तथा ज्ञात्वा दशम्यां नियतः सदा । दिवसस्याष्टमे भागे मंदीभूते दिवाकरे
Knowing this, one should always be restrained on the tenth day, eating at night, when the sun has become faint in the eighth portion of the day.