Skandapurana 10: adhyāyaḥ 159

10.p1

adhyāya 159

10.1

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca -
tato gacchenmahārāja tīrthaṃ paramapāvanam .
narmadāyāṃ suduṣprāpaṃ siddhaṃ hyanarakeśvaram .. 159.1 ..

The venerable Mārkaṇḍeya said: / Then, O great king, one should go to the supremely purifying sacred ford, / exceedingly hard to reach on the Narmadā, the perfected Anarakeśvara.

10.2

tasmiṃstīrthe naraḥ snātvā pāpakarmāpi bhārata .
na paśyati mahāghoraṃ narakadvārasaṃjñikam .. 159.2 ..

A person who bathes at that sacred ford, even if doer of sinful deeds, O descendant of Bharata, / does not behold the terrifying [portal] known as the gate of hell.

10.3

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca -
śubhāśubhaphalaistāta bhuktabhogā narāstviha .
jāyante lakṣaṇairyaistu tāni me vada sattama .. 159.3 ..

Yudhiṣṭhira said: / Dear father, having experienced their fruits in hell through auspicious and inauspicious deeds, / men are born here with certain bodily marks; tell me of those, O best of good men.

10.4

yathā nirgacchate jīvastyaktvā dehaṃ na paśyati .
tathā gacchanpunardehaṃ pañcabhūtasamanvitaḥ .. 159.4 ..

Just as the individual soul departs leaving the body and cannot see, / so returning again to a body equipped with the five elements,

10.5

tvagasthimāṃsamedo'sṛkkeśasnāyuśataiḥ saha .
viṇmūtraretaḥsaṅghāte kā saṃjñā jāyate nṛṇām .. 159.5 ..

together with hundreds of layers of skin, bone, flesh, fat, blood, hair, and sinews, / in an aggregate of feces, urine, and semen—what consciousness arises in men?

10.6

evamuktaḥ sa mārkaṇḍaḥ kathayāmāsa yogavit .
dhyātvā sanātanaṃ sarvaṃ devadevaṃ maheśvaram .. 159.6 ..

Thus addressed, Mārkaṇḍeya, knower of yoga, / having meditated upon the eternal, the all-pervading god of gods, Maheśvara, spoke:

10.7

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca -
śṛṇu pārtha mahāpraśnaṃ kathayāmi yathāśrutam .
sakāśādbrahmaṇaḥ pūrvamṛṣidevasamāgame .. 159.7 ..

Mārkaṇḍeya said: / Hear, O Pārtha, this profound question; I shall tell you as I heard it / of old in the presence of Brahmā, at the gathering of seers and gods.

10.8

gururātmavatāṃ śāstā rājā śāstā durātmanām .
iha pracchannapāpānāṃ śāstā vaivasvato yamaḥ .. 159.8 ..

The guru is the punisher of those who have self-control; the king is the punisher of the wicked; / but the punisher of those with secret sins in this world is Yama, the son of Vivasvat.

10.9

acīrṇaprāyaścittānāṃ yamaloke hyanekadhā .
yātanābhirviyuktānāmanekāṃ jīvasantatim .. 159.9 ..

For those who have not performed atonement, in the world of Yama, indeed in various ways, / after enduring tortures through numerous lineages of living forms,

10.10

gatvā manuṣyabhāve tu pāpacihnā bhavanti te .
tatte'haṃ sampravakṣyāmi śṛṇuṣvaikamanā nṛpa .. 159.10 ..

and then coming to the human condition, they bear the marks of sin. / I shall explain that to you; listen with a single mind, O king.

10.11

sahitvā yātanāṃ sarvāṃ gatvā vaivasvatakṣayam .
vistīrṇayātanā ye tu lokamāyānti cihnitāḥ .. 159.11 ..

Having endured every torture after arriving at the abode of the son of Vivasvat, / those whose tortures were extensive come to this world marked [by signs].

10.12

gadgado'nṛtavādī syānmūkaścaiva gavānṛte .
brahmahā jāyate kuṣṭhī śyāvadantastu madyapaḥ .. 159.12 ..

One who lies becomes a stammerer, and one who lies about cows becomes mute; / a killer of a brahmin is born a leper, and a drinker of alcohol has dark teeth.

10.13

kunakhī svarṇaharaṇādduḥścarmā gurutalpagaḥ .
saṃyogī hīnayoniḥ syāddaridro'dattadānataḥ .. 159.13 ..

A stealer of gold has diseased nails; a violator of the guru's bed has bad skin; / a partner of a low-born woman is born into a low womb, and one who does not give gifts becomes poor.

10.14

grāmaśūkaratāṃ yāti hyayājyayājako nṛpa .
kharo vai bahuyājī syācchvānimantritabhojanāt .. 159.14 ..

One who performs sacrifices for those unfit to sacrifice becomes a village pig, O king; / one who sacrifices excessively becomes an ass; from eating when uninvited, one becomes a dog.

10.15

aparīkṣitabhojī syādvānaro vijane vane .
vitarjako'tha mārjāraḥ khadyotaḥ kakṣadāhataḥ .. 159.15 ..

One who eats unexamined food becomes a monkey in a lonely forest; / an abuser becomes a cat; one who sets fire to a thicket becomes a firefly.

10.16

avidyāṃ yaḥ prayaccheta balīvardo bhaveddhi saḥ .
annaṃ paryuṣitaṃ vipre dadānaḥ klībatāṃ vrajet .. 159.16 ..

He who teaches false knowledge becomes an ox; / giving stale food to a brahmin, one would become a eunuch.

10.17

mātsaryādatha jātyandho janmāndhaḥ pustakaṃ haran .
phalānyāharato'patyaṃ mriyate nātra saṃśayaḥ .. 159.17 ..

From malice one becomes blind from birth; one is born blind by stealing a book; / the child of one who steals fruits dies—there is no doubt about this.

10.18

mṛto vānaratāṃ yāti tanmukto'tha galāḍavān .
adattvā bhakṣayaṃstāni hyanapatyo bhavennaraḥ .. 159.18 ..

When dead, he becomes a monkey; freed from that, he has a goiter; / eating them without sharing, a person becomes childless.

10.19

haranvastraṃ bhavedgodhā garadaḥ pavanāśanaḥ .
pravrājī gamanādrājan bhavenmarupiśācakaḥ .. 159.19 ..

Stealing clothes, one becomes an iguana; a poisoner becomes an eater of wind [a serpent]; / from having intercourse with a female ascetic, O king, one becomes a wilderness goblin.

10.20

vātako jalahartā ca dhānyahartā ca mūṣakaḥ .
aprāptayauvanāṃ gacchan bhavetsarpa iti śrutiḥ .. 159.20 ..

A stealer of water becomes afflicted by wind, and a stealer of grain becomes a mouse; / approaching a girl who has not reached puberty, one becomes a serpent, so says the tradition.

10.21

gurudārābhilāṣī ca kṛkalāso bhavecciram .
jalaprasravaṇaṃ yastu bhindyānmatsyo bhavennaraḥ .. 159.21 ..

One who covets the guru's wife becomes a chameleon for a long time; / and a man who damages a water spring becomes a fish.

10.22

avikreyān vikrayan vai vikaṭākṣo bhavennaraḥ .
ayonigo vṛko hi syādulūkaḥ krayavañcanāt .. 159.22 ..

Selling things that must not be sold, a man becomes cross-eyed; / one who engages in unnatural intercourse becomes a wolf; an owl from cheating in buying.

10.23

mṛtasyaikādaśāhe tu bhuñjānaḥ śvopajāyate .
pratiśrutya dvijāyārthamadadanmadhuko bhavet .. 159.23 ..

Eating on the eleventh day after a person's death, one is born as a dog; / having promised wealth to a brahmin and not giving it, one becomes a bee.

10.24

rājñīgamādbhavedduṣṭataskaro viḍvarāhakaḥ .
parivādī dvijātīnāṃ labhate kācchapīṃ tanum .. 159.24 ..

From approaching a queen, a wicked thief becomes a dung-eating pig; / a defamer of twice-born people receives the body of a tortoise.

10.25

vrajeddevalako rājanyoniṃ cāṇḍālasaṃjñitām .
durbhagaḥ phalavikretā vṛściko vṛṣalīpatiḥ .. 159.25 ..

A temple attendant for hire goes to the womb known as a cāṇḍāla, O king; / a seller of fruit becomes ill-favoured; the husband of a śūdra woman becomes a scorpion.

10.26

mārjāro'gniṃ padā spṛṣṭvā rogavānparamāṃsabhuk .
sodaryāgamanātṣaṇḍho durgandhaśca sugandhahṛt .. 159.26 ..

Touching fire with one's foot, one becomes a cat; an eater of another's flesh becomes diseased; / from approaching one's uterine sister, one becomes impotent; and stealing fragrant perfume, foul-smelling.

10.27

grāmabhaṭṭo divākīrtirdaivajño gardabho bhavet .
kupaṇḍitaḥ syānmārjāro bhaṣaṇo vyāsa eva ca .. 159.27 ..

A village priest becomes an outcaste; an astrologer becomes a donkey; / a false scholar becomes a cat, and a slanderer becomes a dog.

10.28

sa eva dṛśyate rājanprakāśātparamarmaṇām .
yadvā tadvāpi pārakyaṃ svalpaṃ vā yadi vā bahu .. 159.28 ..

That very [fate] is seen, O king, from revealing another's secrets; / whether it be this or that belonging to another, whether slight or great,

10.29

kṛtvā vai yonimāpnoti tairaścīṃ nātra saṃśayaḥ .
evamādīni cānyāni cihnāni nṛpasattama .. 159.29 ..

having taken it, he indeed attains an animal womb; there is no doubt about this. / These and other signs, O best of kings,

10.30

svakarmavihitānyeva dṛśyante yaistu mānavāḥ .
tato janma tato mṛtyuḥ sarvajantuṣu bhārata .. 159.30 ..

are seen [as] ordained by their own deeds, through which men are known. / Then birth, then death among all creatures, O descendant of Bharata,

10.31

jāyate nātra sandehaḥ samībhūte śubhāśubhe .
strīpuṃsoḥ samprayogeṇa viṣuddhe śukraśoṇite .. 159.31 ..

is born, there is no doubt, when good and evil have become equal, / through the union of woman and man, when the semen and ovum are purified.

10.32

pañcabhūtasamopetaḥ saṣaṣṭhaḥ parameśvaraḥ .
indriyāṇi manaḥ prāṇā jñānamāyuḥ sukhaṃ dhṛtiḥ .. 159.32 ..

Endowed with the five elements, the supreme lord is the sixth. / The sense faculties, the mind, the vital breaths, knowledge, lifespan, pleasure, steadfastness,

10.33

dhāraṇaṃ preraṇaṃ duḥkhamicchāhaṅkāra eva ca .
prayatna ākṛtirvarṇaḥ svaradveṣau bhavābhavau .. 159.33 ..

retention, prompting, pain, desire, and also egoity, / effort, bodily form, complexion, voice and aversion, existence and non-existence—

10.34

tasyedamātmanaḥ sarvamanāderādimicchataḥ .
prathame māsi sa kledabhūto dhātuvimūrchitaḥ .. 159.34 ..

all this belongs to this soul that, though beginningless, wishes for a beginning. / In the first month, it becomes a moist mass, blended with the bodily constituents.

10.35

māsyarbudaṃ dvitīye tu tṛtīye cendriyairyutaḥ .
ākāśāllāghavaṃ saukṣmyaṃ śabdaṃ śrotrabalādikam .
vāyostu sparśanaṃ ceṣṭāṃ dahanaṃ raukṣyameva ca .. 159.35 ..

In the second month it is a rounded mass, and in the third it is endowed with senses: / from space comes lightness, subtleness, sound, hearing, strength, and so forth; / from wind comes touch, motion, burning, and dryness;

10.36

pittāttu darśanaṃ paktimauṣṇyaṃ rūpaṃ prakāśanam .
salilādrasanāṃ śaityaṃ snehaṃ kledaṃ samārdavam .. 159.36 ..

from bile comes vision, digestion, heat, form, and illumination; / from water comes taste, coldness, oiliness, moisture, and softness;

10.37

bhūmergandhaṃ tathā ghrāṇaṃ gauravaṃ mūrtimeva ca .
ātmā gṛhṇātyajaḥ pūrvaṃ tṛtīye spandate ca saḥ .. 159.37 ..

from earth comes smell, the sense of smell, heaviness, and solid form. / The birthless soul assumes [these] first, and in the third [month] it stirs.

10.38

daurhṛdasyāpradānena garbho doṣamavāpnuyāt .
vairūpyaṃ maraṇaṃ vāpi tasmātkāryaṃ priyaṃ striyāḥ .. 159.38 ..

By not granting the pregnancy longings, the fetus may incur a defect, / deformity, or even death; therefore, what is pleasing to the woman must be done.

10.39

sthairyaṃ caturthe tvaṅgānāṃ pañcame śoṇitodbhavaḥ .
ṣaṣṭhe balaṃ ca varṇaśca nakharomṇāṃ ca sambhavaḥ .. 159.39 ..

In the fourth month comes firmness of the limbs, in the fifth the production of blood, / in the sixth strength and color, and the appearance of nails and hair.

10.40

manasā cetanāyukto nakharomaśatāvṛtaḥ .
saptame cāṣṭame caiva tvacāvān smṛtivānapi .. 159.40 ..

Endowed with consciousness through the mind, covered with hundreds of nails and hairs, / in the seventh and eighth [months] it possesses skin and also memory.

10.41

punargarbhaṃ punardhātrīmenastasya pradhāvati .
aṣṭame māsyato garbho jātaḥ prāṇairviyujyate .. 159.41 ..

Its vital essence runs back and forth between the fetus and the mother; / hence a fetus born in the eighth month is deprived of life.

10.42

navame daśame vāpi prabalaiḥ sūtimārutaiḥ .
nirgacchate bāṇa iva yantracchidreṇa sajvaraḥ .. 159.42 ..

In the ninth or tenth [month], driven by powerful winds of delivery, / it emerges like an arrow through the opening of a machine, overcome with distress.

10.43

śarīrāvayavairyukto hyaṅgapratyaṅgasaṃyutaḥ .
aṣṭottaraṃ marmaśataṃ tatrāsthā tu śatatrayam .. 159.43 ..

Endowed with the bodily parts and equipped with major and minor limbs, / there are one hundred and eight vital points, and three hundred bones,

10.44

sapta śiraḥkapālāni vihitāni svayambhuvā .
tisraḥ koṭyo'rdhakoṭī ca romṇāmaṅgeṣu bhārata .. 159.44 ..

seven cranial bones arranged by the self-manifest [Brahmā], / and three and a half crores of hairs upon the limbs, O Bhārata.

10.45

dvāsaptatisahasrāṇi hṛdayādabhinisṛtāḥ .
hitānāma hi tā nāḍyastāsāṃ madhye śaśiprabhā .. 159.45 ..

Seventy-two thousand [channels] branch out from the heart; / these channels are indeed called hitā, and among them is the moon-bright one.

10.46

evaṃ pravartate cakraṃ bhūtagrāme caturvidhe .
utpattiśca vināśaśca bhavataḥ sarvadehinām .. 159.46 ..

Thus turns the wheel of fourfold classes of living beings; / birth and destruction occur for all embodied souls.

10.47

gatirūrdhvā ca dharmeṇa hyadharmeṇa tvadhogatiḥ .
jāyate sarvavarṇānāṃ svadharmacalanānnṛpa .. 159.47 ..

An upward course comes through dharma, but a downward course through adharma; / it occurs for all classes, O king, from deviating from one's own duty.

10.48

devatve mānavatve ca dānabhogādikāḥ kriyāḥ .
dṛśyante yā mahārāja tatsarvaṃ karmajaṃ phalam .. 159.48 ..

In divinity and in humanity, acts such as charity and enjoyment / that are seen, O great king, are all fruits born of action.

10.49

svakarma vihite ghore kāmaksodhārjite śubhe .
nimajjennarake ghore yasyottāro na vidyate .. 159.49 ..

In the dreadful state caused by one's own karma, acquired through lust and anger [or] auspicious, / one may sink into a dreadful hell from which there is no crossing over.

10.50

uttāraṇāya jantūnāṃ narmadātaṭasaṃsthitam .
evametanmahātīrthaṃ narakeśvaramuttamam .. 159.50 ..

For the salvation of living beings, situated on the bank of the Narmadā / is this great tīrtha, the supreme Narakeśvara,

10.51

narakāpahaṃ mahāpuṇyaṃ mahāpātakanāśanam .
tattīrthaṃ sarvatīrthānāmuttamaṃ bhuvi durlabham .. 159.51 ..

destroyer of hell, immensely meritorious, destroying great sins; / that tīrtha is the best of all tīrthas, hard to attain on earth.

10.52

tatra tīrthe tu yaḥ snātvā pūjayeta maheśvaram .
mahāpātakayukto'pi narakaṃ naiva paśyati .. 159.52 ..

Having bathed in that tīrtha, whoever worships Maheśvara, / even if possessed of great sins, never sees hell.

10.53

tatra tīrthe tu yo dadyāddhenuṃ vaitaraṇīṃ śubhām .
sa mucyate sukhenaiva vaitaraṇyāṃ na saṃśayaḥ .. 159.53 ..

Whoever gives an auspicious Vaitaraṇī cow at that tīrtha, / is freed with ease from Vaitaraṇī; there is no doubt.

10.54

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca -
yamadvāre mahāghore yā sā vaitaraṇī nadī .
kiṃrūpā kiṃpramāṇā sā kathaṃ sā vahati dvija .. 159.54 ..

Yudhiṣṭhira said: / That river Vaitaraṇī which is at the terrifying gateway of Yama, / what is its form, what is its extent, and how does it flow, O twice-born one?

10.55

kathaṃ tasyāḥ pramucyante keṣāṃ vāsastu saṃtatam .
keṣāṃ tu sānukūlā sā hyetadvistarato vada .. 159.55 ..

How are people freed from it, who dwells in it perpetually, / and to whom is it favorable? Tell this in detail.

10.56

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca -
dharmaputra mahābāho śṛṇu sarvaṃ mayoditam .
yā sā vaitaraṇī nāma yamadvāre mahāsarit .. 159.56 ..

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya said: / O son of Dharma, O mighty-armed one, hear everything spoken by me / concerning that great river named Vaitaraṇī at the gateway of Yama.

10.57

agādhā pārarahitā dṛṣṭamātrā bhayāvahā .
pūyaśoṇitatoyā sā māṃsakardamanirmitā .. 159.57 ..

It is bottomless, boundless, and terrifying just to behold. / Its waters are pus and blood, and it is made of mire of flesh.

10.58

tattoyaṃ bhramate tūrṇaṃ tāpīmadhye ghṛtaṃ yathā .
kṛmibhiḥ saṅkulaṃ pūyaṃ vajratuṇḍairayomukhaiḥ .. 159.58 ..

Its water swirls rapidly, like ghee in a frying pan; / it is full of pus and teeming with worms having adamantine beaks and iron mouths,

10.59

śiśumāraiśca makarairvajrakartarisaṃyutaiḥ .
anyaiśca jalajīvaiḥ sā suhiṃsrairmarmabhedibhiḥ .. 159.59 ..

and with dolphins and crocodiles equipped with adamantine shears, / and with other water creatures that are intensely violent and pierce the vital points.

10.60

tapanti dvādaśādityāḥ pralayānta ivolbaṇāḥ .
patanti tatra vai martyāḥ krandanto bhṛśadāruṇam .. 159.60 ..

Twelve suns blaze fiercely as if at the end of a cosmic dissolution. / Mortals fall in there, weeping intensely and dreadfully,

10.61

hā bhrātaḥ putra hā mātaḥ pralapanti muhurmuhuḥ .
asipattravane ghore patantaṃ yo'bhirakṣati .. 159.61 ..

lamenting again and again, ‘O brother! O son! O mother!’ / Who can protect the one falling into the terrifying Asipattravana?

10.62

prataranti nimajjanti glāniṃ gacchanti jantavaḥ .
caturvidhaiḥ prāṇigaṇairdraṣṭavyā sā mahānadī .. 159.62 ..

Creatures swim, sink, and become exhausted. / That great river must be faced by the four types of living beings.

10.63

taranti tasyāṃ saddānairanyathā tu patanti te .
mātaraṃ ye na manyante hyācāryaṃ gurumeva ca .. 159.63 ..

They cross over it through noble gifts; otherwise they fall. / Those who do not respect their mother, teacher, and guru,

10.64

avajānanti mūḍhā ye teṣāṃ vāsastu saṃtatam .
pativratāṃ sādhuśīlāmūḍhāṃ dharmeṣu niścalām .. 159.64 ..

the fools who despise them—theirs is a perpetual dwelling [there]. / A devoted wife of virtuous conduct, legally married and steadfast in duties—

10.65

parityajanti ye pāpāḥ saṃtataṃ tu vasanti te .
viśvāsapratipannānāṃ svāmimitratapasvinām .. 159.65 ..

those wicked men who abandon [her] dwell [there] perpetually. / Of those who have placed their trust—masters, friends, ascetics,

10.66

strībālavṛddhadīnānāṃ chidramanveṣayanti ye .
pacyante tatra madhye vai krandamānāḥ supāpinaḥ .. 159.66 ..

women, children, the elderly, and the helpless—those who seek their vulnerabilities, / those great sinners are boiled in the middle of it, crying out.

10.67

śrāntaṃ bubhukṣitaṃ vipraṃ yo vighnayati durmatiḥ .
kṛmibhirbhakṣyate tatra yāvatkalpaśatatrayam .. 159.67 ..

The evil-minded one who obstructs an exhausted, hungry brahmin / is eaten there by worms for three hundred kalpas.

10.68

brāhmaṇāya pratiśrutya yo dānaṃ na prayacchati .
āhūya nāsti yo brūte tasya vāsastu saṃtatam .. 159.68 ..

He who promises a gift to a brahmin and does not give it, / or summons him and says ‘There is nothing,’ dwells there perpetually.

10.69

agnido garadaścaiva rājagāmī ca paiśunī .
kathābhaṅgakaraścaiva kūṭasākṣī ca madyapaḥ .. 159.69 ..

An arsonist, a poisoner, an informer to the king, a slanderer, / an interrupter of sacred discourse, a false witness, and a drinker of liquor,

10.70

vajravidhvaṃsakaścaiva svayaṃdattāpahārakaḥ .
sukṣetrasetubhedī ca paradārapradharṣakaḥ .. 159.70 ..

a destroyer of thunderbolts, a taker of what was given by oneself, / a destroyer of dikes in good fields, and a violator of another's wife,

10.71

brāhmaṇo rasavikretā vṛṣalīpatireva ca .
gokulasya tṛṣārtasya pālībhedaṃ karoti yaḥ .. 159.71 ..

a brahmin who sells liquids, a husband of a Śūdra woman, / and he who breaks the water embankment of thirsty cattle,

10.72

kanyābhidūṣakaścaiva dānaṃ dattvā tu tāpakaḥ .
śūdrastu kapilāpānī brāhmaṇo māṃsabhojanī .. 159.72 ..

a corrupter of maidens, one who regrets having given a gift, / a Śūdra who drinks milk from a tawny cow, a brahmin who eats meat—

10.73

ete vasanti satataṃ mā vicāraṃ kṛthā nṛpa .
sānukūlā bhavedyena tacchṛṇuṣva narādhipa .. 159.73 ..

these dwell [there] continually; do not doubt it, O king. / Hear that by which it may become favorable, O ruler of men.

10.74

ayane viṣuve caiva vyatīpāte dinakṣaye .
anyeṣu puṇyakāleṣu dīyate dānamuttamam .. 159.74 ..

At a solstice, at an equinox, at a vyatīpāta, on the day of a new moon,
and at other sacred times, this supreme gift is given.

10.75

kṛṣṇāṃ vā pāṭalāṃ vāpi kuryādvaitaraṇīṃ śubhām .
svarṇaśṛṅgīṃ rūpyakhurāṃ kāṃsyapātrasya dohinīm .. 159.75 ..

One should make an auspicious Vaitaraṇī cow, either black or reddish-brown,
with golden horns, silver hooves, and milkable into a bronze vessel,

10.76

kṛṣṇavastrayugācchannāṃ saptadhānyasamanvitām .
kuryātsadroṇaśikhara āsīnāṃ tāmrabhājane .. 159.76 ..

covered with a pair of black garments, accompanied by the seven grains,
seated upon a copper vessel topped with a droṇa [of grain].

10.77

yamaṃ haimaṃ prakurvīta lohadaṇḍasamanvitam .
ikṣudaṇḍamayaṃ baddhvā hyuḍupaṃ paṭṭabandhanaiḥ .. 159.77 ..

One should make a golden Yama equipped with an iron rod,
and having constructed a raft made of sugarcanes bound with silken cords,

10.78

uḍupopari tāṃ dhenuṃ sūryadehasamudbhavām .
kṛtvā prakalpayedvidvāñchattropānadyugānvitām .. 159.78 ..

the wise man should place that cow, born from the body of the sun,
upon the raft, equipped with an umbrella and a pair of sandals.

10.79

aṅgulīyakavāsāṃsi brāhmaṇāya nivedayet .
imamuccārayenmantraṃ saṃgṛhyāsyāśca pucchakam .. 159.79 ..

He should present a finger-ring and garments to a brahmin,
and, taking hold of the cow's tail, he should recite this mantra:

10.80

oṃ yamadvāre mahāghore yā sā vaitaraṇī nadī .
tartukāmo dadāmyenāṃ tubhyaṃ vaitaraṇi namaḥ .
ityadhivāsanamantraḥ .. 159.80 ..

“Oṃ. The river that is the Vaitaraṇī at the terrible door of Yama—
desiring to cross it, I give this [cow]; homage to you, O Vaitaraṇī!”
Such is the mantra of preliminary consecration.

10.81

gāvo me cāgrataḥ santu gāvo me santu pṛṣṭhataḥ .
gāvo me hṛdaye santu gavāṃ madhye vasāmyaham .. 159.81 ..

“May cows be in front of me; may cows be behind me;
may cows be in my heart; I dwell in the midst of cows.”

10.82

oṃ viṣṇurūpa dvijaśreṣṭha bhūdeva paṅktipāvana .
sadakṣiṇā mayā dattā tubhyaṃ vaitaraṇi namaḥ .
iti dānamantraḥ .. 159.82 ..

“Oṃ. You who are a form of Viṣṇu, best of the twice-born, earthly god, sanctifier of the row,
this [cow] is given by me with a sacrificial fee; homage to you, O Vaitaraṇī!”
Such is the gift mantra.

10.83

brāhmaṇaṃ dharmarājaṃ ca dhenuṃ vaitaraṇīṃ śivām .
sarvaṃ pradakṣiṇīkṛtya brāhmaṇāya nivedayet .. 159.83 ..

Having circumambulated the brahmin, Dharmarāja, and the auspicious Vaitaraṇī cow,
he should present everything to the brahmin.

10.84

pucchaṃ saṃgṛhya surabheragre kṛtvā dvijaṃ tataḥ .. 159.84 ..

Taking hold of the cow’s tail, having placed the twice-born in front, then:

10.85

dhenuke tvaṃ pratīkṣasva yamadvāre mahābhaye .
uttitīrṣurahaṃ dheno vaitaraṇyai namo'stu te .
ityanuvrajamantraḥ .. 159.85 ..

“O cow, wait for me at the gateway of Yama, which brings great fear!
I wish to cross over, O cow; homage be to you, Vaitaraṇī!”
Such is the mantra for following after.

10.86

anuvrajeta gacchantaṃ sarvaṃ tasya gṛhaṃ nayet .
evaṃ kṛte mahīpāla saritsyātsukhavāhinī .. 159.86 ..

He should follow him as he departs, and bring everything to his house.
When this is done, O protector of the earth, the river flows pleasantly.

10.87

tārayate tayā dhenvā sā sarijjalavāhinī .
sarvānkāmānavāpnoti ye divyā ye ca mānuṣāḥ .. 159.87 ..

By means of that cow, that river which flows with water carries him across.
He obtains all desires, both divine and human.

10.88

rogī rogādvimuktaḥ syācchāmyanti paramāpadaḥ .
svasthe sahasraguṇitamāture śatasaṃmitam .. 159.88 ..

A sick man would be freed from illness; the greatest misfortunes are pacified.
When healthy, [the gift's fruit] is multiplied a thousandfold; when sick, it is reckoned a hundredfold.

10.89

mṛtasyaiva tu yaddānaṃ parokṣe tatsamaṃ smṛtam .
svahastena tato deyaṃ mṛte kaḥ kasya dāsyati .
iti matvā mahārāja svadattaṃ syānmahāphalam .. 159.89 ..

The gift given on behalf of a deceased person in their absence is remembered as equal [to ordinary fruit].
Therefore, one should give with one's own hand: when one is dead, who will give to whom?
Considering this, O great king, what is given by oneself bears great fruit.

10.90

ityevamuktaṃ tava dharmasūno dānaṃ mayā vaitaraṇīsamuttham .
śṛṇoti bhaktyā paṭhatīha samyaksa yāti viṣṇoḥ padamaprameyam .. 159.90 ..

Thus has the gift pertaining to the Vaitaraṇī been spoken to you, O son of Dharma.
Whoever hears or recites this properly with devotion goes to the unmeasurable abode of Viṣṇu.

10.91

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca -
prāpte cāśvayuje māsi tasminkṛṣṇā caturdaśī .
snātvā kṛtvā tataḥ śrāddhaṃ sampūjya ca maheśvaram .. 159.91 ..

The venerable Mārkaṇḍeya said:
When the month of Āśvayuja arrives, on the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight,
having bathed, performed the ancestral offering, and worshipped the great lord,

10.92

pitṛbhyo dīyate dānaṃ bhaktiśraddhāsamanvitaiḥ .
paścājjāgaraṇaṃ kuryātsatkathāśravaṇādibhiḥ .. 159.92 ..

gifts are given to the ancestors by those endowed with devotion and faith.
Afterwards, one should keep a vigil by listening to virtuous stories and the like.

10.93

tataḥ prabhātasamaye snātvā vai narmadājale .
tarpaṇaṃ vidhivatkṛtvā pitḥṇāṃ devapūrvakam .. 159.93 ..

Then, at dawn, having bathed in the waters of the Narmadā
and duly made water-offerings to the ancestors, preceded by the gods,

10.94

sauvarṇe ghṛtasaṃyuktaṃ dīpaṃ dadyāddvijātaye .
paścātsaṃbhojayedviprān svayaṃ caiva vimatsaraḥ .. 159.94 ..

one should give to a twice-born a lamp filled with ghee in a golden vessel.
Afterwards, free from envy, he should feed the brahmins and himself.

10.95

evaṃ kṛte naraśreṣṭha na janturnarakaṃ vrajet .
avaśyameva manujairdraṣṭavyā nārakī sthitiḥ .. 159.95 ..

When this is done, O best of men, a living being does not go to hell.
A state of hell must inevitably be seen by mortals,

10.96

anena vidhinā kṛtvā na paśyennarakānnaraḥ .
tatra tīrthe mṛtānāṃ tu narāṇāṃ vidhinā nṛpa .. 159.96 ..

yet performing [it] by this rite, a man does not see the hells.
For men who die at that sacred ford according to the rule, O king,

10.97

manvantaraṃ śive loke vāso bhavati durlabhe .
vimānenārkavarṇena kiṃkiṇīśataśobhinā .. 159.97 ..

their residence in the rarely attainable world of Śiva lasts for a manvantara.
In an aerial chariot bright as the sun, adorned with hundreds of small bells,

10.98

sa gacchati mahābhāga sevyamāno'psarogaṇaiḥ .
bhunakti vividhānbhogānuktakālaṃ na saṃśayaḥ .. 159.98 ..

he travels, O fortunate one, served by hosts of apsarases;
he enjoys various pleasures for the stated time, without doubt.

10.99

pūrṇe caiva tataḥ kāla iha mānuṣyatāṃ gataḥ .
sarvavyādhivinirmukto jīvecca śaradāṃ śatam .. 159.99 ..

And when that time is complete, having attained human birth here,
freed from all illnesses, he lives for a hundred autumns.

10.100

prāpya cāśvayuje māsi kṛṣṇapakṣe caturdaśīm .
ahorātroṣito bhūtvā pūjayitvā maheśvaram .
mahāpātakayukto'pi mucyate nātra saṃśayaḥ .. 159.100 ..

Reaching the fourteenth day in the dark fortnight of the month of Āśvayuja,
having fasted for a day and night and worshipped the great lord,
even if guilty of a great sin, he is freed—there is no doubt about this.

10.101

aṣṭāviṃśatikoṭyo vai narakāṇāṃ yudhiṣṭhira .
vimuktā narakairduḥkhaiḥ śivalokaṃ vrajanti te .. 159.101 ..

There are indeed twenty-eight crores of hells, O Yudhiṣṭhira;
freed from the sufferings of hell, they go to the world of Śiva.

10.102

tatra bhuktvā mahābhogāndivyaiśvaryasamanvitān .
labhante mānuṣaṃ janma durlabhaṃ bhuvi mānavāḥ .. 159.102 ..

Having enjoyed great pleasures there, endowed with divine sovereignty,
those mortals attain human birth on earth, which is difficult to attain.

10.102_2

.. iti śrīskande mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pañcama āvantyakhaṇḍe revākhaṇḍe'narakeśvaratīrthamāhātmyavarṇanaṃ nāmaikonaṣaṣṭyuttaraśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ ..

Thus ends the one hundred fifty-ninth chapter, entitled "The Description of the Māhātmya of the Anarakeśvara Sacred Ford," in the Revākhaṇḍa of the fifth Avantī section of the Skandamahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.