The Fruit of Pilgrimage Undertaken on Another's Behalf

Verse 1 (skanda.5.383.1)

युधिष्ठिर उवाच। परार्थं तीर्थयात्रायां गच्छतः कस्य किं फलम्। कियन्मात्रं मुनिश्रेष्ठ तन्मे ब्रूहि कृपानिधे।

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca| parārthaṁ tīrthayātrāyāṁ gacchataḥ kasya kiṁ phalam| kiyanmātraṁ muniśreṣṭha tanme brūhi kṛpānidhe||

Yudhishthira said: For one who goes on pilgrimage on another's behalf, what fruit does he obtain, and how much — O best of sages, O ocean of compassion, tell me this.

Verse 2 (skanda.5.383.2)

मार्कण्डेय उवाच। परार्थं गच्छतस्तन्मे वदतः शृणु पार्थिव। यथा यावत्फलं तस्य यात्रादिविहितं भवेत्।

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca| parārthaṁ gacchatastanme vadataḥ śṛṇu pārthiva| yathā yāvatphalaṁ tasya yātrādivihitaṁ bhavet||

Markandeya said: O king, listen to me as I tell how much and what fruit is ordained through pilgrimage for one who goes on another's behalf.

Verse 3 (skanda.5.383.3)

उत्तमेनेह वर्णेन द्रव्यलोभादिना नृप। नाधमस्य क्वचित्कार्यं तीर्थयात्रादिसेवनम्।

uttameneha varṇena dravyalobhādinā nṛpa| nādhamasya kvacitkāryaṁ tīrthayātrādisevanam||

O king, this should be done by a person of superior standing, not out of greed for wealth and the like; the service of pilgrimage should never be entrusted to a base person.

Verse 4 (skanda.5.383.4)

धर्मकर्म महाराज स्वयं विद्वान्समाचरेत्। शरीरस्याथवा शक्त्या अन्यद्वा कार्ययोगतः।

dharmakarma mahārāja svayaṁ vidvānsamācaret| śarīrasyāthavā śaktyā anyadvā kāryayogataḥ||

O great king, a wise man should himself perform meritorious deeds, either through his own body or ability, or, as the task requires, have another perform it.

Verse 5 (skanda.5.383.5)

धर्मकर्म सदा प्रायः सवर्णेनैव कारयेत्। पुत्रपौत्रादिकैर्वापि ज्ञातिभिर्गोत्रसम्भवैः।

dharmakarma sadā prāyaḥ savarṇenaiva kārayet| putrapautrādikairvāpi jñātibhirgotrasambhavaiḥ||

Meritorious deeds should generally always be performed by one of the same standing, or by one's sons and grandsons, or by kinsmen born of one's own lineage.

Verse 6 (skanda.5.383.6)

श्रेष्ठं हि विहितं प्राहुर्धर्मकर्म युधिष्ठिर। तैरेव कारयेत्तस्मान्नोत्तमैर्नाधमैरपि।

śreṣṭhaṁ hi vihitaṁ prāhurdharmakarma yudhiṣṭhira| taireva kārayettasmānnottamairnādhamairapi||

O Yudhishthira, meritorious deeds are declared best only when properly enjoined; therefore they should be performed only by such fitting persons — neither by the superior nor by the base.

Verse 7 (skanda.5.383.7)

अधमेन कृतं सम्यङ्न भवेदिति मे मतिः। उत्तमश्चाधमार्थे वै कुर्वन्दुर्गतिमाप्नुयात्।

adhamena kṛtaṁ samyaṅna bhavediti me matiḥ| uttamaścādhamārthe vai kurvandurgatimāpnuyāt||

It is my view that a deed performed by a base person does not turn out well; and a superior person, performing it on behalf of a base one, attains a bad state.

Verse 8 (skanda.5.383.8)

न शूद्राय मतिं दद्यान्नोच्छिष्टं न हविष्कृतम्। न चास्योपदिशेद्धर्मं न चास्य व्रतमादिशेत्।

na śūdrāya matiṁ dadyānnocchiṣṭaṁ na haviṣkṛtam| na cāsyopadiśeddharmaṁ na cāsya vratamādiśet||

One should not give counsel to a shudra, nor give him leftover food, nor consecrated food; one should not teach him dharma, nor prescribe any vow for him.

Verse 9 (skanda.5.383.9)

जपस्तपस्तीर्थयात्रा प्रव्रज्या मन्त्रसाधनम्। देवताराधनं दीक्षा स्त्रीशूद्रपतनानि षट्।

japastapastīrthayātrā pravrajyā mantrasādhanam| devatārādhanaṁ dīkṣā strīśūdrapatanāni ṣaṭ||

Japa, austerity, pilgrimage, renunciation, the practice of mantras, the worship of deities, and initiation — these six, if undertaken independently, are causes of downfall for a woman and a shudra.

Verse 10 (skanda.5.383.10)

पतिवत्नी पतत्येव विधवा सर्वमाचरेत्। सभर्तृकाशके पत्यौ सर्वं कुर्यादनुज्ञया।

pativatnī patatyeva vidhavā sarvamācaret| sabhartṛkāśake patyau sarvaṁ kuryādanujñayā||

A woman with a living husband falls if she performs these independently; a widow may do everything on her own. When the husband is present and able, she should do everything only with his permission.

Verse 11 (skanda.5.383.11)

गत्वा परार्थं तीर्थादौ षोडशांशफलं लभेत्। गच्छतश्च प्रसङ्गेन तीर्थमर्द्धफलं स्मृतम्।

gatvā parārthaṁ tīrthādau ṣoḍaśāṁśaphalaṁ labhet| gacchataśca prasaṅgena tīrthamarddhaphalaṁ smṛtam||

Having gone to a tirtha and such on another's behalf, one obtains a sixteenth part of the fruit; and for one who reaches a tirtha only incidentally, on the way, half the fruit is declared.

Verse 12 (skanda.5.383.12)

अनुसङ्गेन तीर्थस्य स्नाने स्नानफलं विदुः। नैव यात्राफलं तज्ज्ञाः शास्त्रोक्तं कल्मषापहम्।

anusaṅgena tīrthasya snāne snānaphalaṁ viduḥ| naiva yātrāphalaṁ tajjñāḥ śāstroktaṁ kalmaṣāpaham||

Those who know declare that, when bathing at a tirtha only incidentally, one obtains merely the fruit of bathing — not the sin-removing fruit of pilgrimage declared in scripture.

Verse 13 (skanda.5.383.13)

पित्रर्थं च पितृव्यस्य मातुर्मातामहस्य च। मातुलस्य तथा भ्रातुः श्वशुरस्य सुतस्य च।

pitrarthaṁ ca pitṛvyasya māturmātāmahasya ca| mātulasya tathā bhrātuḥ śvaśurasya sutasya ca||

For the sake of one's father, one's paternal uncle, one's mother, one's maternal grandfather, one's maternal uncle, and likewise one's brother, father-in-law, and son,

Verse 14 (skanda.5.383.14)

पोषकार्थादयोश्चापि मातामह्या गुरोस्तथा। स्वसुर्मातृष्वसुः पैत्र्या आचार्याध्यापकस्य च।

poṣakārthādayoścāpi mātāmahyā gurostathā| svasurmātṛṣvasuḥ paitryā ācāryādhyāpakasya ca||

and for the sake of a foster-parent and the like, one's maternal grandmother, one's guru, a maternal aunt by marriage, a paternal aunt, and likewise one's acharya and teacher —

Verse 15 (skanda.5.383.15)

इत्याद्यर्थे नरः स्नात्वा स्वयमष्टांशमाप्नुयात्। साक्षात्पित्रोः प्रकुर्वाणश्चतुर्थांशमवाप्नुयात्।

ityādyarthe naraḥ snātvā svayamaṣṭāṁśamāpnuyāt| sākṣātpitroḥ prakurvāṇaścaturthāṁśamavāpnuyāt||

for all these purposes, a man who bathes there himself obtains an eighth part of the fruit; one who performs it directly for his parents obtains a fourth part.

Verse 16 (skanda.5.383.16)

पतिपत्न्योर्मिथश्चार्द्धं फलं प्राहुर्मनीषिणः। भागिनेयस्य शिष्यस्य भ्रातृव्यस्य सुतस्य च। षट्त्रिपञ्चचतुर्भागान्फलमाप्नोति वै नरः।

patipatnyormithaścārddhaṁ phalaṁ prāhurmanīṣiṇaḥ| bhāgineyasya śiṣyasya bhrātṛvyasya sutasya ca| ṣaṭtripañcacaturbhāgānphalamāpnoti vai naraḥ||

The wise declare that when husband and wife perform it for each other, the fruit is half. For a sister's son, a pupil, a brother's son, and a son, a man obtains respectively a sixth, a third, a fifth, and a fourth part of the fruit.

Verse 17 (skanda.5.383.17)

इति ते कथितं पार्थ पारम्पर्यक्रमागतम्। कर्तव्यं ज्ञातिवर्गस्य परार्थे धर्मसाधनम्।

iti te kathitaṁ pārtha pāramparyakramāgatam| kartavyaṁ jñātivargasya parārthe dharmasādhanam||

Thus, O Partha, has been told to you this procedure handed down by tradition — the meritorious practice to be performed on another's behalf for one's circle of kinsmen.

Verse 18 (skanda.5.383.18)

वर्षाऋतुसमायोगे सर्वा नद्यो रजस्वलाः। मुक्त्वा सरस्वतीं गङ्गां नर्मदां यमुनानदीम्।

varṣāṛtusamāyoge sarvā nadyo rajasvalāḥ| muktvā sarasvatīṁ gaṅgāṁ narmadāṁ yamunānadīm||

With the coming of the rainy season, all rivers become as if menstruating and impure, except the Sarasvati, the Ganga, the Narmada, and the river Yamuna.