The Glory of Paitamaha Tirtha

Verse 1 (skanda.5.359.1)

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच। भृगुतीर्थं ततो गच्छेत्तीर्थराजमनुत्तमम्। पैतामहं महापुण्यं सर्वपातकनाशनम्

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca| bhṛgutīrthaṁ tato gacchettīrtharājamanuttamam| paitāmahaṁ mahāpuṇyaṁ sarvapātakanāśanam

Shri Markandeya said: Then one should go to Bhrigutirtha, the unequalled king of tirthas — the Paitamaha Tirtha, of great sanctity, destroyer of all sins.

Verse 2 (skanda.5.359.2)

ब्रह्मणा तत्र तीर्थे तु पुरा वर्षशतत्रयम्। आराधनं कृतं शम्भोः कस्मिंश्चित्कारणान्तरे

brahmaṇā tatra tīrthe tu purā varṣaśatatrayam| ārādhanaṁ kṛtaṁ śambhoḥ kasmiṁścitkāraṇāntare

At that tirtha, long ago, Brahma, for some particular reason, worshipped Shambhu for three hundred years.

Verse 3 (skanda.5.359.3)

युधिष्ठिर उवाच। किमर्थं मुनिशार्दूल ब्रह्मा लोकपितामहः। आराधयद्देवदेवं महाभक्त्या महेश्वरम्

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca| kimarthaṁ muniśārdūla brahmā lokapitāmahaḥ| ārādhayaddevadevaṁ mahābhaktyā maheśvaram

Yudhishthira said: O tiger among sages, for what reason did Brahma, grandfather of all the worlds, worship the god of gods, Maheshvara, with such great devotion?

Verse 4 (skanda.5.359.4)

आराध्यः सर्वभूतानां जगद्भर्ता जगद्गुरुः। श्रोतव्यं श्रोतुमिच्छामि महदाश्चर्यमुत्तमम्

ārādhyaḥ sarvabhūtānāṁ jagadbhartā jagadguruḥ| śrotavyaṁ śrotumicchāmi mahadāścaryamuttamam

He who is himself worthy of worship by all beings, the sustainer of the world, the teacher of the world — I wish to hear this great and excellent wonder, worthy of being heard.

Verse 5 (skanda.5.359.5)

धर्मपुत्रवचः श्रुत्वा मार्कण्डेयो मुनीश्वरः। कथयामास तद्वृत्तमितिहासं पुरातनम्

dharmaputravacaḥ śrutvā mārkaṇḍeyo munīśvaraḥ| kathayāmāsa tadvṛttamitihāsaṁ purātanam

Hearing the words of the son of Dharma, Markandeya, lord of sages, began to relate that ancient legend.

Verse 6 (skanda.5.359.6)

मार्कण्डेय उवाच। स्वपुत्रिकामभिगन्तुमिच्छन्पूर्वं पितामहः। शप्तस्तु देवदेवेन कोपाविष्टेन सत्तम

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca| svaputrikāmabhigantumicchanpūrvaṁ pitāmahaḥ| śaptastu devadevena kopāviṣṭena sattama

Markandeya said: O most excellent one, formerly, when the grandfather Brahma desired to approach his own daughter, he was cursed by the wrathful god of gods.

Verse 7 (skanda.5.359.7)

वेदास्तव विनश्यन्ति ज्ञानं च कमलासन। अपूज्यः सर्वलोकानां भविष्यसि न संशयः

vedāstava vinaśyanti jñānaṁ ca kamalāsana| apūjyaḥ sarvalokānāṁ bhaviṣyasi na saṁśayaḥ

'O lotus-seated one, your Vedas and your knowledge shall perish, and you shall become unworthy of worship in all the worlds — of this there is no doubt.'

Verse 8 (skanda.5.359.8)

एवं दत्ते ततः शापे ब्रह्मा खेदावृतस्तदा। रेवाया उत्तरे कूले स्नात्वा वर्षशतत्रयम्। तोषयामास देवेशं तुष्टः प्रोवाच शङ्करः

evaṁ datte tataḥ śāpe brahmā khedāvṛtastadā| revāyā uttare kūle snātvā varṣaśatatrayam| toṣayāmāsa deveśaṁ tuṣṭaḥ provāca śaṅkaraḥ

When this curse had thus been given, Brahma, overcome with grief, bathed on the northern bank of the Reva and for three hundred years propitiated the lord of gods; pleased, Shankara then spoke.

Verse 9 (skanda.5.359.9)

पूज्यस्त्वं भविता लोके प्राप्ते पर्वणि पर्वणि। अहमत्र च वत्स्यामि देवैश्च पितृभिः सह

pūjyastvaṁ bhavitā loke prāpte parvaṇi parvaṇi| ahamatra ca vatsyāmi devaiśca pitṛbhiḥ saha

'You shall become worthy of worship in this world at every sacred occasion, and I myself shall dwell here, together with the gods and the ancestors.'

Verse 10 (skanda.5.359.10)

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच। तदाप्रभृति तत्तीर्थं ख्यातिं प्राप्तं पितामहात्। सर्वपापहरं पुण्यं सर्वतीर्थेष्वनुत्तमम्

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca| tadāprabhṛti tattīrthaṁ khyātiṁ prāptaṁ pitāmahāt| sarvapāpaharaṁ puṇyaṁ sarvatīrtheṣvanuttamam

Shri Markandeya said: From that time onward, that tirtha became renowned after the grandfather Brahma — destroying all sin, sacred, and unequalled among all tirthas.

Verse 11 (skanda.5.359.11)

तत्र भाद्रपदे मासि कृष्णपक्षे विशेषतः। अमावास्यां तु यः स्नात्वा तर्पयेत्पितृदेवताः

tatra bhādrapade māsi kṛṣṇapakṣe viśeṣataḥ| amāvāsyāṁ tu yaḥ snātvā tarpayetpitṛdevatāḥ

There, especially in the dark fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada, on the new-moon day, he who bathes and offers libations to the ancestors and gods—

Verse 12 (skanda.5.359.12)

पिण्डदानेन चैकेन तिलतोयेन वा नृप। तृप्यन्ति द्वादशाब्दानि पितरो नात्र संशयः

piṇḍadānena caikena tilatoyena vā nṛpa| tṛpyanti dvādaśābdāni pitaro nātra saṁśayaḥ

O king, by a single offering of a rice-ball, or of sesame and water, the ancestors remain satisfied for twelve years, of this there is no doubt.

Verse 13 (skanda.5.359.13)

कन्यागते तु यस्तत्र नित्यं श्राद्धप्रदो भवेत्। अवाप्य तृप्तिं तत्पूर्वे वल्गन्ति च हसन्ति च

kanyāgate tu yastatra nityaṁ śrāddhapradо bhavet| avāpya tṛptiṁ tatpūrve valganti ca hasanti ca

He who there constantly performs the shraddha rite when the sun is in the sign of Virgo — his ancestors, having attained satisfaction, leap and laugh with joy.

Verse 14 (skanda.5.359.14)

सर्वेषु पितृतीर्थेषु श्राद्धं कृत्वास्ति यत्फलम्। तत्फलं समवाप्नोति दर्शे तत्र न संशयः

sarveṣu pitṛtīrtheṣu śrāddhaṁ kṛtvāsti yatphalam| tatphalaṁ samavāpnoti darśe tatra na saṁśayaḥ

Whatever fruit is obtained by performing shraddha at all the ancestral tirthas, that same fruit is obtained there on the new-moon day, of this there is no doubt.

Verse 15 (skanda.5.359.15)

पैतामहे नरः स्नात्वा पूजयन्पार्वतीपतिम्। मुच्यते नात्र सन्देहः पातकैश्चोपपातकैः

paitāmahe naraḥ snātvā pūjayanpārvatīpatim| mucyate nātra sandehaḥ pātakaiścopapātakaiḥ

A man who bathes at Paitamaha and worships the husband of Parvati is freed from sins and lesser sins alike — of this there is no doubt.

Verse 16 (skanda.5.359.16)

तत्र तीर्थे मृतानां तु नराणां भावितात्मनाम्। अनिवर्तिका गती राजन्रुद्रलोकादसंशयम्

tatra tīrthe mṛtānāṁ tu narāṇāṁ bhāvitātmanām| anivartikā gatī rājanrudralokādasaṁśayam

O king, for men of purified soul who die at that tirtha, their state, attained in the realm of Rudra, is, without doubt, one from which there is never any return.