Svarga-khaṇḍa · Chapter 28
Sourceनारद उवाच-। ततो गच्छेत धर्म्मज्ञ धर्म्मतीर्थं पुरातनम् । यत्र धर्मो महाभागस्तप्तवानुत्तमं तपः १। तेन तीर्थं कृतं पुण्यं स्वेन नाम्ना च चिह्नितम् । तत्र स्नात्वा नरो राजन्धर्मशीलः समाहितः २। आसप्तमं कुलं चैव पुनीते नात्र संशयः । ततो गच्छेत धर्मज्ञ कलाप वनमुत्तमम् ३। कृच्छ्रेण महता गत्वा तत्र स्नात्वा समाहितः । अग्निष्टोममवाप्नोति विष्णुलोकं च गच्छति ४। सौगंधिकं वनं राजंस्ततो गच्छेत मानवः । यत्र ब्रह्मादयो देवा ऋषयश्च तपोधनाः ५। सिद्धचारणगंधर्वाः किन्नराः स महोरगाः । तद्वनं प्रविशन्नेव सर्वपापैः प्रमुच्यते ६। ततो हि सा सरिच्छ्रेष्ठा नदीनामुत्तमा नदी । प्लक्षादेवी स्मृता राजन्महा पुण्या सरस्वती ७। तत्राभिषेकं कुर्वीत वल्मीकान्निःसृते जले । अर्चयित्वा पितॄन्देवानश्वमेधफलं लभेत् ८। ईशानाध्युषितं नाम तत्र तीर्थं सुदुर्लभम् । षड्गुणं यन्निपातेषु वल्मीकादिति निश्चयः ९। कपिलानां सहस्रं च वाजिमेधं च विंदति । तत्र स्नात्वा नरव्याघ्र दृष्टमेतत्पुरातनैः १०। सुगंधां शतकुंभां च पंचयज्ञं च भारत । अभिगम्य नरश्रेष्ठ स्वर्गलोके महीयते ११। त्रिशूलपात्रं तत्रैव तीर्थमासाद्य दुर्लभम् । तत्राभिषेकं कुर्वीत पितृदेवार्चने रतः १२। गाणपत्यं च लभते देहं त्यक्त्वा न संशयः । ततो राजगृहं गच्छेद्देव्याः स्थानं सुदुर्लभम् १३। शाकंभरीति विख्याता त्रिषुलोकेषु विश्रुता । दिव्यं वर्षसहस्रं च शाकेन किल भारत १४। आहारं सा कृतवती मासिमासि नराधिप । ऋषयोऽभ्यागतास्तत्र देव्या भक्तास्तपोधनाः १५। आतिथ्यं च कृतं तेषां शाकेन किल भारत । ततः शाकंभरीत्येवं नाम तस्याः प्रतिष्ठितम् १६। शाकंभरीं समासाद्य ब्रह्मचारी समाहितः । त्रिरात्रमुषितः शाकं भक्षयेन्नियतः शुचिः १७। शाकाहारस्य यत्सम्यग्वर्षैर्द्वादशभिः फलम् । तत्फलं तस्य भवति देव्याश्छंदेन भारत १८। ततो गच्छेत्सुवर्णाख्यं त्रिषुलोकेषु विश्रुतम् । यत्र कृष्णः प्रसादार्थं रुद्रमाराधयत्पुरा १९। वरांश्च सुबहूँल्लेभे देवैरपि स दुर्ल्लभान् । उक्तश्च त्रिपुरघ्नेन परितुष्टेन भारत २०। अपि चात्माप्रियतरो लोके कृष्ण भविष्यसि । त्वन्मुखं च जगत्कृत्स्नं भविष्यति न संशयः २१। तत्राभिगम्य राजेंद्र पूजयित्वा वृषध्वजम् । अश्वमेधमवाप्नोति गाणपत्यं च विंदति २२। धूमावतीं ततो गच्छेत्त्रिरात्रमुषितो नरः । मनसा प्रार्थितान्कामाँल्लभते नात्र संशयः २३। देव्यास्तु दक्षिणार्धे नरथावर्त्तो नराधिप । तत्रागत्य तु धर्मज्ञ श्रद्दधानो जितेंद्रियः २४। महादेवप्रसादेन गच्छेत परमां गतिम् । प्रदक्षिणमुपावृत्य गच्छेत भरतर्षभ २५।
nārada uvāca-| tato gaccheta dharmmajña dharmmatīrthaṃ purātanam | yatra dharmo mahābhāgastaptavānuttamaṃ tapaḥ 1| tena tīrthaṃ kṛtaṃ puṇyaṃ svena nāmnā ca cihnitam | tatra snātvā naro rājandharmaśīlaḥ samāhitaḥ 2| āsaptamaṃ kulaṃ caiva punīte nātra saṃśayaḥ | tato gaccheta dharmajña kalāpa vanamuttamam 3| kṛcchreṇa mahatā gatvā tatra snātvā samāhitaḥ | agniṣṭomamavāpnoti viṣṇulokaṃ ca gacchati 4| saugaṃdhikaṃ vanaṃ rājaṃstato gaccheta mānavaḥ | yatra brahmādayo devā ṛṣayaśca tapodhanāḥ 5| siddhacāraṇagaṃdharvāḥ kinnarāḥ sa mahoragāḥ | tadvanaṃ praviśanneva sarvapāpaiḥ pramucyate 6| tato hi sā saricchreṣṭhā nadīnāmuttamā nadī | plakṣādevī smṛtā rājanmahā puṇyā sarasvatī 7| tatrābhiṣekaṃ kurvīta valmīkānniḥsṛte jale | arcayitvā pitṝndevānaśvamedhaphalaṃ labhet 8| īśānādhyuṣitaṃ nāma tatra tīrthaṃ sudurlabham | ṣaḍguṇaṃ yannipāteṣu valmīkāditi niścayaḥ 9| kapilānāṃ sahasraṃ ca vājimedhaṃ ca viṃdati | tatra snātvā naravyāghra dṛṣṭametatpurātanaiḥ 10| sugaṃdhāṃ śatakuṃbhāṃ ca paṃcayajñaṃ ca bhārata | abhigamya naraśreṣṭha svargaloke mahīyate 11| triśūlapātraṃ tatraiva tīrthamāsādya durlabham | tatrābhiṣekaṃ kurvīta pitṛdevārcane rataḥ 12| gāṇapatyaṃ ca labhate dehaṃ tyaktvā na saṃśayaḥ | tato rājagṛhaṃ gaccheddevyāḥ sthānaṃ sudurlabham 13| śākaṃbharīti vikhyātā triṣulokeṣu viśrutā | divyaṃ varṣasahasraṃ ca śākena kila bhārata 14| āhāraṃ sā kṛtavatī māsimāsi narādhipa | ṛṣayo'bhyāgatāstatra devyā bhaktāstapodhanāḥ 15| ātithyaṃ ca kṛtaṃ teṣāṃ śākena kila bhārata | tataḥ śākaṃbharītyevaṃ nāma tasyāḥ pratiṣṭhitam 16| śākaṃbharīṃ samāsādya brahmacārī samāhitaḥ | trirātramuṣitaḥ śākaṃ bhakṣayenniyataḥ śuciḥ 17| śākāhārasya yatsamyagvarṣairdvādaśabhiḥ phalam | tatphalaṃ tasya bhavati devyāśchaṃdena bhārata 18| tato gacchetsuvarṇākhyaṃ triṣulokeṣu viśrutam | yatra kṛṣṇaḥ prasādārthaṃ rudramārādhayatpurā 19| varāṃśca subahū~llebhe devairapi sa durllabhān | uktaśca tripuraghnena parituṣṭena bhārata 20| api cātmāpriyataro loke kṛṣṇa bhaviṣyasi | tvanmukhaṃ ca jagatkṛtsnaṃ bhaviṣyati na saṃśayaḥ 21| tatrābhigamya rājeṃdra pūjayitvā vṛṣadhvajam | aśvamedhamavāpnoti gāṇapatyaṃ ca viṃdati 22| dhūmāvatīṃ tato gacchettrirātramuṣito naraḥ | manasā prārthitānkāmā~llabhate nātra saṃśayaḥ 23| devyāstu dakṣiṇārdhe narathāvartto narādhipa | tatrāgatya tu dharmajña śraddadhāno jiteṃdriyaḥ 24| mahādevaprasādena gaccheta paramāṃ gatim | pradakṣiṇamupāvṛtya gaccheta bharatarṣabha 25|
English translation
Nārada said :
1-3a. O pious one, thence he should go to the ancient (holy place called) Dharmatīrtha where formerly the illustrious Dharma practised excellent penance. He fashioned that holy place known by his name. O king, a religious and tranquil man having bathed there purifies his family up to the seventh (generation). There is no doubt about it.
3b-4. Thence, O pious one, he should go to the excellent (holy place called) Kalāpavana. Having gone there with a great difficulty and being calm and having bathed there he obtains (the fruit of) an Agniṣṭoma (sacrifice) and goes to Viṣṇu ’s heaven.
5-10. Thence, O king, a man should go to Saugandhika grove where gods like Brahmā and sages with penance as their treasure, siddhas , cāraṇas , gandharvas , kinnaras with great serpents (dwell). As soon as he enters the grove, he is free from all sins. From there the very auspicious, excellent river, greatest among the rivers, i.e., Sarasvatī is known as Plakṣādevī, O king. He should bathe there in the water flowing out from a hillock. Having worshipped the manes and deities there, he would obtain the fruit of a horse sacrifice. There is a holy place called Īśānādhyuṣita which is very difficult to reach. It is certain that the water that goes to it from the hillock is six times (more). O best of men, having bathed there, a man gets (the fruit of having donated) a thousand tawny cows and (of) a horse sacrifice. The ancient people have observed this.
11-13a. O best of men, having gone to Sugandhā , Śatakumbha , and Pañcayajña , a man is honoured in heaven, O descendent of Bharata . Then having reached the holy place Triśūla - patra , difficult to reach, he should bathe there and be engaged in worshipping manes and deities. There is no doubt that after casting his body he obtains the headship of the attendants of Śiva .
13b-18. Then he should go to Rājagṛha , the place of the goddess, which is very difficult to reach. She is known as Śākambharī , and is famous in the three worlds. O descendant of Bharata, for a thousand divine years she subsisted on vegetables. The sages, treasures of penance, and the devotees of that goddess, every month went there, O king. O descendant of Bharata, she welcomed them with (i.e., by offering them) vegetables. Therefore she is famous as Śākambharī. Having reached (the holy place of) Śākambharī, he being chaste and tranquil (should) stay there for three nights and being controlled and pure, should eat vegetables. O descendant of Bharata, by the desire of the goddess, the fruit of that is the same as that of duly eating vegetables for twelve years.
19-22. Thence he should go to (the holy place called) Suvarṇākhya, well-known in the three worlds, where formerly Kṛṣṇa propitiated Rudra for his favour and obtained (from him) many boons difficult to be obtained even by gods; and, O descendant of Bharata, was thus told by Tripura ’s destroyer pleased with him: “O Kṛṣṇa, in the world you will be a dearer soul (i.e., people will love you more than their own soul) and undoubtedly the entire world will be your mouth.” O lord of kings, having gone there and having worshipped the bull-bannered god, he obtains (the fruit of) a horse sacrifice and the headship of Śiva’s attendants.
23-26. Having stayed there for three nights, a man should go to Umāvatī from there. There is no doubt that he gets the objects desired by his mind. To the southern half of (the holy place of) the goddess, there is (the holy place called) Rathāvartta, O king. Having reached there, O pious one, a man having faith and with his senses controlled goes to the highest position (i.e., salvation) by the grace of Mahādeva . O best of the Bharatas , he should proceed after turning to the right to (the holy place called) Dharā which destroys all sins, O you highly intelligent one. O king, having bathed there, a man is never unhappy.
27-3la. Then, O best of men, having saluted the great mountain, he should go to Gaṅgādvāra , which is undoubtedly equal to the gate to heaven. Being calm he should bathe there at the Koṭitīrtha . (Thereby) he obtains (i.e. reaches) Puṇḍarīka , and would liberate his own family. Having stayed there for a night he would obtain the fruit of (having given away) a thousand cows. At Saptagaṅga , Trigaṅga and Śakrāvartta he should duly offer oblations to deities and manes. (By doing this) he is honoured in the world of the meritorious. Then, a man having bathed at Kanakhala and having fasted for three nights obtains (the fruit of) a horse sacrifice and goes to heaven.
31b-33. Then a pilgrim should go to (the holy place called) Kapilāvaṭa , O king. A man by staying there for a night obtains the fruit of (having given) a thousand cows. O best among the Kurus , (then there is) the holy place of the magnanimous Kapila , the king of Nāgas . O lord of kings, it is well-known in all the worlds. O king, a man should bathe there at the Nāgatīrtha . (Thereby) he obtains the fruit of (having given) a thousand tawny cows.
34. Thence a man should go to Lalitaka , the excellent holy place of Śantanu . O king, having bathed there a man would not meet with disaster.
Complete chapter-aligned witnesses. Sanskrit Wikisource page 14446, revision 334133 (2022-03-26T01:49:46Z). English is N. A. Deshpande’s complete translation, controlled against its chapter page at https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-padma-purana/d/doc365247.html and the ten-volume archival witness. The witnesses are aligned at chapter level; no unsupported verse-by-verse equivalence is asserted.