Varaha Purana

निवृत्तायां तु वै तस्यामनावृष्ट्यां तु ते द्विजाः । तीर्थयात्रानिमित्तं तु प्रयातुं मनसोऽभवन् ।। ७१.

When the drought had ended, those brahmins desired in their minds to depart for pilgrimage.

तत्र शाण्डिल्यनामानं तापसं मुनिसत्तमम् । प्रत्युवाचेति संचिन्त्य मीरीचः परमो मुनिः ।। ७१.

There, the ascetic named Śāṇḍilya, the foremost among sages, was addressed by the great sage Mārīca, after reflecting.

मारीच उवाच । शाण्डिल्य शोभनं वक्ष्ये पिता ते गौतमो मुनिः । तमनुक्त्वा न गच्छामस्तपश्चर्तुं तपोवनम् ।। ७१.

Mārīca said: Śāṇḍilya, I will speak what is proper; your father Gautama is a sage. Without informing him, we should not go to practice austerities in the forest.

एवमुक्तेऽथ जहसुः सर्वे ते मुनयस्तदा । किमस्माभिः स्वको देहो विक्रीतोऽस्यान्नभक्षणात् ।। ७१.

When this was said, all those sages then exclaimed: 'Has our own body been sold for eating his food?'

एवमुक्त्वा पुनश्चोचुः सोपाधिगमनं प्रति । कृत्वा मायामयीं गां तु तच्छालौ ते व्यसर्जयन् ।। ७१.

Having spoken thus, they again discussed how to depart; creating a cow by illusion, they left it in his rice field.

तां चरन्तीं ततो दृष्ट्वा शालौ गां गौतमो मुनिः । गृहीत्वा सलिलं पाणौ याहि रुद्रेत्यभाषत । ततो मायामयी सा गौः पपात जलबिन्दुभिः ।। ७१.

Seeing that cow wandering in the forest, the sage Gautama took water in his hand and said, 'Go to Rudra.' Then that cow, formed by illusion, fell down, struck by the drops of water.

निहतां तां ततो दृष्ट्वा मुनीन् जिगमिषूंस्तथा । उवाच गौतमो धीमांस्तान् मुनीन् प्रणतः स्थितः ।। ७१.

Seeing her thus slain and the sages preparing to depart, Gautama, wise and humble, addressed those sages.

किमर्थं गम्यते विप्राः साधु शंसत माचिरम् । मां विहाय सदा भक्तं प्रणतं च विशेषतः ।। ७१.

For what reason are you leaving, O sages? Please tell me quickly. Why do you abandon me, your ever-devoted and especially humble follower?

ऋषय ऊचुः । गोवध्येयमिह ब्रह्मन् यावत् तव शरीरगा । तावदन्नं न भुञ्जामो भवतोऽन्नं महामुने ।। ७१.

The sages said: O Brahman, this is cow-slaughter here; as long as it remains with your body, we will not partake of your food, O great sage.

एवमुक्तो गौतमोऽथ तान् मुनीन् प्राह धर्मवित् । प्रायश्चित्तं गोवध्याया दीयतां मे तपोधनाः ।। ७१.

Thus addressed, Gautama, knower of righteousness, said to those ascetics, 'Grant me atonement for the killing of the cow, O possessors of austerity.'

इयं गौरमृता ब्रह्मन् मूर्च्छितेव व्यवस्थिता । गङ्गाजलप्लुता चेयमुत्थास्यति न संशयः ।। ७१.

This cow is not dead, O Brahman; she lies as if unconscious. Bathed in the water of the Ganga, she will rise again—there is no doubt.

प्रायश्चित्तं मृतायाः स्यादमृतायाः कृतं त्विदम् । व्रतं वा मा कृथाः कोपमित्युक्त्वा प्रययुस्तु ते ।। ७१.

Atonement is for the dead; for one not dead, this is already done. Do not undertake a vow or become angry, having said this, they departed.

गतैस्तैर्गौतमो धीमान् हिमवन्तं महागिरिम् । मामाराधयिषुः प्रायात् तप्तुं चाशु महत् तपः ।। ७१.

When they had gone, the wise Gautama went to the great mountain Himavat, desiring to worship me and to perform great austerity at once.

शतमेकं तु वर्षाणामहमाराधितोऽभवम् । तुष्टेन च मया प्रोक्तो वरं वरय सुव्रत ।। ७१.

For one hundred years I was worshipped; pleased, I said to him, 'Choose a boon, O steadfast one.'

सोऽब्रवीन्मां जकटासंस्थां देहि गङ्गां तपस्विनीम् । मया सार्धं प्रयात्वेषा पुण्या भागीरथी नदी ।। ७१.

He said to me, 'Grant me the Ganga, the river of austerity, from your matted locks. Let this holy Bhagirathi river go with me.'

एवमुक्ते जटाखण्डमेकं स प्रददौ शिवः । तां गृह्य गतवान् सोऽपि यत्रास्ते सा तु गौर्मृता ।। ७१.

Thus addressed, Shiva gave him a single lock of hair. Taking it, he went to where the cow lay dead.

तज्जलप्लाविता सा गौर्गता चोत्थाय भामिनी । नदी च महती जाता पुण्यतोया शुचिह्रदा ।। ७१.

Bathed in that water, the cow arose, shining; and a great river was born there, pure and holy.

तं दृष्ट्वा महदाश्चर्यं तत्र सप्तर्षयोऽमलाः । आजग्मुः खे विमानस्थाः साधुः साध्विति वादिनः ।। ७१.

Seeing that great wonder, the pure Seven Sages came there, standing in the sky in their celestial cars, exclaiming, 'Excellent! Excellent!'

साधु गौतम साधूनां कोन्योऽस्ति सदृशस्तव । यदेवं जाह्नवीं देवीं दण्डके चावतारयत् ।। ७१.

'Well done, Gautama! Among the virtuous, who is equal to you, who thus brought down the goddess Jahnavi into Dandaka?'

एवमुक्तस्तदा तैस्तु गौतमः किमिदं त्विति । गोवध्याकारणं मह्यं तावत् पश्यति गौतमः ।। ७१.

Thus addressed by them, Gautama then wondered, 'What is this?' and saw the cause of the cow's death.

ऋषीणां मायया सर्वमिदं जातं विचिन्त्य वै । शशाप तान् जटाभस्ममिथ्याव्रतधरास्तथा । भविष्यथ त्रयीबाह्या वेदकर्मबहिष्कृताः ।। ७१.

Realizing that all this had happened through the sages' illusion, he cursed them: 'You, with false vows and ashes in your hair, shall become outside the three Vedas, excluded from Vedic rites.'

तच्छ्रुत्वा क्रूरवचनं गौतमस्य महामुनेः । ऊचुः सप्तर्षयो मैवं सर्वकालं द्विजोत्तमाः । भवन्तु किं तु ते वाक्यं मोघं नास्त्यत्र संशयः ।। ७१.

Hearing those harsh words of the great sage Gautama, the Seven Sages said, 'Let it not be so for all time, O best of twice-born. Yet your words cannot be in vain—of this there is no doubt.'

यदि नाम कलौ सर्वे भविष्यन्ति द्विजोत्तमाः । उपकारिणि ये ते हि अपकर्तार एव हि । इत्थंभूता अपि कलौ भक्तिभाजो भवन्तु ते ।। ७१.

'Even if, in the Kali age, all the best of twice-born become like this, those who do good may also do harm. Yet, even so, in Kali, let those of such nature be devoted in faith.'

त्वद्वाक्यवह्निनिर्दग्धाः सदा कलियुगे द्विजाः । भविष्यन्ति क्रियाहीना वेदकर्मबहिष्कृताः ।। ७१.

In the Kali age, O twice-born, those scorched by the fire of your words will always be devoid of ritual acts, excluded from Vedic rites.

अस्याश्च गौणं नामेह नदी गोदावरीति च । गौर्दत्ता वरदानाच्च भवेद् गोदावरी नदी ।। ७१.

Here, the secondary name of this river is Godavari; because the cow was given and a boon granted, the river is called Godavari.

एतां प्राप्य कलौ ब्रह्मन् गां ददन्ति जनाश्च ये । यथाशक्त्या तु दानानि मोदन्ते त्रिदशैः सह ।। ७१.

O Brahman, in the Kali age, those who, having reached this river, give a cow or make donations according to their ability, rejoice together with the gods.

सिंहस्थे च गुरौ तत्र यो गच्छति समाहितः । स्नात्वा च विधिना तत्र पितॄं स्तर्पयते तथा ।। ७१.

When Jupiter is in Leo, whoever goes there with a focused mind, bathes according to the prescribed rite, and offers oblations to the ancestors—

स्वर्गं गच्छन्ति पितरो निरये पतिता अपि । स्वर्गस्थाः पितरस्तस्य मुक्तिभाजो न संशयः ।। ७१.

His ancestors, even if fallen into hell, attain heaven; those ancestors already in heaven surely attain liberation—of this there is no doubt.

त्वं ख्यातिं महतीं प्राप्य मुक्तिं यास्यसि शाश्वतीम् । एवमुक्त्वाऽथ मुनयो ययुः कैलासपर्वतम् । यत्राहमुमया सार्धं सदा तिष्ठामि सत्तमाः ।। ७१.

You will attain great fame and go to eternal liberation; having thus spoken, the sages went to Mount Kailasa, where, together with Uma, I always reside, O best of the good.