पृथुरुवाच। कृष्णवेण्यातटाद्यस्मात्शिवविष्णुगणैः पुरा । वणिक्शरीरात्कलहा निर्मिता कथिता त्वया
Prithu said: You have told me that quarrel was created from the body of a merchant by the Shiva and Vishnu hosts, on the bank of the Krishna river.
प्रभावोऽयं तयोर्नद्योः किंवा क्षेत्रस्य तस्य वा । तन्मे कथय धर्मज्ञ विस्मयोऽत्र महान्मम
Is this the power of those two rivers, or of that region itself? Tell me, O knower of dharma, for I am greatly amazed by this.
नारद उवाच। कृष्णा कृष्णतनुः साक्षाद्वेण्या देवो महेश्वरः । तत्संगमप्रभावं तु नालं वक्तुं चतुर्मुखः
Nārada said: Krishna, the Lord with a dark form, is truly the god Maheśvara, who appeared from the river Veṇī; even the four-faced Brahmā is unable to describe the power of their union.
तथापि तत्समुत्पत्तिं कीर्तयिष्यामि तच्छृणु । चाक्षुषस्यांतरे पूर्वं मनोर्देवः पितामहः
Still, I will recount its origin; listen to this. In the interval of the Cākṣuṣa Manvantara, Manu's father, the god Brahmā, existed.
सह्याद्रिशिखरे रम्ये यजनायोद्यतोऽभवत् । स कृत्वा यज्ञसंभारान्सर्वदेवगणैर्वृतः
On the beautiful peak of Mount Sahya, he prepared to perform a sacrifice, having assembled all the hosts of gods and arranged the sacrificial materials.
युक्तो हरिहराभ्यां च तद्गिरेः शिखरं ययौ । भृग्वादयो मुनिगणा मुहूर्ते ब्रह्मदैवते
Accompanied by Hari and Hara, he went to the summit of that mountain; and in a moment, groups of sages led by Bhṛgu, along with Brahmā as the deity, gathered there.
तस्य दीक्षाविधानाय समाजं तत्र चक्रिरे । अथ ज्येष्ठां स्वरां पत्नीं विष्णुराह्वयत द्विजैः
There, for the purpose of the consecration ritual, they assembled together; then, at the urging of the sages, Viṣṇu summoned his senior wife, Svā.
साशनैराययौ तावद्भृगुर्विष्णुमुवाच ह । भृगुरुवाच। विष्णो स्वरा त्वयाहूता आयाति न हि सत्वरा
At that moment, as thunder rolled, Bhṛgu spoke to Viṣṇu: 'O Viṣṇu, Svā whom you have called is not coming quickly.'
मुहूर्त्तातिक्रमश्चायं कार्यो दीक्षाविधिः कथम् । विष्णुरुवाच। नायाति चेत्स्वरा शीघ्रं गायत्र्यत्र विधीयताम्
'The proper time is passing, and the consecration must be performed—what should be done?' Viṣṇu said: 'If Svā does not come quickly, let Gāyatrī be appointed here.'
एषापि न भवत्यस्य भार्या किं पुण्यकर्मणि । नारद उवाच। एवमेव हि रुद्रोऽपि विष्णोर्वाक्यममोदत
'But she is not his wife in this meritorious act.' Nārada said: In the same way, Rudra also agreed with Viṣṇu's words.
तच्छ्रुत्वा स भृगुर्वाक्यं गायत्रीं ब्रह्मणस्तदा । निवेश्य दक्षिणे भागे दीक्षाविधिमथाकरोत्
Hearing Bhṛgu's words, Gāyatrī, the wife of Brahmā, was then seated on his right side, and the consecration ritual was performed.
यावद्दीक्षाविधिं तस्य विधेश्चक्रुर्विधानतः । तावदभ्याययौ तत्र स्वरा यज्ञस्थले नृप
As they were performing the consecration ritual according to the prescribed method, at that moment, Svā arrived there at the sacrificial ground, O King.
ततस्तां दीक्षितां दृष्ट्वा गायत्रीं ब्रह्मणा सह । सपत्नीर्षापरा क्रोधात्स्वरा वचनमब्रवीत्
Then, seeing Gāyatrī consecrated together with Brahmā, Svā, overcome by jealousy and anger toward her co-wife, spoke these words.
स्वरोवाच। अपूज्या यत्र पूज्यन्ते पूज्यानां च व्यतिक्रमः । त्रीणि तत्र भविष्यंति दुर्भिक्षं मरणं भयम्
Svā said: 'Where the unworthy are honored and the worthy are neglected, there will be three things: famine, death, and fear.'
ममासने कनिष्ठेयं भवद्भिः सन्निवेशिता । तस्मात्सर्वे जडीभूता नानारूपा भविष्यथ
'You have seated this younger wife of mine in my place; therefore, you all shall become dull-witted and take on various forms.'
इदं च दक्षिणेभागे ह्युपविष्टा मदासने । तस्माल्लोकैः सदाऽदृश्या तनुर्वहतु निम्नगा
'And because she sat on my seat to the right, let her always be invisible to people and take the form of a river.'
नारद उवाच। ततस्तच्छापमाकर्ण्य गायत्री कंपिता तदा । समुत्थायाशपद्देवैर्वार्यमाणापि तां स्वराम्
Nārada said: Then, hearing that curse, Gāyatrī trembled; rising up, though restrained by the gods, she cursed Svā in return.
तव भर्त्ता यथा ब्रह्मा ममाप्येष तथा खलु । वृथाशपस्त्वं यस्मान्मां भव त्वमपि निम्नगा
'Just as Brahmā is your husband, so he is also mine; since you have cursed me without cause, you too become a river.'
नारद उवाच। ततो हाहाकृताः सर्वे शिवविष्णुमुखाः सुराः । तदा लोकत्रयं ह्येतद्विनाशं यास्यति ध्रुवम्
Nārada said: Then all the gods, led by Śiva and Viṣṇu, cried out in distress, for surely the three worlds would go to ruin because of this.
देवा ऊचुः । देवि सर्वे वयं शप्ता ब्रह्माद्या यत्त्वयाधुना । यदि सर्वे जडीभूता भविष्यामोऽत्र निम्नगाः
The gods said: 'O goddess, by you we have all now been cursed, including Brahmā and the others; if we all become dull-witted and rivers here, what will happen?'
तदा लोकत्रयं ह्येतद्विनाशं यास्यति ध्रुवम् । अविवेकः कृतस्तस्माच्छापोऽयं विनिवर्त्यताम्
At that time, indeed, the three worlds would certainly go to ruin; therefore, since a lack of discernment has occurred, let this curse be withdrawn.
स्वरोवाच। नार्चितो हि गणाध्यक्षो यज्ञादौ यत्सुरोत्तमाः । तस्माद्विघ्नं समुत्पन्नं मत्क्रोधजमिदं खलु
Svarā said: Because the Lord of the Gaṇas was not worshipped at the beginning of the sacrifice, O best of gods, therefore this obstacle, born of my anger, has truly arisen.
नापि मद्वचनं ह्येतदसत्यं जायते खलु । तस्मात्स्वांशैर्जडीभूता यूयं भवत निम्नगाः
Nor indeed do my words ever become untrue; therefore, you all, with your own portions, become dull and flow as rivers.
आवामपि सपत्न्यौ च स्वांशाभ्यामपि निम्नगे । भविष्यावोऽत्र वै देवाः पश्चिमाभिमुखावहे
We two, as co-wives, also with our own portions, shall become rivers here, O gods, flowing westward.
नारद उवाच। इति तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा ब्रह्मविष्णुमहेश्वराः । जडीभूताभवन्नद्यः स्वांशैरेव तदा नृप
Nārada said: Hearing those words, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara, O king, became dull and turned into rivers by their own portions at that time.
तत्र विष्णुरभूत्कृष्ण वेण्या देवो महेश्वरः । ब्रह्मा ककुद्मिनीगंगा पृथगेवाभवत्तदा
There, Viṣṇu became the river Kṛṣṇā, Maheśvara the river Veṇī, and Brahmā became the river Kakudminī-Gaṅgā, each separately at that time.
देवा स्वानपितानंशान्जडीकृत्वा विचक्षणाः । सह्याद्रिशिखरेभ्यस्ताः पृथगासन्सुनिम्नगाः
The wise gods, having made their own and their fathers' portions dull, became separate excellent rivers from the peaks of Mount Sahya.
देवांशैः पूर्ववाहिन्यो बभूवुः सरितां वराः । गायत्री च स्वरा चैव पश्चिमाभिमुखे तदा
With divine portions, the foremost rivers flowed eastward; and Gāyatrī and Svarā at that time flowed westward.
योगेनाभवतां नद्यौ सावित्रीति प्रथां गते । ब्रह्मणा स्थापितौ तत्र यज्ञे हरिहरावुभौ
By yogic power, the two rivers became known as Sāvitrī; there, Brahmā established both Hari and Hara at the sacrifice.
महाबलातिबलिनौ नाम्ना देवौ बभूवतुः । तयोर्नद्योस्तु माहात्म्यं नाहं वक्तुं क्षमो नृप । ययुर्ब्रह्मादयो देवाः स्वांशैस्तिष्ठंति चापगाः
The two gods, of great and surpassing strength, became rivers by name; O king, I am not able to describe the greatness of those two rivers. Brahmā and the other gods went with their own portions, and the rivers remain.