कश्यप उवाच। वरं दातुं समर्थोऽसि देवदेव जगत्पते । शिरःस्थिता या गंगेयं पवित्रा पापहारिणी
Kāśyapa said: You are capable of granting boons, O god of gods, lord of the universe. The sacred Gaṅgā, who destroys sins and rests upon your head—
मम देया विशेषेण महादेव नमोस्तुते । तदा देवि मयोक्तं च गृह्णीष्व त्वं द्विजोत्तम
May she be given especially to me, O great god, I bow to you. Then, O goddess, I spoke thus: 'Accept her, O best of Brāhmaṇas.'
जटामेकां परित्यज्य दत्ता गंगा तदा मया । तां गृहीत्वा द्विजश्रेष्ठः स्वस्थानं हर्षतो ययौ
Having released a single lock of hair, I then gave Gaṅgā. Taking her, the best of Brāhmaṇas joyfully returned to his own place.
केशरन्ध्रं नाम तीर्थं वासो वै कश्यपस्य च । गतस्तत्र तु देवेशि मुनिभिः परिवारितः
The holy place called Keśarandhra became the dwelling of Kāśyapa. There, O goddess of the gods, he went surrounded by sages.
कश्यपेन समानीता काश्यपी सा सरिद्वरा । यस्या दर्शनमात्रेण ब्रह्महा मुच्यते किल
Brought by Kāśyapa, that best of rivers became known as Kāśyapī. By merely seeing her, even a slayer of Brāhmaṇas is said to be freed.
पार्वत्युवाच। स्नानमात्रेण किं पुण्यं तत्र तीर्थे वदस्व मे । विश्वनाथ कृपालुस्त्वं दयां कुरु ममोपरि
Pārvatī said: What merit arises merely from bathing at that holy place? Tell me, O Viśvanātha, compassionate one, show mercy to me.
दर्शने किं भवेत्पुण्यं स्नाने किं वद देवराट् । महिमा कीदृशो ब्रह्मन्सर्वं त्वं वक्तुमर्हसि
What merit comes from seeing, what from bathing, tell me, O king of the gods. What is its greatness, O Brāhmaṇa? You should tell me everything.
महादेव उवाच। मया श्रुतान्यनेकानि तीर्थान्यायतनानि च । श्रीविष्णोश्च प्रसादाच्च नद्यः सागरगाः प्रभोः
Mahādeva said: I have heard of many holy places and shrines, and by the grace of Lord Viṣṇu, the rivers that flow to the ocean, O Lord.
गंगा च यमुना रेवा तापी चैव महानदी । गोदावरी तुंगभद्रा कौशिकी गल्लिका तथा
Gaṅgā, Yamunā, Revā, and also the great river Tāpi, Godāvarī, Tuṅgabhadrā, Kauśikī, and likewise Gallikā.
कावेरी वेदिका भद्रा सरयूः पापहारिणी । अन्याश्च विविधा नद्यः सर्वपापहरा भुवि
Kāverī, Vedikā, Bhadrā, and the sin-removing Sarayū, and many other various rivers on earth that remove all sins.
प्रयागस्तीर्थराजश्च काशी पुष्कर एव च । नैमिषारण्यसंज्ञं तु तीर्थं चामरकंटकम्
Prayāga, the king of holy places, Kāśī, and also Puṣkara, the holy place called Naimiṣāraṇya, and Amarakaṇṭaka.
उत्तमं द्वारकाक्षेत्रमर्बुदारण्यमुत्तमम् । एवंविधानि दिव्यानि क्षेत्राणि विविधानि च
The excellent field of Dvārakā, the supreme Arbudā forest—such are the various divine and excellent sacred places.
श्रुतानि तत्र देवेशि माया विष्णोः प्रसादतः । पूर्वं भगीरथेनैव याचितोऽहं तु पार्वति
All these, O goddess of the gods, I have heard of by the grace of Viṣṇu's māyā. Formerly, I was requested by Bhagīratha, O Pārvatī.
तदा दत्ता इयं गंगा विष्णोर्लोकमभीप्सुना । कश्यपाय पुनर्दत्ता ऋषीणां वचनान्मया
Then, this Gaṅgā was given to him, desiring the world of Viṣṇu. Again, at the request of the sages, I gave her to Kāśyapa.
इयं वै काश्यपी गंगा रोगदोषहरा सदा । इयं या कथ्यते लोके युगे वै नामपूर्वकम्
This Kāśyapī Gaṅgā always removes diseases and faults. She is known in the world by a different name in each age.
तदहं कथयिष्यामि शृणु सुंदरि तत्वतः । कृते कृतवती नाम त्रेतायां गिरिकर्णिका
Therefore I shall tell you, listen, O beautiful one, in truth: In the Kṛta age she was called Kṛtavatī, in the Tretā age Girikarṇikā.
द्वापरे चंदना नाम कलौ साभ्रमती स्मृता । दिनेदिने विशेषेण स्नानार्थं तु नराश्च ये
In the Dvāpara age it was called Candana, but in the Kali age it is known as Sābhramatī; every day, especially, people come there for bathing.
सर्वपापविनिर्मुक्ता यांति विष्णोः सनातनम् । प्लक्षावतरणे तीर्थे सरस्वत्यां तथेश्वरि
Freed from all sins, they attain the eternal abode of Viṣṇu at the tīrtha of Plakṣāvataraṇa on the Sarasvatī, O Lady.
केदारे च कुरुक्षेत्रे यत्फलं स्नानतो भवेत् । तत्फलं तु नृणां नूनं साभ्रमत्या दिने दिने
Whatever merit is gained by bathing at Kedāra or Kurukṣetra, that very merit is surely obtained by people at Sābhramatī every single day.
भवतीति न संदेहो व्यासस्य वचनं यथा । नभस्येपरपक्षे तु प्रत्यहं वा सुरेश्वरि
There is no doubt about this, as stated by Vyāsa; and, O Lady of the gods, in the latter half of the month of Bhādrapada, or even daily,
अमावास्यादिने सम्यक्श्राद्धदाने च यत्फलम् । नरस्तत्फलमाप्नोति साभ्रमत्यावगाहनात्
On the day of the new moon, or by properly offering śrāddha, whatever fruit is gained— a person attains that fruit by bathing in Sābhramatī.
कार्तिक्यां कृत्तिकायोगे श्रीस्थले माधवाग्रतः । तत्फलं लभते मर्त्यो साभ्रमत्यावगाहनात्
In Kārtikā, when Kṛttikā is joined, at Śrīsthāla before Mādhava, a mortal gains that fruit by bathing in Sābhramatī.
एषा श्रेष्ठतमा देवि सर्वलोकेषु पावनी । इयं धन्यतमा देवि पवित्रा ह्यघनाशिनी
This is the most excellent, O Goddess, the purifier among all worlds; this, O Goddess, is the most blessed, truly pure, and destroyer of sin.
यस्यां वै साभ्रमत्यां च एते तिष्ठंति नित्यशः । पूर्वं संबंधिनो ये च उत्तरे ये तथा पुनः
On this Sābhramatī, indeed, those who are connected from the east, and likewise those from the north, always remain.
पाश्चात्या दाक्षिणात्याश्च सर्वे यांति च नित्यशः । तीर्थयात्रामिषेणैव खेटके ब्रह्मसन्निधौ
Those from the west and the south also always come there, for the sake of pilgrimage, at Kheṭaka in the presence of Brahmā.
आयांति सर्वदा देवि कार्तिक्यां च न संशयः । तत्र श्राद्धं प्रकुर्वंति तथा वै विप्रभोजनम्
They always come, O Goddess, especially in Kārtikā, without doubt; there they perform śrāddha and also feed the Brāhmaṇas.
नाना धर्मान्प्रकुर्वंति नानायज्ञांश्च नित्यशः । विविधानि च दानानि प्रकुर्वंति जनाः सदा
They perform various religious rites and many sacrifices daily; people always give various kinds of gifts.
चतुर्युगेषु सर्वेषु नात्र कार्या विचारणा । यवक्रीतोऽथ रैभ्यश्च काक्षीवानुशिजस्तथा
In all four ages, there should be no doubt about this; Yavakrīta, Raibhya, and Kākṣīvān Uśija,
भृग्वंगिरास्तथा कण्वो मेधावी च पुनर्वसुः । बंदी च गुणसंपन्नः प्राच्यां दिशि उपश्रिताः
Bhṛgu, Aṅgirā, and Kaṇva, as well as the wise Punarvasu, and Bandin endowed with virtues, have taken refuge in the eastern direction.
उदीच्यां ये महाभागा मधुमत्प्रमुखास्तथा । सुबंधुश्च महाभागो दत्तात्रेयश्च वीर्यवान्
In the north, the great ones led by Madhumat, and the illustrious Subandhu and the mighty Dattātreya,