King Tungadhvaja and the Fruits of the Vow

Verse 1 (skanda.5.392.1)

सूत उवाच। अथान्यच्च प्रवक्ष्यामि शृणुध्वं मुनिसत्तमाः। आसीत्तुङ्गध्वजो राजा प्रजापालनतत्परः॥

sūta uvāca| athānyacca pravakṣyāmi śṛṇudhvaṁ munisattamāḥ| āsīttuṅgadhvajo rājā prajāpālanatatparaḥ||

Suta said: Now I shall tell another account, O best of sages, listen; there was a king named Tungadhvaja, devoted to protecting his subjects.

Verse 2 (skanda.5.392.2)

प्रसादं सत्यदेवस्य त्यक्त्वा दुःखमवाप सः। एकदा स वनं गत्वा हत्वा बहुविधान्पशून्॥

prasādaṁ satyadevasya tyaktvā duḥkhamavāpa saḥ| ekadā sa vanaṁ gatvā hatvā bahuvidhānpaśūn||

He rejected the sacred food of Satyadeva and thereby incurred sorrow; once, going into the forest and slaying many kinds of animals,

Verse 3 (skanda.5.392.3)

आगत्य वटमूलं च दृष्ट्वा सत्यस्य पूजनम्। गोपाः कुर्वन्ति सन्तुष्टा भक्तियुक्ताः सबान्धवाः॥

āgatya vaṭamūlaṁ ca dṛṣṭvā satyasya pūjanam| gopāḥ kurvanti santuṣṭā bhaktiyuktāḥ sabāndhavāḥ||

he came to the foot of a banyan tree and there saw the cowherds, together with their kinsfolk, joyfully and devotedly worshipping Satyanarayana.

Verse 4 (skanda.5.392.4)

राजा दृष्ट्वा तु दर्पेण न गतो न ननाम सः। ततो गोपगणाः सर्वे प्रसादं नृपसन्निधौ॥

rājā dṛṣṭvā tu darpeṇa na gato na nanāma saḥ| tato gopagaṇāḥ sarve prasādaṁ nṛpasannidhau||

But the king, out of pride, though he saw this, neither went there nor bowed; then all the cowherds placed the sacred food near the king -

Verse 5 (skanda.5.392.5)

संस्थाप्य पुनरागत्य भुक्त्वा सर्वे यथेप्सितम्। ततः प्रसादं संत्यज्य राजा दुःखमवाप सः॥

saṁsthāpya punarāgatya bhuktvā sarve yathepsitam| tataḥ prasādaṁ saṁtyajya rājā duḥkhamavāpa saḥ||

and, returning, all of them partook of the sacred food as they wished; but the king, having rejected the sacred food, thereafter fell into sorrow.

Verse 6 (skanda.5.392.6)

तस्य पुत्रशतं नष्टं धनधान्यादिकं च यत्। सत्यदेवेन तत्सर्वं नाशितं मम निश्चितम्॥

tasya putraśataṁ naṣṭaṁ dhanadhānyādikaṁ ca yat| satyadevena tatsarvaṁ nāśitaṁ mama niścitam||

His hundred sons and all his wealth and grain were destroyed; the king concluded that all this had certainly been destroyed by Satyadeva.

Verse 7 (skanda.5.392.7)

अतस्तत्रैव गच्छामि यत्र देवस्य पूजनम्। मनसा तु विनिश्चित्य ययौ गोपालसन्निधौ॥

atastatraiva gacchāmi yatra devasya pūjanam| manasā tu viniścitya yayau gopālasannidhau||

"Therefore let me go there, where that god is worshipped" - resolving thus in his mind, he went to where the cowherds were.

Verse 8 (skanda.5.392.8)

ततोऽसौ सत्यदेवस्य पूजां गोपगणैः सह। भक्तिश्रद्धान्वितो भूत्वा चकार विधिना नृपः॥

tato'sau satyadevasya pūjāṁ gopagaṇaiḥ saha| bhaktiśraddhānvito bhūtvā cakāra vidhinā nṛpaḥ||

Then that king, together with the cowherds, filled with devotion and faith, duly performed the worship of Satyadeva.

Verse 9 (skanda.5.392.9)

सत्यदेवेन प्रसादेन धनपुत्रान्वितोऽभवत्। इहलोके सुखं भुक्त्वा चान्ते सत्यपुरं ययौ॥

satyadevena prasādena dhanaputrānvito'bhavat| ihaloke sukhaṁ bhuktvā cānte satyapuraṁ yayau||

By the grace of Satyadeva he became endowed once more with wealth and sons; having enjoyed happiness in this world, he finally attained Satyapura.

Verse 10 (skanda.5.392.10)

य इदं कुरुते सत्यव्रतं परमदुर्लभम्। शृणोति च कथां पुण्यां भक्तियुक्तः फलप्रदाम्॥

ya idaṁ kurute satyavrataṁ paramadurlabham| śṛṇoti ca kathāṁ puṇyāṁ bhaktiyuktaḥ phalapradām||

Whoever performs this most rare vow of Truth, and, filled with devotion, hears this meritorious and fruit-giving story,

Verse 11 (skanda.5.392.11)

धनधान्यादिकं तस्य भवेत्सत्यप्रसादतः। दरिद्रो लभते वित्तं बद्धो मुच्येत बन्धनात्॥

dhanadhānyādikaṁ tasya bhavetsatyaprasādataḥ| daridro labhate vittaṁ baddho mucyeta bandhanāt||

obtains wealth, grain, and the like by the grace of Satyadeva; the poor man gains riches, and one bound is released from bondage.

Verse 12 (skanda.5.392.12)

भीतो भयात्प्रमुच्येत सत्यमेव न संशयः। ईप्सितं च फलं भुक्त्वा चान्ते सत्यपुरं व्रजेत्॥

bhīto bhayātpramucyeta satyameva na saṁśayaḥ| īpsitaṁ ca phalaṁ bhuktvā cānte satyapuraṁ vrajet||

One who is afraid is freed from fear - this is true, there is no doubt; having enjoyed the desired fruit, he finally goes to Satyapura.

Verse 13 (skanda.5.392.13)

इति वः कथितं विप्राः सत्यनारायणव्रतम्। यत्कृत्वा सर्वदुःखेभ्यो मुक्तो भवति मानवः॥

iti vaḥ kathitaṁ viprāḥ satyanārāyaṇavratam| yatkṛtvā sarvaduḥkhebhyo mukto bhavati mānavaḥ||

Thus, O brahmins, have I related to you the vow of Satyanarayana, by performing which a person becomes freed from all sorrows.

Verse 14 (skanda.5.392.14)

विशेषतः कलियुगे सत्यपूजा फलप्रदा। केचित्कालं वदिष्यन्ति सत्यमीशं तमेव च॥

viśeṣataḥ kaliyuge satyapūjā phalapradā| kecitkālaṁ vadiṣyanti satyamīśaṁ tameva ca||

Especially in the Kali age, the worship of Truth (Satya) is fruitful; some will call him Kala, and that same one Isha,

Verse 15 (skanda.5.392.15)

सत्यनारायणं केचित्सत्यदेवं तथापरे। नानारूपधरो भूत्वा सर्वेषामीप्सितप्रदम्॥

satyanārāyaṇaṁ kecitsatyadevaṁ tathāpare| nānārūpadharo bhūtvā sarveṣāmīpsitapradam||

some will call him Satyanarayana, and others Satyadeva; assuming many forms, he fulfills the desires of all.

Verse 16 (skanda.5.392.16)

भविष्यति कलौ सत्यव्रतरूपी सनातनः। श्रीविष्णुना धृतं रूपं सर्वेषामीप्सितप्रदम्॥

bhaviṣyati kalau satyavratarūpī sanātanaḥ| śrīviṣṇunā dhṛtaṁ rūpaṁ sarveṣāmīpsitapradam||

In the Kali age, the eternal Lord [Vishnu] himself will appear in the form of the vow of Truth; this form assumed by Vishnu fulfills the desires of all.

Verse 17 (skanda.5.392.17)

य इदं पठेन्नित्यं शृणोति मुनिसत्तमाः। तस्य नश्यन्ति पापानि सत्यदेवप्रसादतः॥

ya idaṁ paṭhennityaṁ śṛṇoti munisattamāḥ| tasya naśyanti pāpāni satyadevaprasādataḥ||

O best of sages, whoever reads or hears this regularly, by the grace of Satyadeva his sins are destroyed.

Verse 18 (skanda.5.392.18)

व्रतं वैस्तु कृतं पूर्वं सत्यनारायणस्य च। तेषां त्वपरजन्मानि कथयामि मुनीश्वराः॥

vrataṁ vaistu kṛtaṁ pūrvaṁ satyanārāyaṇasya ca| teṣāṁ tvaparajanmāni kathayāmi munīśvarāḥ||

O lords among sages, I shall now tell of the next births of those who performed this vow of Satyanarayana in earlier times.

Verse 19 (skanda.5.392.19)

शतानन्दो महाप्राज्ञः सुदामा ब्राह्मणो ह्यभूत्। तस्मिञ्जन्मनि श्रीकृष्णं ध्यात्वा मोक्षमवाप ह॥

śatānando mahāprājñaḥ sudāmā brāhmaṇo hyabhūt| tasmiñjanmani śrīkṛṣṇaṁ dhyātvā mokṣamavāpa ha||

The greatly wise Shatananda became, [in a later birth,] the brahmin named Sudama; in that birth, by meditating upon Shri Krishna, he attained liberation.

Verse 20 (skanda.5.392.20)

काष्ठभारवहो भिल्लो गुहराजो बभूव ह। तस्मिञ्जन्मनि श्रीरामं सेव्य मोक्षं जगाम वै॥

kāṣṭhabhāravaho bhillo guharājo babhūva ha| tasmiñjanmani śrīrāmaṁ sevya mokṣaṁ jagāma vai||

The wood-carrying hunter became [the Nishada king] Guharaja; in that birth, by serving Shri Rama, he indeed attained liberation.

Verse 21 (skanda.5.392.21)

उल्कामुखो महाराजो नृपो दशरथोऽभवत्। श्रीरङ्गनाथं सम्पूज्य श्रीवैकुण्ठं तदागमत्॥

ulkāmukho mahārājo nṛpo daśaratho'bhavat| śrīraṅganāthaṁ sampūjya śrīvaikuṇṭhaṁ tadāgamat||

King Ulkamukha became King Dasharatha; having duly worshipped Shri Ranganatha, he then attained Vaikuntha.

Verse 22 (skanda.5.392.22)

धार्मिकः सत्यसन्धश्च साधुर्मोरध्वजोऽभवत्। देहार्धं क्रकचैश्छित्त्वा दत्त्वा मोक्षमवाप ह॥

dhārmikaḥ satyasandhaśca sādhurmoradhvajo'bhavat| dehārdhaṁ krakacaiśchittvā dattvā mokṣamavāpa ha||

The righteous and truth-keeping Sadhu became the king named Mayuradhvaja; by having half his body sawn off and offered, he attained liberation.

Verse 23 (skanda.5.392.23)

तुङ्गध्वजो महाराजः स्वायम्भुवोऽभवत्किल। सर्वान्भागवतान्कृत्वा श्रीवैकुण्ठं तदागमत्॥

tuṅgadhvajo mahārājaḥ svāyambhuvo'bhavatkila| sarvānbhāgavatānkṛtvā śrīvaikuṇṭhaṁ tadāgamat||

King Tungadhvaja indeed became [in a later birth] Svayambhuva Manu; having made everyone devotees of the Lord, he then attained Vaikuntha.

Verse 24 (skanda.5.392.24)

भूत्वा गोपाश्च ते सर्वे व्रजमण्डलवासिनः। निहत्य राक्षसान्सर्वान्गोलोकं तु तदा ययुः॥

bhūtvā gopāśca te sarve vrajamaṇḍalavāsinaḥ| nihatya rākṣasānsarvāngolokaṁ tu tadā yayuḥ||

All those cowherds became the dwellers of Vrajamandala; having slain all the demons, they then attained Goloka.