Adhyaya 28

Verse 1

उमोवाच । किंचित्प्रष्टुमना नाथ स्वसंदेहापनुत्तये । वद खेदो यदि न ते त्रिकालज्ञानकोविद

Umā said: O Lord, wishing to ask something to dispel my doubt, please tell me—if it is no burden to You—O adept in the knowledge of the three times.

Verse 2

तदा भगीरथो राजा क्व क्व भागीरथी तदा । यदा विष्णुस्तपस्तेपे चक्रपुष्करिणी तटे

Where was King Bhagīratha then, and where was the Bhāgīrathī (Gaṅgā) at that time—when Viṣṇu performed austerities on the bank of Cakra-puṣkariṇī?

Verse 3

शिव उवाच । संदेहोऽत्र न कर्तव्यो विशालाक्षि सदामले । श्रुतौ स्मृतौ पुराणेषु कालत्रयमुदीर्यते

Śiva said: O large-eyed one, ever-pure, no doubt should be made here. In Śruti, Smṛti, and the Purāṇas, the threefold time is indeed spoken of.

Verse 4

भूतं भावि भवच्चापि संशयं मा वृथा कृथाः । इत्युक्त्वा पुनराहेशो गंगामाहात्म्यमुत्तमम्

Whether concerning the past, the future, or the present—do not raise doubt in vain. Having said this, the Lord again spoke the supreme greatness of the Gaṅgā.

Verse 5

अगस्त्य उवाच । पार्वतीनंदन पुनर्द्युनद्याः परितो वद । महिमोक्तो हरौ यद्वद्देवदेवेन वै तदा

Agastya said: O son of Pārvatī, speak again in full about the celestial river (Gaṅgā)—how, at that time, her greatness was declared to Hari by the God of gods.

Verse 6

स्कंद उवाच । मुनऽत्र मैत्रावरुणे यथा देवेन भाषितम् । शुणु त्रिपथगामिन्या माहात्म्यं पातकापहम्

Skanda said: O sage Maitrāvaruṇa (Agastya), listen here to the greatness of the Three-Pathed One (Gaṅgā), the remover of sins, exactly as it was spoken by the Lord.

Verse 7

त्रिस्रोतसं समासाद्य सकृत्पिंडान्ददाति यः । उद्धृताः पितरस्तेन भवांभोधेस्तिलोदकैः

Whoever reaches the Three-Streamed One (Gaṅgā) and offers piṇḍas even once—by that act, with sesame-water oblations, his ancestors are lifted up from the ocean of worldly existence.

Verse 8

यावंतश्च तिला मर्त्यैर्गृहीता पितृकर्मणि । तावद्वर्षसहस्राणि पितरः स्वर्गवासिनः

As many sesame seeds as mortals use in rites for the ancestors, for that many thousands of years those Pitṛs dwell in heaven.

Verse 9

देवाः सपितरो यस्माद्गंगायां सर्वदा स्थिताः । आवाहनं विसर्गं च तेषां तत्र ततो नहि

Because the Devas, together with the Pitṛs, are ever present in the Gaṅgā, therefore in that place there is no need to invoke them—or to dismiss them.

Verse 10

पितृवंशे मृता ये च मातृवंशे तथैव च । गुरु श्वशुर बंधूनां ये चान्ये बांधवा मृताः

Those who have died in the father’s lineage, and likewise in the mother’s lineage; and those deceased among one’s guru, father-in-law, kinsmen, and other relatives—(all are included).

Verse 11

अजातदंता ये केचिद्ये च गर्भे प्रपीडिताः । अग्निविद्युच्चोरहता व्याघ्रदंष्ट्रिभिरेव च

Those who died before their teeth appeared, those who were afflicted and perished in the womb, those slain by fire, lightning, or thieves, and those torn by the fangs of tigers—(all are to be remembered).

Verse 12

उद्बंधन मृता ये च पतिता आत्मघातकाः । आत्मविक्रयिणश्चोरा ये तथाऽयाज्ययाजकाः

Those who died by hanging, the fallen, and those who took their own lives; those who sold themselves, thieves, and those who officiated in forbidden sacrifices—all these too are included.

Verse 13

रसविक्रयिणो ये च ये चान्ये पापरोगिणः । अग्निदा गरदाश्चैव गोघ्नाश्चैव स्ववंशजाः

Those who trade in intoxicating liquors, and others afflicted with sinful diseases; arsonists, poisoners, and cow-slayers—even if born in one’s own lineage—all these too are included.

Verse 14

असिपत्रवने ये च कुंभीपाके च ये गताः । रौरवेप्यंधतामिस्रे कालसूत्रे च ये गताः

Those who have gone to Asipatravana and to Kumbhīpāka, and those who have gone to Raurava, Andhatāmisra, and Kālasūtra—even they are included.

Verse 15

जात्यंतरसहस्रेषु भ्राम्यंते ये स्वकर्मभिः । ये तु पक्षिमृगादीनां कीटवृक्षादि वीरुधाम्

Those who, driven by their own karma, wander through thousands of other births—those who have entered the wombs of birds and beasts, and who have become insects, trees, and creeping plants—all are included.

Verse 16

योनिं गतास्त्वसंख्याताः संख्यातानामशोभनाः । प्रापिता यमलोकं तु सुघोरैर्यमकिंकरैः

Countless beings have entered various wombs, unseemly among the counted; and they have been carried to Yama’s realm by Yama’s exceedingly terrifying attendants.

Verse 17

येऽबांधवा बांधवा वा येऽन्यजन्मनि बांधवाः । येपि चाज्ञातनामानो ये चापुत्राः स्वगोत्रजाः

Whether unrelated or related, whether kin from another birth; those whose names are unknown, and those of one’s own lineage who died without offspring—all are included.

Verse 18

विषेण च मृता वै ये ये वै शृंगिभिराहताः । कृतघ्नाश्च गुरुघ्नाश्च ये च मित्रद्रुहस्तथा

Those who died by poison, those gored by horned beasts; the ungrateful, the slayers of their teacher, and those who betray their friends—even such are spoken of here.

Verse 19

स्त्री बालघातका ये च ये च विश्वासघातकाः । असत्यहिंसानिरता सदा पापरताश्च ये

Those who kill women and children, those who betray trust; those devoted to falsehood and violence, and those ever delighting in sin—even such are included.

Verse 20

अश्वविक्रयिणो ये च परद्रव्यहराश्च ये । अनाथाः कृपणा दीना मानुष्यं प्राप्तुमक्षमाः

Those who trade in horses, those who steal another’s wealth; and those who become helpless—without refuge, wretched, and fallen—unable to attain a human state again: all are included.

Verse 21

तर्पिता जाह्नवीतोयैर्नरेण विधिना सकृत् । प्रयांति स्वर्गतिं तेपि स्वर्गिणो मुक्तिमाप्नुयुः

If they are satisfied even once—by a man, duly and according to rule—through tarpaṇa offerings with the waters of Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā), then even they attain the path to heaven; and having reached heaven, they may finally obtain liberation (mokṣa).

Verse 22

एतान्मंत्रान्समुच्चार्य यः कुर्यात्पितृतर्पणम् । श्राद्धं पिंडप्रदानं च स विधिज्ञ इहोच्यते

He who, after duly reciting these mantras, performs the pitṛ-tarpaṇa to satisfy the ancestors, and also performs śrāddha and the offering of piṇḍas—he is here called one who truly knows the rite.

Verse 23

कामप्रदानि तीर्थानि त्रैलोक्ये यानि कानिचित् । तानि सर्वाणि सेवंते काश्यामुत्तरवाहिनीम्

Whatever wish-fulfilling sacred fords exist in the three worlds—every one of them, as it were, resorts to and serves the Uttaravāhinī, the north-flowing Gaṅgā, in Kāśī.

Verse 24

स्वःसिंधुः सर्वतः पुण्या ब्रह्महत्यापहारिणी । काश्यां विशेषतो विष्णो यत्र चोत्तरवाहिनी

The heavenly river, the Gaṅgā, is holy everywhere and removes even the sin of brahmin-slaying; yet in Kāśī, O Viṣṇu, she is especially so—where she flows as the Uttaravāhinī.

Verse 25

गायंति गाथामेतां वै दैवर्षिपितरोगणाः । अपि दृग्गोचरा नः स्यात्काश्यामुत्तरवाहिनी

The hosts of divine seers and the assemblies of the ancestors sing this very hymn: “May the Uttaravāhinī in Kāśī come within the range of our own sight.”

Verse 26

यत्रत्यामृतसंतृप्तास्तापत्रितयवर्जिताः । स्याम त्वमृतमेवाद्धा विश्वनाथप्रसादतः

There, nourished by that nectar (amṛta), free from the threefold afflictions, may we truly become immortal—indeed—by the grace of Viśvanātha, Lord of Kāśī.

Verse 27

गंगैव केवला मुक्त्यै निर्णीता परितो हरे । अविमुक्ते विशेषेण ममाधिष्ठानगौरवात्

Gaṅgā alone has been determined on every side as the direct means to liberation, O Hari; and in Avimukta (Kāśī) especially so—because of the majesty of My own abiding presence there.

Verse 28

ज्ञात्वा कलियुगं घोरं गंगाभक्तिः सुगोपिता । न विंदतिं जना गंगां मुक्तिमागैर्कदायिकाम्

Knowing the dreadful nature of the Kali age, devotion to the Gaṅgā has been well concealed; people do not find the Gaṅgā, the bestower of the path to liberation.

Verse 29

अनेकजन्मनियुतं भ्राम्यमाणस्तु योनिषु । निर्वृतिं प्राप्नुयात्कोत्र जाह्नवीभजनं विना

Wandering through wombs for countless births, where could one ever attain peace without worshipful devotion to Jāhnavī (the Gaṅgā)?

Verse 30

नराणामल्पबुद्धीनामेनो विक्षिप्तचेतसाम् । गंगेव परमं विष्णो भेषजं भवरोगिणाम्

O Viṣṇu, for people of little understanding—whose minds are scattered by sin—Gaṅgā alone is the supreme medicine for those afflicted by the disease of worldly becoming.

Verse 31

खंडस्फुटितसंस्कारं गंगातीरे करोति यः । मम लोके चिरं कालं तस्याक्षय सुखं हरे

O Hari, whoever performs the saṃskāras—though broken or incomplete—on the bank of the Gaṅgā, enjoys imperishable happiness for a long time in my world.

Verse 32

गंतुमुद्दिश्य यो गंगां परार्थस्वार्थमेव वा । न गच्छति परं मोहात्स पतेत्पितृभिः सह

Whoever sets out intending to go to the sacred Gaṅgā—whether for another’s sake or his own—but then, through delusion, does not go, falls down along with his ancestors.

Verse 33

सर्वाणि येषां गांगेयैस्तोयैः कृत्यानि देहिनाम् । भूमिस्था अपि ते मर्त्या अमर्त्या एव वै हरे

O Hari, those embodied beings for whom all rites are performed using Gaṅgā’s waters—though living on earth as mortals—are truly as the deathless.

Verse 34

चरमेपि वयोभागे स्वःसिंधुं यो निषेवते । कृत्वाप्येनांसि बहुशः सोपि यायाच्छुभां गतिम्

Even in the final stage of life, one who resorts to and serves the heavenly river, the Gaṅgā—though he has committed sins many times—still attains an auspicious destination.

Verse 35

यावदस्थि मनुष्याणां गंगातोयेषु तिष्ठति । तावदब्दसहस्राणि स्वर्गलोके महीयते

So long as a person’s bone remains in Gaṅgā’s waters, for that many thousands of years he is honored in the world of heaven.

Verse 36

विष्णुरुवाच । देवदेवजगन्नाथ जगतां हितकृत्प्रभो । कीकसं चेत्पतेद्दैवाद्दुर्वृत्तस्य दुरात्मनः

Viṣṇu said: O God of gods, Lord of the universe, benefactor of the worlds—O Master! If, by fate, the bone of a wicked and evil-minded person should fall (there)…

Verse 37

जले द्युनद्या निष्पापे कथं तस्य परा गतिः । अपमृत्यु विपन्नस्य तदीश विनिवेद्यताम्

When his remains are in the sin-destroying waters of the heavenly river, what is his highest destiny? And for one who has perished by untimely death—O Lord—let that be explained.

Verse 38

महेश्वर उवाच । अत्रार्थे कथयिष्यामि पुरावृत्तमधोक्षज । शृणुष्वैकमना विष्णो वाहीकस्य द्विजन्मनः

Maheśvara said: “In this matter, O Adhokṣaja (Viṣṇu), I shall relate an ancient account. Listen with a single-pointed mind, O Viṣṇu, to the story of the twice-born man named Vāhīka.”

Verse 39

पुरा कलिंगविषये द्विजो लवणविक्रयी । संध्यास्नानविहीनश्च वेदाक्षरविवर्जितः

Formerly, in the land of Kaliṅga, there lived a twice-born man who made his living by selling salt. He was devoid of the daily sandhyā worship and ritual bathing, and he had abandoned even the recitation of Vedic syllables.

Verse 40

वाहीको नामतो यज्ञसूत्रमात्रपरिग्रहः । परिग्रहश्च तस्यासीत्कौविंदी विधवा नवा

He was named Vāhīka—one whose only ‘possession’ was the sacred thread alone. And his worldly attachment was a young widowed woman of the weaver community (Kauviṃdī).

Verse 41

दुर्भिक्षपीडितेनाथ वृषलीपतिना विना । प्राणाधारं तदा तेन देशाद्देशांतरं ययौ

Then, afflicted by famine—and separated from the husband of the śūdra-woman—he went from one country to another in search of mere sustenance for life.

Verse 42

मध्येऽथ दंडकारण्यं क्षुत्क्षामः संगवर्जितः । व्याघ्रेण घातितस्तत्र नरमांसप्रियेण सः

On the way, in the Daṇḍaka forest, weakened by hunger and bereft of companions, he was slain there by a tiger that delighted in human flesh.

Verse 43

तस्य वामपदं गृध्रो गृहीत्वोदपतत्ततः । मांसाशिनाऽन्य गृध्रेण तस्य युद्धमभूद्दिवि

A vulture seized his left foot and flew up with it. Then, in the sky, a battle arose between that vulture and another flesh-eating vulture.

Verse 44

गृध्रयोरामिषं गृध्न्वोः परस्परजयैषिणोः । अवापतत्पादगुल्फं कंकचंचुपुटात्तदा

As the two vultures, craving the flesh and seeking victory over one another, fought, the ankle and foot then fell down from the beak of a kaṅka-bird.

Verse 45

तस्य वाहीक विप्रस्य व्याघ्रव्यापादितस्य ह । मध्ये गंगं दैवयोगादपतद्द्वंद्वकारिणोः

Of that brāhmaṇa Vāhīka, slain by the tiger—indeed, by a turn of providence—the foot fell into the midst of the Gaṅgā, even as the two birds were engaged in their quarrel.

Verse 46

यदैव हतवान्द्वीपी तं वाहीकमरण्यगम् । तस्मिन्नेव क्षणे बद्धः स पाशैः क्रूरकिंकरैः

At the very moment the tiger killed Vāhīka in the forest, in that same instant he was bound with nooses by Yama’s cruel attendants.

Verse 47

कशाभिर्घातितोत्यंतमाराभिः परितोदितः । वमन्रुधिरमास्येन नीतस्तैः स यमाग्रतः

Beaten severely with whips and prodded all around with goads, vomiting blood from his mouth, he was led by them into the presence of Yama.

Verse 48

आपृच्छि धर्मराजेन चित्रगुप्तोथ मापते । धर्माधर्मं विचार्यास्य कथयाशु द्विजन्मनः

Then Dharmarāja questioned Citragupta: “O lord, quickly examine this twice-born man’s righteousness and unrighteousness, and report it.”

Verse 49

वैवस्वतेन पृष्टोथ चित्रगुप्तो विचित्रधीः । सर्वदा सर्वजंतूनां वेदिता सर्वकर्मणाम्

Thus questioned by Vaivasvata, Citragupta—of wondrous intelligence—who is ever the knower of all beings and of all their actions, prepared to speak.

Verse 50

जगाद यमुनाबंधुं वाहीकस्य द्विजन्मनः । जन्मकर्मदिनारभ्य दुर्वृत्तस्य शुभेतरम्

He spoke to Yamunā’s kinsman about the Vāhīka twice-born: from the very day of the birth-rite onward, the conduct of that ill-behaved man—scarcely auspicious, mostly otherwise.

Verse 51

चित्रगुप्त उवाच । गर्भाधानादिकं कर्म प्राक्कृतं नास्य केनचित् । जातकर्मकृतं नास्य पित्राऽज्ञानवता हरे

Citragupta said: “For him, none of the prenatal rites beginning with garbhādhāna were performed. Even the birth-rite was not done for him by his father, who was ignorant—O Hari.”

Verse 52

गर्भैनः शमने हेतुः समस्तायुः सुखप्रदम् । एकादशेह्नि नामास्य न कृतं विधिपूर्वकम्

(That rite) is a means to pacify the sins connected with the womb and a bestower of happiness through one’s full span of life—yet on the eleventh day his naming rite was not performed according to proper rule.

Verse 53

ख्यातः स्याद्येन विधिना सर्वत्र विधिपावनम् । नाकार्षीन्निर्गमं चास्य चतुर्थे मासि मंदधीः

By the prescribed procedure through which one is duly established and purified by rule everywhere, his dull-witted guardian did not perform even the child’s ‘going-out’ rite in the fourth month.

Verse 54

जनकः शुभतिथ्यादौ विदेशगमनापहम् । षष्ठेऽन्नप्राशनंमासि न कृतं विधिपूर्वकम्

At an auspicious time—(a rite) said to avert going to foreign lands—his father still did not perform the first-feeding (annaprāśana) in the sixth month according to due procedure.

Verse 55

सर्वदा मिष्टमश्नाति कर्मणा येन भास्करे । न चूडाकरणं चास्य कृतमब्दे यथाकुलम्

(That is the rite) by which one is blessed to eat sweet food always, O Bhāskara—yet his tonsure (cūḍākaraṇa) too was not performed in the proper year according to family custom.

Verse 56

कर्मणा येन केशाः स्युः स्निग्धाः कुसुमवर्षिणः । नाकारि कर्णवेधोस्य जनित्रा समये शुभे

(It is the rite) by which the hair becomes glossy and ‘flower-bestowing’—that is, auspicious and attractive; yet his parents did not perform his ear-piercing (karṇavedha) at the proper auspicious time.

Verse 57

सुवर्णग्राहिणौ येन कर्णौ स्यातां च सुश्रुती । मौंजीबंधोप्यभूदस्य व्यतीतेब्देऽष्टमे हरे । ब्रह्मचर्याभिवृद्ध्यै यो ब्रह्मग्रहणहेतुकः

By that rite the ears become fit to bear gold (ornaments), and one becomes “good of hearing,” well instructed. And for him, O Hari, when the eighth year had passed, the binding of the muñja-girdle took place— a rite meant to increase brahmacarya and to serve as the cause for receiving Brahman, that is, Vedic learning.

Verse 58

मौंजीमोक्षणवार्तापि कृता नास्य जनुःकृता । गार्हस्थ्यं प्राप्यते यस्मात्कर्मणोऽनंतरं वरम्

Even the mere report that the rite of releasing his sacred muñja-girdle was performed—though he did not truly observe the proper life-stages—still, immediately after that act he obtained the next “excellent” station: householdership (gārhasthya).

Verse 59

यथाकथंचिदूढाऽथ पत्नी त्यक्तकुलाध्वगा । वृषलीपतिना तेन परदारापहारिणा

Then, somehow or other, he took a wife—one who had forsaken the path of her family; and he, as the husband of a low-born woman, became a stealer of other men’s wives.

Verse 60

आरभ्य पंचमाद्वर्षात्परस्वस्यापहारकः । अभूदेष दुराचारो दुरोदरपरायणः

From his fifth year onward he became a thief of others’ property; this man turned to evil conduct, devoted to gambling.

Verse 61

रुमायां वसताऽनेन हतागौरेकवार्षिकी । एकदा दृढदंडेन लिहंती लवणं मृता

While living in Rumā, he killed a one-year-old cow. Once, as it was licking salt, it died after he struck it with a hard staff.

Verse 62

जननीं पादपातेन बहुशोऽसावताडयत् । कदाचिदपि नो वाक्यं पितुः कृतमनेन वै

He struck his own mother again and again with kicks; and truly, not even once did he carry out his father’s word.

Verse 64

धत्तूरकरवीरादि बहुधोपविषाणि च । क्रीडाकलहमात्रेण भक्षयच्चैष दुर्मतिः

This wicked-minded man would even consume many kinds of mild poisons—such as dhattūra and karavīra—merely over childish play and quarrels.

Verse 65

दग्धोसावग्निना सौरे श्वभिश्च कवलीकृतः । शृंगिभिः परितः प्रोतो विषाणाग्रैरसौ बहु

He was burned by a fierce fire, torn and devoured by dogs, and repeatedly pierced all around by horned beasts with the tips of their horns.

Verse 66

दंदशूकैर्भृशं दष्टो दुष्टः शिष्टैर्विगर्हितः । काष्ठेष्टलोष्टैः पापिष्ठः कृतानिष्टः सदात्मनः

Badly bitten by serpents, vile and censured by the virtuous, this most sinful one—ever harmful to the good—was struck with sticks, potsherds, and clods of earth.

Verse 67

आस्फालितं शिरोनेनासकृच्चापि दुरात्मना । यदर्च्यते सदा सद्भिरुत्तमांगमनेकधा

That wicked soul repeatedly dashed his head—his ‘highest limb’, worshipped in many ways by the good—again and again.

Verse 68

असौ हि ब्राह्मणो मंदो गायत्रीमपिवेदन । कामतो मत्स्यमांसानि जग्धान्येतेन दुर्धिया

That brāhmaṇa was dull of mind; he did not even know the sacred Gāyatrī. Driven by desire, he—of perverse understanding—ate fish and meat.

Verse 69

आत्मार्थं पायसमसौ पर्यपाक्षीदनेकधा । लाक्षालवणमांसानां सपयोदधिसर्पिषाम्

For his own selfish ends, he repeatedly cooked pāyasa (sweet rice) in many ways—together with lākṣā, salt, and meats, and with milk, curds, and ghee.

Verse 70

विषलोहायुधानां च दासीगोवाजिनामपि । विक्रेताऽसौ सदा मूढस्तथा वै केशचर्मणाम्

That deluded man, ever foolish, sold poison and iron weapons; he even trafficked in female slaves, cattle, and horses—likewise in hair and hides.

Verse 71

शूद्रान्न परिपुष्टांगः पर्वण्यहनि मैथुनी । पराङ्मुखो दैवपित्र्यकर्मण्येष दुरात्मवान्

Nourishing his body on food received from a Śūdra, he indulged in intercourse even on festival and sacred days. He turned away from rites owed to the gods and the ancestors—this man of wicked nature.

Verse 72

पक्षिणो घातितानेन मृगाश्चापि परः शतम् । अकारण द्रुमच्छेदी सदा निर्दयमानसः

By him birds were killed, and beasts as well—more than a hundred. Without cause he cut down trees, his mind ever devoid of compassion.

Verse 74

अदत्तदानः पिशुनः शिश्नोदरपरायणः । किं बहूक्तेन रविज साक्षात्पातक मूर्तिमान्

He gave no charity, was a slanderer, and was devoted only to lust and the belly. What need is there to say more, O son of the Sun? He was sin embodied in visible form.

Verse 75

रौरवेप्यंधतामिस्रे कुंभीपाकेऽतिरौरवे । कालसूत्रे कृमिभुजि पूयशोणितकर्दमे

In Raurava, in Andhatāmisra, in Kumbhīpāka, in Atiraurava; in Kālasūtra, in Kṛmibhoji, and in the mire of pus and blood—

Verse 76

असिपत्रवने घोरे यंत्रपीडे सुदंष्ट्रके । अधोमुखे पूतिगंधे विष्ठागर्त्तेष्वभोजने

—in the dreadful Asi-patravana, in the torment of crushing machines, in Sudaṃṣṭraka; in Adhomukha, in the foul-smelling realm, and in the dung-pits of Abhojana—

Verse 77

सूचीभेद्येऽथ संदंशे लालापे क्षुरधारके । प्रत्येकं नरके त्वेष पात्यतां कल्पसंख्यया

—in Sūcībhedya, then in Saṃdaṃśa, in Lālāpa, and in Kṣuradhāraka—into each hell, one by one, may he be cast for a count of kalpas.

Verse 78

धर्मराजः समाकर्ण्य चित्रगुप्तमुखादिति । निर्भर्त्स्य तं दुराचारं किंकरानादिदेश ह

Hearing this from the mouth of Citragupta, Dharmarāja rebuked that evil-doer and then commanded his attendants.

Verse 79

भ्रू संज्ञया हृतैर्नीतः स बद्ध्वा निरयालयम् । आक्रंदरावो यत्रोच्चैः पापिनां रोमहर्षणः

At a mere signal of the eyebrow, he was seized and led away; bound fast, he was taken to the abode of hell, where the sinners’ loud wailing rises on high, dreadful to hear.

Verse 80

ईश्वर उवाच । यातनास्वतितीव्रासु वाहीके संस्थिते तदा । तत्कालपुण्यफलदे गाङ्गेयांभसि निर्मले

Īśvara said: When Vāhīka was enduring torments most severe, at that very moment there appeared the pure waters of the Gaṅgā, bestowing instantly the fruit of merit.

Verse 81

पतितं तद्धि गृध्रास्याद्वाहीकस्य द्विजन्मनः । हरे विमानं तत्कालमापन्नं सुरसद्मतः

Indeed, at that moment the vulture-faced state fell away from Vāhīka, the twice-born; and at once Hari’s celestial chariot arrived from the abode of the gods.

Verse 82

घंटावलंबितं दिव्यं दिव्यस्त्रीशतसंकुलम् । आरुह्य देवयानं स दिव्यवेषधरो द्विजः

That twice-born, now clad in divine raiment, mounted the celestial conveyance—splendid, hung with tinkling bells, and thronged with hundreds of heavenly women.

Verse 83

वीज्यमानोऽप्सरोवृंदैर्दिव्यगंधानुलेपनः । जगाम स्वर्गभुवनं गंगास्थिपतनाद्धरे

Fanned by hosts of apsarases and anointed with divine fragrances, he went to the world of heaven, O Hari, because his bones were cast (immersed) into the Gaṅgā.

Verse 84

स्कंद उवाच । वस्तुशक्तिविचारोयमद्भुतः कोपि कुंभज । द्रवरूपेण काप्येषा शक्तिः सादाशिवी परा

Skanda said: O Kumbhaja, this contemplation on the power inherent in reality is truly wondrous. In a fluid form, it is indeed the supreme śakti belonging to Sadāśiva.

Verse 85

करुणामृतपूर्णेन देवदेवेन शंभुना । एषा प्रवर्तिता गंगा जगदुद्धरणाय वै

Filled with the nectar of compassion, Śambhu—the God of gods—set this Gaṅgā in motion, truly for the upliftment and deliverance of the world.

Verse 86

यथान्याः सरितो लोके वारिपूर्णाः सहस्रशः । तथैषानानुमंतव्या सद्भिस्त्रिपथगामिनी

Though in the world there are thousands of other rivers full of water, this one—the Tripathagā who moves in the three paths—should not be regarded as merely the same by the virtuous.

Verse 87

श्रुत्यक्षराणि निश्चित्य कारुण्याच्छंभुना मुने । निर्मिता तद्द्रवैरेषा गंगा गंगाधरेण वै

O sage, out of compassion Śambhu determined the syllables of the Śruti and, from their very essence made fluid, fashioned this Gaṅgā—indeed by Gaṅgādhara himself.

Verse 88

योगोपनिषदामेतं सारमाकृष्य शंकरः । कृपया सर्वजंतूनां चकार सरितां वराम्

Śaṅkara, drawing forth this essence of the Yogopaniṣads, compassionately fashioned—for the sake of all creatures—the most excellent of rivers.

Verse 89

अकलानिधयो रात्र्यो विपुष्पाश्चैव पादपाः । यथा तथैव ते देशा यत्र नास्त्यमरापगा

Like nights bereft of the moon’s phases, and like trees without blossoms—so too are those lands where the celestial river Amarāpagā, the sacred Gaṅgā, is not present.

Verse 90

अनयाः संपदो यद्वन्मखा यद्वददक्षिणाः । तद्वद्देशा दिशः सर्वा हीना गंगांभसा हरे

O Hara, just as wealth without proper use and sacrifices without dakṣiṇā (ritual fees) are fruitless, so too all regions and directions are deficient when they are without the waters of the Gaṅgā.

Verse 91

व्योमांगणमनर्कं च नक्तेऽदीपं यथा गृहम । अवेदा ब्राह्मणा यद्वद्गंगाहीनास्तथा दिशः

As the sky is bleak without the sun, as a house at night is useless without a lamp, and as brāhmaṇas without the Veda lose their true stature—so the directions are impoverished when they are without the Gaṅgā.

Verse 92

चांद्रायणसहस्रं तु यः कुर्याद्देहशोधनम् । गंगामृतं पिबेद्यस्तु तयोर्गंगाबुपोऽधिकः

He who performs a thousand Cāndrāyaṇa vows may purify the body; but one who drinks the nectar-like water of the Gaṅgā is declared greater than those two in spiritual merit.

Verse 93

पादेनैकेन यस्तिष्ठेत्सहस्रं शरदां शतम् । अब्दं गंगांबुपो यस्तु तयोर्गंगांबुपोऽधिकः

Even if someone were to stand on one foot for an immeasurable span—like a hundred autumns a thousand times over—still, the one who drinks Gaṅgā-water for a year is declared superior to those two in spiritual merit.

Verse 94

अवाक्छिराः प्रलंबेद्यः शतसंवत्सरान्नरः । भीष्मसूवालुकातल्पशयस्तस्माद्वरो हरे

Even if a man were to hang upside down for a hundred years, or sleep upon a dreadful bed of sand, still higher than that austerity, O Hara, is the grace of the sacred Gaṅgā.

Verse 95

पापतापाभितप्तानां भूतानामिह जाह्ववी । पापतापहरा यद्वद्गंगा नान्यत्तथा कलौ

For beings scorched here by the burning of sin, Jāhnavī removes the torment of sin; in the Kali age there is nothing else like the Gaṅgā.

Verse 96

तार्क्ष्यवीक्षणमात्रेण फणिनौ निर्विषा यथा । निष्प्रभाणि तथेनांसि भागीरथ्यवलोकनात्

Just as snakes become venomless merely by Garuḍa’s glance, so sins lose their power and luster by the mere sight of Bhāgīrathī.

Verse 97

गंगातटोद्भवां मृत्स्नां यो मौलौ बिभृयान्नरः । बिभर्ति सोऽर्कबिंबं वै तमोनाशाय निश्चितम्

The man who bears upon his head the earth taken from the Gaṅgā’s bank bears, as it were, the orb of the sun—assuredly for the destruction of darkness (ignorance and sin).

Verse 98

व्यसनैरभिभूतस्य धनहीनस्य पापिनः । गंगैव केवलं तस्य गतिरुक्ता न चान्यथा

For one overwhelmed by misfortunes—poor and burdened with sin—Gaṅgā alone is declared to be the refuge and the way; not otherwise.

Verse 99

श्रुताभिलषिता दृष्टा स्पृष्टा पीताऽवगाहिता । पुंसां वंशद्वयं गंगा तारयेन्नात्र संशयः

If Gaṅgā is heard of, yearned for, seen, touched, drunk, or entered for bathing, she delivers a man’s two lineages—paternal and maternal; of this there is no doubt.

Verse 100

कीर्तनाद्दर्शनात्स्पर्शाद्गंगापानावगाहनात् । दशोत्तरगुणा ज्ञेया पुण्यापुण्यर्द्धिनाशयोः

By praising her, by seeing her, by touching her, and by drinking and bathing in Gaṅgā—know that through these acts the increase of merit and the destruction of demerit become tenfold and more.

Verse 110

ब्रह्मलोकस्तु लोकानां सर्वेषामुत्तमो यथा । सरितां सरसां वापि वरिष्ठा जाह्नवी तथा

Just as Brahmaloka is the highest among all worlds, so Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā) is the most excellent among rivers—and even among lakes.

Verse 120

ज्ञात्वाज्ञात्वा च गंगायां यः पंचत्वमवाप्नुयात् । अनात्मघाती स्वर्गी स्यान्नरकान्स न पश्यति

Whether knowingly or unknowingly, whoever meets death in Gaṅgā—so long as he is not a self-slayer—becomes heaven-bound and does not behold the hells.

Verse 124

यावंति तस्या लोमानि मुने तत्संततेरपि । तावद्वर्षसहस्राणि स स्वर्गसुखभुग्भवेत्

O sage, for as many hairs as are upon her body—and likewise upon the bodies of her descendants—for that many thousands of years he becomes an enjoyer of heavenly bliss.