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Uttara-khaṇḍa · Chapter 19

Chapter 19

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Uttara-khaṇḍa · Chapter 19

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युधिष्ठिर उवाच- श्रीशैलः पर्वतो रम्यः कुत्र तिष्ठति नारद । किं तत्र वर्त्तते तीर्थं कस्य देवस्य पूजनम् । कस्यां दिशि समाख्यातो लोकेषु च वदाधुना १। नारद उवाच- शृणु राजन्प्रवक्ष्यामि श्रीशैलं पर्वतोत्तमम् । यं श्रुत्वा मुच्यते लोको बालहत्यादि पातकात् २। तत्पर्वतवनं रम्यं मुनिभिश्चोपसेवितम् । नानाद्रुमलताकीर्णं नानापुष्पोपशोभितम् ३। हंसकोकिलनादैश्च मयूरध्वनिनादितम् । श्रीवृक्षैश्च कपित्थैश्च शिरीषै राजवृक्षकैः ४। पारिजातकपुष्पैश्च कदंबोदुंबरैस्तथा । नानापुष्पैः सुगंधाढ्यैर्वासितं तद्वनं गिरौ ५। सर्वाभिरृषिपत्नीभिः सशिष्याभिः सुसेवितम् । केचिदभ्यासयुक्ताश्च केचिद्व्याख्यानतत्पराः ६। केचिदूर्ध्वभुजास्तत्र अंगुष्ठाग्रैः स्थिताः परे । शिवध्यानरताः केचित्केचिद्विष्णुपरायणाः ७। निराहाराश्च केप्यत्र केचित्पर्णाशने रताः । कंदमूलफलाहाराः केचिन्मौनव्रताः स्थिताः ८। एकपादाः स्थिताः केचित्केचित्पद्मासने स्थिताः । केचिच्चैव निराहारास्तपस्तेपुः सुदुष्करम् ९। आश्रमाणि च पुण्यानि नद्यश्च विविधाः शुभाः । देवखातान्यनेकानि तडागानि बहूनि च १०। पर्वतोऽयं महाराज दृश्यते किल सर्वतः । मल्लिकार्जुनको राजन्यत्र तिष्ठति नित्यशः ११। तच्चैव शिखरं रम्यं पर्वतोपरि सेवितम् । शृंगदर्शनमात्रेण मुक्तिरेव न संशयः १२। दक्षिणां दिशमाश्रित्य वर्त्तते पर्वतोत्तमः । अत्र गंगा महद्रम्या पातालेति समाश्रिता १३। तत्र च स्नानमात्रेण महापापैः प्रमुच्यते । श्रीशैलशिखरं दृष्ट्वा वाराणस्यां मृतौ ध्रुवम् १४। केदारे ह्युदकं पीत्वा पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते । तापसानां महत्स्थानं योगिनां च तथैव च १५। तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन दर्शनं तस्य कारयेत् । अयं विज्ञानदेवोऽसौ महापातकनाशनः १६। सिद्धपुरं च नगरं रम्यं स्वर्गसुखावहम् । नित्यमप्सरसो यत्र गायंति च रमंति च १७। अतः पर्वताराजोऽयं दर्शने सौख्यकारकः । तस्य तैर्दर्शनं कार्यं मुक्तिमिच्छंति ये नराः १८। इति श्रीपाद्मे महापुराणे पंचपंचाशतसहस्रसंहितायां उत्तरखंडे श्रीशैलोपाख्याने एकोनविंशोऽध्यायः१९।

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca- śrīśailaḥ parvato ramyaḥ kutra tiṣṭhati nārada | kiṃ tatra varttate tīrthaṃ kasya devasya pūjanam | kasyāṃ diśi samākhyāto lokeṣu ca vadādhunā 1| nārada uvāca- śṛṇu rājanpravakṣyāmi śrīśailaṃ parvatottamam | yaṃ śrutvā mucyate loko bālahatyādi pātakāt 2| tatparvatavanaṃ ramyaṃ munibhiścopasevitam | nānādrumalatākīrṇaṃ nānāpuṣpopaśobhitam 3| haṃsakokilanādaiśca mayūradhvanināditam | śrīvṛkṣaiśca kapitthaiśca śirīṣai rājavṛkṣakaiḥ 4| pārijātakapuṣpaiśca kadaṃboduṃbaraistathā | nānāpuṣpaiḥ sugaṃdhāḍhyairvāsitaṃ tadvanaṃ girau 5| sarvābhirṛṣipatnībhiḥ saśiṣyābhiḥ susevitam | kecidabhyāsayuktāśca kecidvyākhyānatatparāḥ 6| kecidūrdhvabhujāstatra aṃguṣṭhāgraiḥ sthitāḥ pare | śivadhyānaratāḥ kecitkecidviṣṇuparāyaṇāḥ 7| nirāhārāśca kepyatra kecitparṇāśane ratāḥ | kaṃdamūlaphalāhārāḥ kecinmaunavratāḥ sthitāḥ 8| ekapādāḥ sthitāḥ kecitkecitpadmāsane sthitāḥ | keciccaiva nirāhārāstapastepuḥ suduṣkaram 9| āśramāṇi ca puṇyāni nadyaśca vividhāḥ śubhāḥ | devakhātānyanekāni taḍāgāni bahūni ca 10| parvato'yaṃ mahārāja dṛśyate kila sarvataḥ | mallikārjunako rājanyatra tiṣṭhati nityaśaḥ 11| taccaiva śikharaṃ ramyaṃ parvatopari sevitam | śṛṃgadarśanamātreṇa muktireva na saṃśayaḥ 12| dakṣiṇāṃ diśamāśritya varttate parvatottamaḥ | atra gaṃgā mahadramyā pātāleti samāśritā 13| tatra ca snānamātreṇa mahāpāpaiḥ pramucyate | śrīśailaśikharaṃ dṛṣṭvā vārāṇasyāṃ mṛtau dhruvam 14| kedāre hyudakaṃ pītvā punarjanma na vidyate | tāpasānāṃ mahatsthānaṃ yogināṃ ca tathaiva ca 15| tasmātsarvaprayatnena darśanaṃ tasya kārayet | ayaṃ vijñānadevo'sau mahāpātakanāśanaḥ 16| siddhapuraṃ ca nagaraṃ ramyaṃ svargasukhāvaham | nityamapsaraso yatra gāyaṃti ca ramaṃti ca 17| ataḥ parvatārājo'yaṃ darśane saukhyakārakaḥ | tasya tairdarśanaṃ kāryaṃ muktimicchaṃti ye narāḥ 18| iti śrīpādme mahāpurāṇe paṃcapaṃcāśatasahasrasaṃhitāyāṃ uttarakhaṃḍe śrīśailopākhyāne ekonaviṃśo'dhyāyaḥ19|

English translation

Yudhiṣṭhira said :

1. O Nārada , where is that charming mountain Śrīśaila ? Which is the holy place there? Which god is worshipped there? Tell me now in which direction it is said to lie in the world.

Nārada said :

2-9. O king, listen; I shall describe the best mountain Śrīśaila, hearing about which people are free from such sins as killing a child. The grove on the mountain is charming and is resorted to by sages. It is full of many trees and creepers adorned with various kinds of flowers. It is resounding with the notes of swans and cuckoos. The mountain grove is made fragrant with śrī trees, kapittha trees, śirīṣa and raja trees. So also with pārijātaka flowers and with kadambas and udumbaras , with many fragrant flowers. It is very much resorted to by all the wives of the sages with their disciples. Some are engaged in studies and some in lectures. Some there have raised their hands; others are standing on their toes. Some are engrossed in meditation upon Śiva ; others are devoted to Viṣṇu . Some are not eating anything; some are given to eating leaves. Some eat bulbs, roots and fruits; others have observed the vow of silence. Some are standing on one foot; some are sitting in the Padmāsana [1] posture. Some, eating no food, have practised very difficult penance.

10-13. There are auspicious hermitages and various beautiful rivers. There are many natural ponds and many tanks . O great king, all around is indeed seen the mountain, on which, O king, Mallikārjuna always remains. On top of the mountain is the charming peak, on merely seeing which peak (one gets) salvation. There is no doubt about it. Resorting to (i.e. in) the south stands the best mountain. Here is very beautiful Pātālagaṅgā.

14-18. Merely by bathing there (i.e. in it) a man is free from great sins. On seeing the peak of Śrīśaila, on dying at Vārāṇasī and on drinking water at Kedāra certainly there is no rebirth. It is a great place of the ascetics and meditating saints. Therefore, with every effort one should see it. This is Vijñānadeva (god of wisdom). He destroys great sins. There is the charming city Siddhapura giving divine pleasures, in which celestial damsels sing and rejoice. Therefore, this best mountain gives joy on seeing it. Those men who desire salvation, should see it.

[1]: [1] : Padmāsana: A particular posture in religious meditation. In it the left foot is placed on the right thigh. Then the right foot is placed on the left thigh.

Complete chapter-aligned witnesses. Sanskrit Wikisource page 44607, revision 336264 (2022-04-20T15:29:07Z). English is N. A. Deshpande’s complete translation, controlled against its chapter page at https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-padma-purana/d/doc365450.html and the ten-volume archival witness. The witnesses are aligned at chapter level; no unsupported verse-by-verse equivalence is asserted.