Sacred Sites on the Yamuna and the Sarasvati

Verse 1 (3.131.1)

अस्मिन्किल स्वयं राजन्निष्टवान्वै प्रजापतिः । सत्रमिष्टीकृतं नाम पुरा वर्षसहस्रिकम् ॥

asminkila svayaṃ rājanniṣṭavānvai prajāpatiḥ | satramiṣṭīkṛtaṃ nāma purā varṣasahasrikam

Here, they say, O king, Prajapati himself once performed the sacrificial session called Ishtikrita, which lasted a thousand years.

Verse 2 (3.131.2)

अम्बरीषश्च नाभाग इष्टवान्यमुनामनु । यत्रेष्ट्वा दशपद्मानि सदस्येभ्योऽभिसृष्टवान् ॥

ambarīṣaśca nābhāga iṣṭavānyamunāmanu | yatreṣṭvā daśapadmāni sadasyebhyo'bhisṛṣṭavān

Here too Ambarisha, son of Nabhaga, sacrificed along the Yamuna; it was here that, after his sacrifices, he gave away ten padmas of wealth to the priests of the assembly.

Note on the text: The first line is CE 3.129.2a; the second line corresponds to CE 3.129.3c (a recension variant: अभिसृष्टवान् for nisṛṣṭavān). Wikisource arranges the half-lines of CE 3.129.2–3 differently.

Verse 3 (3.131.3)

यज्ञैश्च तपसा चैव परां सिद्धिमवाप सः । देशश्च नाहुषस्यायं यज्वनः पुण्यकर्मणः ॥

yajñaiśca tapasā caiva parāṃ siddhimavāpa saḥ | deśaśca nāhuṣasyāyaṃ yajvanaḥ puṇyakarmaṇaḥ

Through sacrifices and austerity he reached the highest perfection. And this is the land of the son of Nahusha, the sacrificer of holy deeds,

Note on the text: Corrected य़ज्वनः → यज्वनः (misprint in Wikisource; a stray nukta under य). The first line is CE 3.129.2c; the second line is a recension variant of CE 3.129.3a (deśo nāhuṣayajñānām ayaṃ puṇyatamo nṛpa).

Verse 4 (3.131.4)

सार्वभौमस्य कौन्तेय ययातेरमितौजसः । स्पर्धमानस्य शक्रेण तस्येदं यज्ञवास्त्विह ॥

sārvabhaumasya kaunteya yayāteramitaujasaḥ | spardhamānasya śakreṇa tasyedaṃ yajñavāstviha

of Yayati, son of Kunti, the sovereign of the whole earth, of boundless might, who rivalled Shakra. This is the ground where he sacrificed.

Verse 5 (3.131.5)

पश्य नानाविधाकारैरग्निभिर्निचितां महीम् । मज्जन्तीमिव चाक्रान्तां ययातेर्यज्ञकर्मभिः ॥

paśya nānāvidhākārairagnibhirnicitāṃ mahīm | majjantīmiva cākrāntāṃ yayāteryajñakarmabhiḥ

See the earth piled with fire-altars of many shapes, as though sinking under the weight of Yayati's sacrificial rites.

Verse 6 (3.131.6)

एषा शम्येकपत्रा सा शकटं चैतदुत्तमम् । पश्य रामह्रदानेतान्पश्य नारायणाश्रमम् ॥

eṣā śamyekapatrā sā śakaṭaṃ caitaduttamam | paśya rāmahradānetānpaśya nārāyaṇāśramam

Here is the single-leafed shami branch, and here the fine cart. See these lakes of Rama, and see the hermitage of Narayana.

Verse 7 (3.131.7)

एतदार्चीकपुत्रस्य योगैर्विचरतो महीम् । प्रसर्पणं महीपाल रौप्यायाममितौजसः ॥

etadārcīkaputrasya yogairvicarato mahīm | prasarpaṇaṃ mahīpāla raupyāyāmamitaujasaḥ

This, protector of the earth, is the ground beside the Raupya where the mighty son of Archika roamed as he wandered the earth by his yogic power.

Note on the text: Corrected एतच्चर्चीकपुत्रस्य → एतदार्चीकपुत्रस्य (misprint in Wikisource; चर्चीक is not a word; the critical edition reads etad ārcīkaputrasya).

Verse 8 (3.131.8)

अत्रानुवंशं पठतः शृणु मे कुरुनन्दन । उलूखलैराभरणैः पिशाची यदभाषत ॥

atrānuvaṃśaṃ paṭhataḥ śṛṇu me kurunandana | ulūkhalairābharaṇaiḥ piśācī yadabhāṣata

Hear from me, joy of the Kurus, the old verse that people here recite: what the she-demon said, decked out with mortars for ornaments.

Note on the text: Corrected पिशची → पिशाची (misprint in Wikisource; dropped ā-sign; the critical edition reads piśācī).

Verse 9 (3.131.9)

युगन्धरे दधि प्राश्य उषित्वा चाच्युतस्थले । तद्वद्भूतलये स्नात्वा सपुत्रा वस्तुमर्हसि ॥

yugandhare dadhi prāśya uṣitvā cācyutasthale | tadvadbhūtalaye snātvā saputrā vastumarhasi

"You have eaten curds at Yugandhara, lived at Achyutasthala and bathed at Bhutalaya, and you think yourself fit to stay here with your sons?

Verse 10 (3.131.10)

एकरात्रमुषित्वेह द्वितीयं यदि वत्स्यसि । एतद्वै ते दिवा वृत्तं रात्रौ वृत्तमितोऽन्यथा ॥

ekarātramuṣitveha dvitīyaṃ yadi vatsyasi | etadvai te divā vṛttaṃ rātrau vṛttamito'nyathā

"Stay one night here. But if you stay a second, then: this is what befell you by day; by night it will go otherwise."

Note on the text: Corrected एकरात्रमुवित्वेह → एकरात्रमुषित्वेह and गदेवावृत्तं → दिवा वृत्तं (misprints in Wikisource; व for ष, and a garbled दिवा; the critical edition reads uṣitveha and divā vṛttaṃ, and the commentary printed with this page glosses दिवावृत्तं).

Verse 11 (3.131.11)

अद्य चात्र निवत्स्यामः क्षपां भरतसत्तम । द्वारमेतत्तु कौन्तेय कुरुक्षेत्रस्य भारत ॥

adya cātra nivatsyāmaḥ kṣapāṃ bharatasattama | dvārametattu kaunteya kurukṣetrasya bhārata

Today we shall spend the night here, best of the Bharatas. This, son of Kunti, is the gateway to Kurukshetra, O Bharata.

Verse 12 (3.131.12)

अत्रैव नाहुषो राजा राजन्क्रतुभिरिष्टवान् । ययातिर्बहुरत्नौघैर्यत्रेन्द्रो मुदमभ्यगात् ॥

atraiva nāhuṣo rājā rājankratubhiriṣṭavān | yayātirbahuratnaughairyatrendro mudamabhyagāt

Here, O king, King Yayati, son of Nahusha, sacrificed with many rites and with floods of jewels, and Indra rejoiced at them.

Note on the text: Corrected बहुरत्नौर्घर्यत्रेन्द्रो → बहुरत्नौघैर्यत्रेन्द्रो (misprint in Wikisource; transposed aksharas in रत्नौघैः, "with floods of jewels"; the critical edition reads bahuratnāḍhyair).

Verse 13 (3.131.13)

एतत्प्लक्षावतरणं यमुनातीर्थमुत्तमम् । एतद्वै नाकपृष्ठस्य द्वारमाहुर्मनीषिणः ॥

etatplakṣāvataraṇaṃ yamunātīrthamuttamam | etadvai nākapṛṣṭhasya dvāramāhurmanīṣiṇaḥ

This is Plakshavatarana, the finest ford on the Yamuna. The wise call it the gateway to the vault of heaven.

Verse 14 (3.131.14)

अत्रसारस्वतैर्यज्ञैरीजानाः परमर्षयः । यूपोलूखलिकास्तात गच्छन्त्यवभृथप्लवम् ॥

atrasārasvatairyajñairījānāḥ paramarṣayaḥ | yūpolūkhalikāstāta gacchantyavabhṛthaplavam

Here the supreme seers, having sacrificed with Sarasvata rites, go down for the closing bath of purification, my son, carrying their sacrificial posts and mortars.

Verse 15 (3.131.15)

अत्रवै भरतो राजा राजन्क्रतुभिरिष्टवान् । हयमेधेन यज्ञेन मेध्यमश्वमवासृजत् ॥

atravai bharato rājā rājankratubhiriṣṭavān | hayamedhena yajñena medhyamaśvamavāsṛjat

Here King Bharata sacrificed with many rites, O king; in the horse sacrifice he set loose the consecrated horse,

Note on the text: The first line combines CE 3.129.15a (atraiva bharato rājā) with star passage 3.129.15a*0633 (rājan kratubhir iṣṭavān), and the second line is the rest of *0633 (hayamedhena yajñena) with the end of CE 3.129.15a (medhyam aśvam avāsṛjat).

Verse 16 (3.131.16)

असकृत्कृष्णसारङ्गं धर्मेणाप्य च मेदिनीम् । अत्रैव पुरुषव्याघ्र मरुत्तः सत्रमुत्तमम् । प्राप चैवर्षिमुख्येन संवर्तेनाभिपालितः ॥

asakṛtkṛṣṇasāraṅgaṃ dharmeṇāpya ca medinīm | atraiva puruṣavyāghra maruttaḥ satramuttamam | prāpa caivarṣimukhyena saṃvartenābhipālitaḥ

the black-eared horse, many times over, having won the earth by righteous means. And here, tiger among men, Marutta accomplished his peerless sacrificial session, guarded by Samvarta, chief of the seers.

Note on the text: The first line is CE 3.129.15c (a recension variant: धर्मेणाप्य for dharmeṇāvāpya); the second and third lines are CE 3.129.16a and 16c (प्राप चैवर्षिमुख्येन for āste devarṣimukhyena).

Verse 17 (3.131.17)

अत्रोपस्पृश्य राजेन्द्र सर्वाल्लोँकान्प्रपश्यति । पूयते दुष्कृताच्चैव अत्रापि समुपस्पृश ॥

atropaspṛśya rājendra sarvāllom̐kānprapaśyati | pūyate duṣkṛtāccaiva atrāpi samupaspṛśa

Touching the water here, lord of kings, one sees all the worlds and is cleansed of misdeeds. Touch the water here too.

Verse 18 (3.131.18)

तत्र सभ्रातृकः स्नात्वा स्तूयमानो महर्षिभिः । लोमशं पाण्डवश्रेष्ठ इदं वचनमब्रवीत् ॥

tatra sabhrātṛkaḥ snātvā stūyamāno maharṣibhiḥ | lomaśaṃ pāṇḍavaśreṣṭha idaṃ vacanamabravīt

Having bathed there with his brothers, while the great seers sang his praises, the best of the Pandavas said this to Lomasha:

Verse 19 (3.131.19)

सर्वाँल्लोकान्प्रपश्यामि तपसा सत्यविक्रम । इहस्थः पाण्डवश्रेष्ठं पश्यामि श्वेतवाहनम् ॥

sarvām̐llokānprapaśyāmi tapasā satyavikrama | ihasthaḥ pāṇḍavaśreṣṭhaṃ paśyāmi śvetavāhanam

"Through austerity I see all the worlds, you whose valour is truth! Standing here, I see the best of the Pandavas, the rider of white horses."

Note on the text: Speaker changed from वैशंपायन to युधिष्ठिर: the verse is Yudhishthira's own words, introduced by verse 18. Corrected इहस्तः → इहस्थः (misprint in Wikisource; त for थ; the critical edition reads ihasthaḥ).

Verse 20 (3.131.20)

एवमेतन्महाबाहो पश्यन्ति परमर्षयः । इह स्नात्वा तपोयुक्तांस्त्रील्लोँकान्सचराचरान् ॥

evametanmahābāho paśyanti paramarṣayaḥ | iha snātvā tapoyuktāṃstrīllom̐kānsacarācarān

So it is, mighty-armed one. Having bathed here, the supreme seers, rich in austerity, see the three worlds with all that moves and does not move.

Note on the text: The first line is CE 3.129.20a; the second line is not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension; star passage 3.129.20b*0634 in its apparatus).

Verse 21 (3.131.21)

सरस्वतीमिमां पुण्यां पुण्यैकशरणावृताम् । यत्र स्नात्वा नरश्रेष्ठ धूतपाप्मा भविष्यसि ॥

sarasvatīmimāṃ puṇyāṃ puṇyaikaśaraṇāvṛtām | yatra snātvā naraśreṣṭha dhūtapāpmā bhaviṣyasi

This is the holy Sarasvati, thronged by the holy who take her as their one refuge. Bathing here, best of men, you will be cleansed of sin.

Note on the text: The first line is CE 3.129.20c (a recension variant: पुण्यैकशरणावृताम् for paśyaikaśaraṇāvṛtām); the second line is CE 3.129.21a (भविष्यसि for bhaviṣyati).

Verse 22 (3.131.22)

इह सारस्वतैर्यज्ञैरिष्टवन्तः सुरर्षयः । ऋषयश्चैव कौन्तेय तथा राजर्षयोपि च ॥

iha sārasvatairyajñairiṣṭavantaḥ surarṣayaḥ | ṛṣayaścaiva kaunteya tathā rājarṣayopi ca

Here the divine seers sacrificed with Sarasvata rites, son of Kunti, and the seers and royal seers as well.

Note on the text: This verse is CE 3.129.21c and 21e (the second and third lines of that verse).

Verse 23 (3.131.23)

वेदी प्रजापतेरेषा समन्तात्पञ्चयोजना । कुरोर्वै यज्ञशीलस्य क्षेत्रमेतन्महात्मनः ॥

vedī prajāpatereṣā samantātpañcayojanā | kurorvai yajñaśīlasya kṣetrametanmahātmanaḥ

This is Prajapati's altar, five yojanas on every side; and this is the field of the great-souled Kuru, who was devoted to sacrifice.