यज्ञादितीर्थदानानि कलां नार्हंति षोडशीम् । पठनाच्छ्रवणाद्राजन्गोसहस्र फलं लभेत्
Sacrifices, pilgrimages, and gifts do not equal even a sixteenth part; by reciting or hearing, one attains the fruit of a thousand cows.
इति श्रीपाद्मेमहापुराणे पंचपंचाशत्साहस्र्यां सहितायामुत्तरखंडे उमापतिनारदसंवादे वैशाखशुक्ले मोहन्येकादशीनाम एकोनपंचाशत्तमोऽध्यायः
Thus ends the forty-ninth chapter, named 'Mohinī Ekādaśī of the bright fortnight of Vaiśākha,' in the dialogue between Umāpati and Nārada, in the Uttarakhaṇḍa of the glorious Padma Mahāpurāṇa, comprising fifty-five thousand verses.
नारद उवाच- यमस्याराधनं ब्रूहि मद्धितार्थं सुरोत्तम । कथं न गम्यते देव नरेण नरकांतरे
Nārada said: O best of gods, tell me for my benefit the worship of Yama; how can a man avoid going to another hell, O Lord?
श्रूयते यमलोके तु सदा वैतरणी नदी । अनाधृष्यात्वपारा च दुस्तरा बहुशोणिता
It is heard that in the world of Yama there is always the river Vaitaraṇī, impossible to approach, boundless, difficult to cross, and filled with much blood.
दुस्तरा सर्वभूतानां सा कथं सुतरा भवेत् । भयमेतन्महादेव यमलोकं प्रति प्रभो
It is difficult for all beings to cross; how can it be easily crossed? This is my great fear, O Mahādeva, regarding the world of Yama, O Lord.
तस्य निर्मोचनार्थाय ब्रूहि कृत्यमशेषतः । भगवन्देवदेवेश कृपां कृत्वा ममोपरि
For the sake of liberation from that, tell me fully what should be done, O Lord of gods, showing your compassion upon me.
महादेव उवाच- द्वारवत्यां पुरा विप्र स्नातोऽहं लवणांभसि । ददृशे मुनिमायांतं मुद्गलं नाम वाडव
Mahādeva said: Once, O brāhmaṇa, I bathed in the salt ocean at Dvāravatī; there I saw the sage Mudgala approaching.
ज्वलंतमिवचादित्यं तपसा द्योततांगकम् । मां प्रणम्य मुनिः प्राह मुद्गलो विस्मयान्वितः
He shone like a blazing sun, his body radiant with austerity; after bowing to me, the sage Mudgala, filled with wonder, spoke.
मुद्गल उवाच- अकस्मान्मूर्च्छितो देव पतितोऽस्मि धरातले । प्रज्वलंति ममांगानि गृहीतो यमकिंकरैः
Mudgala said: O Lord, I suddenly lost consciousness and fell to the ground; my limbs were burning, and I was seized by Yama's attendants.
बलादाकृष्यमाणोऽहं पुरुषॐगुष्ठमात्रकः । बद्धो यमभटैर्गाढं नीतोऽस्मि शमनांतिकम्
Dragged by force, I became the size of a man's thumb; tightly bound by Yama's guards, I was led near the Lord of Death.
क्षणात्सभायां पश्यामि यमं पिंगललोचनम् । कृष्णमुखं महारौद्रं मृत्युव्याधिशतान्वितम्
In a moment, in the assembly, I saw Yama with tawny eyes, dark-faced, exceedingly terrible, surrounded by hundreds of diseases and death.
वातपित्त श्लेष्मदोषैर्मूर्तिमद्भिस्तु सेवितम् । कायशोषज्वरातंक स्फोटिका लूतकादिभिः
He was attended by forms embodying the faults of wind, bile, and phlegm, with emaciation, fever, afflictions, eruptions, and wasting diseases.
ज्वालांगमर्दशीर्षार्ति भगंदर बलक्षयैः । कंठमालाक्षिरोगैश्च मूत्रकृच्छ्रज्वरव्रणैः
With burning, body pain, head agony, fistula, loss of strength, throat tumors, eye diseases, painful urination, fever, and ulcers.
विमूर्च्छिका गलग्राह हृद्रोगैर्भूततस्करैः । इत्थं बहुविधै रौद्रैर्नानारूपैर्भयंकरैः
With fainting, throat constriction, heart diseases, spirits and thieves; thus, with many fierce and terrifying forms of various kinds.
कपालशिरोहस्तैश्च संग्रामे नरके तथा । राक्षसैर्दानवैर्घोरैरुपविष्टैः पुरः स्थितैः
With skulls, severed heads, and hands, in the hellish battlefield, with dreadful demons and rākṣasas, seated and standing before me.
धर्माधिकारिभिश्चात्र चित्रगुप्तादि लेखकैः । व्याघ्र सिंह वराहैश्च शिखासर्पैः सुदुर्द्धरैः
There were officers of justice, scribes like Citragupta, tigers, lions, boars, and hair-tufted serpents, extremely hard to overcome.
वृश्चिकैर्दंष्ट्रिभिर्भूतैः कीटकैर्मत्कुणादिभिः । वृक चित्रादि शुनकैः कंकैर्गृध्रैश्च जंबुकैः
With scorpions, fanged spirits, insects, beetles, wolves, strange dogs, herons, vultures, and jackals.
तस्करैर्भूतदारिद्रैर्मारिभिर्डाकिनीग्रहैः । मुक्तकेशैः श्वासकासैर्भ्रुकुटी कुटिलाननैः
With thieves, spirits of poverty, Māras, witches, wild-haired, with asthma and cough, frowning, with crooked faces.
बृहत्प्रतापैर्नोभीतैः शासकैः पापकर्मणाम् । यमः सभायां शुशुभे सेव्यमानः परिग्रहैः
Yama shone in his assembly, attended by formidable and fearless enforcers, rulers over those who commit evil deeds, surrounded by their retinues.
भीमाटविकजीवैश्च यथा व्यालांजनो गिरिः । ततो विश्वेश्वरः प्राह समयः किंकरान्प्रति
And with beings as fierce as wild forest-dwellers, like a mountain encircled by venomous creatures, then the Lord of all addressed his servants.
नामभ्रांतैर्भवद्भिश्च समानीतः कथं मुनिः । भीमकस्यात्मजो ग्रामे कौंडिन्ये मुद्गलाभिधः
How did you bring here, under mistaken identity, the sage named Mudgala, son of Bhima, a Kshatriya, from the village of Kaundinya?
क्षीणायुः क्षत्रियः सोऽस्ति आनेयो मुच्यतामसौ । श्रुत्वैतत्ते गतास्तस्मादायाताः पुनरेव ते
He is a Kshatriya of diminished lifespan; he was to be brought, but now release him. Having heard this from you, they departed and then returned again.
धर्मराजं पुनः प्राहुः सर्वे ते यमकिंकराः । तत्रास्माभिर्गतैर्देही क्षीणायुर्नोपलक्षितः
All those servants of Yama spoke again to the Lord of Dharma: 'When we went there, we did not find the embodied one with his life exhausted.'
यम उवाच- किं कारणमदृश्यास्ते प्रायेण भवतां नराः । सुकृता द्वादशीयैस्तु ख्याता वैतरणी नदी
Yama said: 'What is the reason that such people are mostly unseen by you? The river Vaitarani is renowned for those who have performed meritorious acts on the twelfth lunar day.'
उज्जयिन्यां प्रयागे वा यमुनायां च ये मृताः । तिलहस्तिहिरण्यादि दत्तं यैस्तु गवाह्निकम्
Those who die at Ujjayini, Prayaga, or on the Yamuna, who have given sesame, gold, and other gifts, or who have performed the daily cow-offering—
दूता ऊचुः - तद्व्रतं कीदृशं ब्रह्मन्ब्रूहि सर्वमशेषतः । किं तत्र देव कर्त्तव्यं पुरुषैस्तवतोषदम्
The messengers said: 'O Brahman, tell us in full, what is that vow? What must men do there, O god, to please you?'
येन कृता नरश्रेष्ठ द्वादशी कृष्णपक्षजा । उपवासे च तेनैव कथं पापात्प्रमुच्यते
By which vow, O best of men, performed on the dark fortnight's twelfth day, and by fasting, is one freed from sin?
तद्व्रतं केन विधिना कर्त्तव्यं च यथा वद । सुप्रसन्नेन वक्तव्यं दयां कृत्वा दयानिधे
By what procedure should that vow be performed? Speak with a gracious mind, O ocean of compassion, kindly tell us.
श्रीमुद्गल उवाच- दूतानां वचनं श्रुत्वा उवाच मधुरं तदा । सर्वं वदामि भो दूता यथादृष्टं यथाश्रुतम्
Sri Mudgala said: Hearing the words of the messengers, he then spoke sweetly: 'O messengers, I will tell you everything as I have seen and heard.'
यम उवाच- मार्गशीर्षादि मासे तु या इमाः कृष्णपक्षजाः । तासु पूर्वासु विधिवद्दूता वैतरणीव्रतम्
Yama said: 'In the months beginning with Margashirsha, on the dark fortnights, the Vaitarani vow should be properly observed on the earlier days, O messengers.'