Uttara-khaṇḍa · Chapter 106
Sourceपृथुरुवाच। सेतिहासमिमं ब्रह्मन्माहात्म्यं कथितं त्वया । अत्याश्चर्यकरं सम्यक्तुलस्यास्तु श्रुतं महत् १। यदूर्जव्रतिनः पुंसः फलं महदुदाहृतम् । तत्पुनर्ब्रूहि माहात्म्यं केन चीर्णमिदं कथम् २। नारद उवाच। आसीत्सह्याद्रिविषये करवीरपुरे पुरा । ब्राह्मणो धर्मवित्कश्चिद्धर्मदत्तोऽतिविश्रुतः ३। विष्णुव्रतकरः शश्वद्विष्णुपूजारतः सदा । द्वादशाक्षरविद्यायां जपनिष्ठोऽतिथिप्रियः ४। कदाचित्कार्तिके मासि हरिजागरणाय सः । रात्र्या तुर्यांशशेषायां जगाम हरिमंदिरम् ५। हरिपूजोपकरणान्प्रगृह्य व्रजता तदा । तेन दृष्टा समायाता राक्षसी भीमनिःस्वना ६। वक्रदंष्ट्रानना जिह्वा निमग्ना रक्तलोचना । दिगंबरा शुष्कमांसा लंबोष्ठी घर्घरस्वना ७। तां दृष्ट्वा भयवित्रस्तः कंपितावयवस्तदा । पूजोपकरणैर्वेगात्पयोभिश्चाहनद्भयात् ८। संस्मृत्य च हरेर्नाम तुलसीयुतवारिणा । सा हता पातकं तस्मात्तस्याः सर्वमगात्क्षयम् ९। अथ संस्मृत्य सा पूर्वजन्मकर्मविपाकजम् । स्वां दशामब्रवीत्सर्वां दंडवत्तं प्रणम्य सा १०। कलहोवाच । पूर्वकर्मविपाकेन दशामेतां गता ह्यहम् । तत्कथं तु पुनर्विप्र याम्युत्तमगतिं शुभाम् ११। नारद उवाच। तां दृष्ट्वा प्रणतामग्रे वदमानां स्वकर्म तत् । अतीव विस्मितो विप्रस्तदा वचनमब्रवीत् १२। धर्मदत्त उवाच। केन कर्मविपाकेन त्वं दशामीदृशीं गता । कुतस्त्वं का च किं शीला तत्सर्वं कथयस्व मे १३। कलहोवाच। सौराष्ट्रनगरे ब्रह्मन्भिक्षुनामाभवद्द्विजः । तस्याऽहं गृहिणी पूर्वं कलहाख्याति निष्ठुरा १४। न कदाचिन्मया भर्तुर्वचसापि शुभं कृतम् । नार्पितं तस्य मिष्टान्नं भर्तुर्वचनभंगया १५। कलहप्रियया नित्यं भयोद्विग्नस्तदा द्विजः । परिणेतुं तदाऽन्या स मतिं चक्रे पतिर्मम १६। ततो गरं समादाय प्राणास्त्यक्ता मया द्विज । अथ बध्वा बध्यमानां मां विनिन्युर्यमानुगाः १७। यमश्च मां तदा दृष्ट्वा चित्रगुप्तमपृच्छत । यम उवाच। अनया किं कृतं कर्म चित्रगुप्त विलोकय १८। प्राप्नोत्वेषा कर्मफलं शुभं वाशुभमेव च । चित्रगुप्तस्ततो वाक्यं भर्त्सयन्समुवाच ह १९। चित्रगुप्त उवाच। अनया तु शुभं कर्म कृतं किंचिन्न विद्यते । मिष्टान्नं भुक्तमनया न भर्तरि तदर्पितम् २०। अतश्च वल्गुली योन्यां स्वविष्ठादावतिष्ठतु । भर्तुर्द्वेषकरी त्वेषा नित्यं कलहकारिणी २१। विष्ठादा शूकरी योन्यां ततस्तिष्ठत्वियं हरे । पाकभांडे सदा भुक्तं नित्यं चैवानया यतः २२। तस्माद्दोषाद्बिडाली तु स्वजातापत्यभक्षिणी । भर्तारमनयोद्दिश्य ह्यात्मघातः कृतो यतः २३। तस्मात्प्रेतपिशाचेषु तिष्ठत्वेषातिनिंदिता । ततश्चैव मरुं देशं प्रापितव्या भटैः सह २४। तत्र प्रेतशरीराख्या चिरं तिष्ठत्वियं ततः । इत्थं योनित्रयं त्वेषा भुनक्त्वा शुभकारिणी २५। कलहोवाच- साहं पंचशताब्दानि प्रेतदेहे स्थिता किल । क्षुतृड्भ्यां पीडिता नित्यं दुःखिता स्वेन कर्मणा २६। ततः क्षुत्पीडिता नित्यं शरीरं वणिजस्त्वहम् । आयाता दक्षिणं देशं कृष्णावेण्यास्तु संगमे २७। तत्तीरसंश्रिता यावत्तावत्तस्य शरीरतः । शिवविष्णुगणैर्दूरमपाकृष्टा बलादहम् २८। ततः क्षुत्क्षामया दृष्टो भ्रमंत्या त्वं मया द्विज । प्रक्षिप्ततुलसीवारिसंसर्गगतपापया २९। तत्कृपां कुरु विप्रेंद्र कथं मुक्तिमियाम्यहम् । योनित्रयादति भयादस्माच्च प्रेतदेहतः ३०। इत्थं निशम्य कलहा वचनं द्विजश्च तत्कर्मपाकभवविस्मयदुःखयुक्तः । तद्ग्लानिदर्शनकृपाचलचित्तवृत्तिर्ध्यात्वा चिरं स वचनं निजगाद दुःखात् ३१। इति श्रीपाद्मे महापुराणे पंचपंचाशत्सहस्रसंहितायामुत्तरखंडे कार्तिकमाहात्म्ये कलहोपाख्यानंनाम षडधिकशततमोऽध्यायः १०६।
pṛthuruvāca| setihāsamimaṃ brahmanmāhātmyaṃ kathitaṃ tvayā | atyāścaryakaraṃ samyaktulasyāstu śrutaṃ mahat 1| yadūrjavratinaḥ puṃsaḥ phalaṃ mahadudāhṛtam | tatpunarbrūhi māhātmyaṃ kena cīrṇamidaṃ katham 2| nārada uvāca| āsītsahyādriviṣaye karavīrapure purā | brāhmaṇo dharmavitkaściddharmadatto'tiviśrutaḥ 3| viṣṇuvratakaraḥ śaśvadviṣṇupūjārataḥ sadā | dvādaśākṣaravidyāyāṃ japaniṣṭho'tithipriyaḥ 4| kadācitkārtike māsi harijāgaraṇāya saḥ | rātryā turyāṃśaśeṣāyāṃ jagāma harimaṃdiram 5| haripūjopakaraṇānpragṛhya vrajatā tadā | tena dṛṣṭā samāyātā rākṣasī bhīmaniḥsvanā 6| vakradaṃṣṭrānanā jihvā nimagnā raktalocanā | digaṃbarā śuṣkamāṃsā laṃboṣṭhī ghargharasvanā 7| tāṃ dṛṣṭvā bhayavitrastaḥ kaṃpitāvayavastadā | pūjopakaraṇairvegātpayobhiścāhanadbhayāt 8| saṃsmṛtya ca harernāma tulasīyutavāriṇā | sā hatā pātakaṃ tasmāttasyāḥ sarvamagātkṣayam 9| atha saṃsmṛtya sā pūrvajanmakarmavipākajam | svāṃ daśāmabravītsarvāṃ daṃḍavattaṃ praṇamya sā 10| kalahovāca | pūrvakarmavipākena daśāmetāṃ gatā hyaham | tatkathaṃ tu punarvipra yāmyuttamagatiṃ śubhām 11| nārada uvāca| tāṃ dṛṣṭvā praṇatāmagre vadamānāṃ svakarma tat | atīva vismito viprastadā vacanamabravīt 12| dharmadatta uvāca| kena karmavipākena tvaṃ daśāmīdṛśīṃ gatā | kutastvaṃ kā ca kiṃ śīlā tatsarvaṃ kathayasva me 13| kalahovāca| saurāṣṭranagare brahmanbhikṣunāmābhavaddvijaḥ | tasyā'haṃ gṛhiṇī pūrvaṃ kalahākhyāti niṣṭhurā 14| na kadācinmayā bharturvacasāpi śubhaṃ kṛtam | nārpitaṃ tasya miṣṭānnaṃ bharturvacanabhaṃgayā 15| kalahapriyayā nityaṃ bhayodvignastadā dvijaḥ | pariṇetuṃ tadā'nyā sa matiṃ cakre patirmama 16| tato garaṃ samādāya prāṇāstyaktā mayā dvija | atha badhvā badhyamānāṃ māṃ vininyuryamānugāḥ 17| yamaśca māṃ tadā dṛṣṭvā citraguptamapṛcchata | yama uvāca| anayā kiṃ kṛtaṃ karma citragupta vilokaya 18| prāpnotveṣā karmaphalaṃ śubhaṃ vāśubhameva ca | citraguptastato vākyaṃ bhartsayansamuvāca ha 19| citragupta uvāca| anayā tu śubhaṃ karma kṛtaṃ kiṃcinna vidyate | miṣṭānnaṃ bhuktamanayā na bhartari tadarpitam 20| ataśca valgulī yonyāṃ svaviṣṭhādāvatiṣṭhatu | bharturdveṣakarī tveṣā nityaṃ kalahakāriṇī 21| viṣṭhādā śūkarī yonyāṃ tatastiṣṭhatviyaṃ hare | pākabhāṃḍe sadā bhuktaṃ nityaṃ caivānayā yataḥ 22| tasmāddoṣādbiḍālī tu svajātāpatyabhakṣiṇī | bhartāramanayoddiśya hyātmaghātaḥ kṛto yataḥ 23| tasmātpretapiśāceṣu tiṣṭhatveṣātiniṃditā | tataścaiva maruṃ deśaṃ prāpitavyā bhaṭaiḥ saha 24| tatra pretaśarīrākhyā ciraṃ tiṣṭhatviyaṃ tataḥ | itthaṃ yonitrayaṃ tveṣā bhunaktvā śubhakāriṇī 25| kalahovāca- sāhaṃ paṃcaśatābdāni pretadehe sthitā kila | kṣutṛḍbhyāṃ pīḍitā nityaṃ duḥkhitā svena karmaṇā 26| tataḥ kṣutpīḍitā nityaṃ śarīraṃ vaṇijastvaham | āyātā dakṣiṇaṃ deśaṃ kṛṣṇāveṇyāstu saṃgame 27| tattīrasaṃśritā yāvattāvattasya śarīrataḥ | śivaviṣṇugaṇairdūramapākṛṣṭā balādaham 28| tataḥ kṣutkṣāmayā dṛṣṭo bhramaṃtyā tvaṃ mayā dvija | prakṣiptatulasīvārisaṃsargagatapāpayā 29| tatkṛpāṃ kuru vipreṃdra kathaṃ muktimiyāmyaham | yonitrayādati bhayādasmācca pretadehataḥ 30| itthaṃ niśamya kalahā vacanaṃ dvijaśca tatkarmapākabhavavismayaduḥkhayuktaḥ | tadglānidarśanakṛpācalacittavṛttirdhyātvā ciraṃ sa vacanaṃ nijagāda duḥkhāt 31| iti śrīpādme mahāpurāṇe paṃcapaṃcāśatsahasrasaṃhitāyāmuttarakhaṃḍe kārtikamāhātmye kalahopākhyānaṃnāma ṣaḍadhikaśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ 106|
English translation
Pṛthu said :
1-2. O brāhmaṇa , you told me properly the greatness of Tulasī along with its history. I have listened to this great, very wonderful (account). Tell (me) what great fruit a man gets, who observes the Kārtika vow; (tell) its greatness again. (Tell) also who observed it? and in what manner (did he observe it)?
Nārada said :
3-10. Formerly in the region of Sahyādri in the city of Karavīra there lived a brāhmaṇa known as Dharmadatta , a knower of Dharma . He always observed Viṣṇu ’s vow and was always engaged in worshipping Viṣṇu. He was fond of muttering the hymn of the twelve syllables and guests were dear to him. Once in the month of Kārtika he went to Viṣṇu’s temple for keeping awake (in honour) of Viṣṇu, when the fourth part of the night had remained. When he was taking the materials for Viṣṇu’s worship, he saw a demoness of a terrible voice, that had come there. Her fangs and face were crooked; her tongue had gone down; her eyes were red; she was naked; the flesh (in her body) was dry (i.e. she was emaciated); her lips were long (i.e. protruding); her voice was purring. Seeing her, he, afflicted with fear and with limbs trembling, quickly struck her with the materials of worship and water. She was (thus) struck (by him) after remembering Viṣṇu’s name and with Tulasī-water. Therefore, all her sin perished. Then she, remembering her former existence due to the maturity of her acts, told him her entire condition, after saluting him (by prostrating before him) like a staff.
Kalahā said :
11. I have been reduced to this condition as a result of my deeds in the former (existence). O brāhmaṇa, how shall I again attain excellent and auspicious condition?
Nārada said :
12. Seeing her bowing down before (him) and narrating those acts of her, the brāhmaṇa, extremely amazed, then said (these) words:
Dharmadatta said :
13. As a result of which act are you reduced to such a condition? Wherefrom (do you come)? Who are you? What is your disposition? Tell all that to me.
Kalahā said :
14-18a. O brāhmaṇa, in a city in Saurāṣṭra there was a brāhmaṇa named Bhikṣu . I was first his very cruel wife named Kalahā . I never did good to him even by words; I who broke his command and who always liked to quarrel, never gave sweet food to my husband. Then the brāhmaṇa was dejected through grief; that my husband thought of marrying another woman. Then, O brāhmaṇa, taking poison, I cast off my life. Then Yama ’s followers bound me and took me away. And Yama seeing me then, asked Citragupta .
Yama said :
18b-19. O Citragupta, see what act she has done. Let her obtain good or bad fruit of her act.
Then Citragupta, censuring her, said (these) words:
Citragupta said :
20-25. She has not done any good act at all. She (herself) ate savoury food, (but) did not give it to her husband. Therefore, let her be (born) in her own feces in the stock of a cockroach. Then, O Hari , she, who hated her husband and always quarrelled, will be (born) in the stock of a female pig eating feces. Since she always ate from the pot in which the food is cooked, (let her be born) among female-cats eating her own young ones. Since she killed herself with reference to her husband, therefore, let this extremely censured one live among ghosts and goblins. Then with the demons she should be taken to the Maru country. Let her, having a ghosts’ body, stay there for a longtime. Thus having undergone (i.e. passed through) three stocks (i.e. existences) (she will be) doing auspicious acts.
Kalahā said :
26-31. That I (i.e. like that I) remained for five hundred years in a ghost’s body. Everyday I was oppressed by hunger and thirst and was afflicted due to my own act(s). Then I, oppressed by hunger everyday, (resorted to) a merchant’s body and came to the confluence of Kṛṣṇā and Veṇī in the southern country. When I resorted to that bank, I was forcibly thrown away from that body(?) by the attendants of Śiva and Viṣṇu. Then, O brāhmaṇa, I who was emaciated with hunger, who was wandering, and whose sin had gone away due to the contact of the Tulasī-water thrown (by you), saw you. Therefore, O best brāhmaṇa, have pity on me. How shall I be free from the three very fearful existences, and from this ghost’s body?
Hearing like this the words of Kalahā, the brāhmaṇa, full of affliction and amazement due to the maturity of her acts, and with his mind restless due to having seen her misery thought for a long time, and sorrowfully spoke (these) words:
Complete chapter-aligned witnesses. Sanskrit Wikisource page 44675, revision 336557 (2022-04-24T08:31:57Z). English is N. A. Deshpande’s complete translation, controlled against its chapter page at https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-padma-purana/d/doc365685.html and the ten-volume archival witness. The witnesses are aligned at chapter level; no unsupported verse-by-verse equivalence is asserted.