The Glory of Mriga Tirtha

Verse 1 (skanda.6.23.1)

सूत उवाच। तस्यैव पश्चिमे भागे मृगतीर्थमनुत्तमम्। अस्ति पुण्यतमं ख्यातं समस्ते धरणीतले

sūta uvāca| tasyaiva paścime bhāge mṛgatīrthamanuttamam| asti puṇyatamaṁ khyātaṁ samaste dharaṇītale

Suta said: In the western part of that same region there is an unsurpassed tirtha called Mriga-tirtha, most sacred, famed over the whole earth.

Verse 2 (skanda.6.23.2)

तत्र ये मानवास्तीर्थे सम्यक्छ्रद्धासमन्विताः। चैत्रशुक्लचतुर्दश्यां स्नानं कुर्वंति भास्करे

tatra ye mānavāstīrthe samyakchraddhāsamanvitāḥ| caitraśuklacaturdaśyāṁ snānaṁ kurvaṁti bhāskare

Those humans who, filled with true faith, bathe at that tirtha on the fourteenth day of the bright half of Chaitra, at sunrise --

Verse 3 (skanda.6.23.3)

मध्ये स्थिते न ते यांति तिर्यग्योनौ कथंचन। अपि पापसमोपेता दोषैः सर्वैः समन्विताः

madhye sthite na te yāṁti tiryagyonau kathaṁcana| api pāpasamopetā doṣaiḥ sarvaiḥ samanvitāḥ

never attain a lower, animal birth, even if they are burdened with sins and every kind of fault.

Verse 4 (skanda.6.23.4)

कृतघ्ना नास्तिकाश्चौरा मर्यादाभेदकास्तथा। स्नाता ये तत्र सत्तीर्थे ते यांति परमां गतिम्। विमानवरमारूढाः स्तूयमानाश्च किंनरैः

kṛtaghnā nāstikāścaurā maryādābhedakāstathā| snātā ye tatra sattīrthe te yāṁti paramāṁ gatim| vimānavaramārūḍhāḥ stūyamānāśca kiṁnaraiḥ

Even the ungrateful, atheists, thieves, and transgressors of proper limits, if they bathe at that true tirtha, attain the supreme goal, mounted on a fine celestial chariot and praised by kinnaras.

Verse 5 (skanda.6.23.5)

ऋषय ऊचुः। मृगतीर्थं कथं तत्र संजातं सूतनंदन। किं प्रभावं समाचक्ष्व परं कौतूहलं हि नः

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ| mṛgatīrthaṁ kathaṁ tatra saṁjātaṁ sūtanaṁdana| kiṁ prabhāvaṁ samācakṣva paraṁ kautūhalaṁ hi naḥ

The sages said: O son of Suta, how did the Mriga-tirtha arise there? Tell us its power -- we are most curious.

Verse 6 (skanda.6.23.6)

सूत उवाच। पूर्वं तत्र महारण्ये नानामृगगणावृते। नानाविहंगसंघुष्टे नानावृक्षसमाकुले

sūta uvāca| pūrvaṁ tatra mahāraṇye nānāmṛgagaṇāvṛte| nānāvihaṁgasaṁghuṣṭe nānāvṛkṣasamākule

Suta said: Formerly there was there a great forest, thronging with many herds of deer, resounding with the calls of many birds, dense with many trees.

Verse 7 (skanda.6.23.7)

समायाता महारौद्रा लुब्धकाश्चापपाणयः। कृष्णांगा भ्रममाणास्ते यमदूता इवाऽपरे

samāyātā mahāraudrā lubdhakāścāpapāṇayaḥ| kṛṣṇāṁgā bhramamāṇāste yamadūtā ivā'pare

There came fearsome hunters, bows in hand, dark of limb, wandering about like a second band of Yama's messengers.

Verse 8 (skanda.6.23.8)

एतस्मिन्नंतरे दृष्टं मृगयूथं तरोरधः। उपविष्टं सुविश्रब्धं तैस्तदा द्विजसत्तमाः

etasminnaṁtare dṛṣṭaṁ mṛgayūthaṁ taroradhaḥ| upaviṣṭaṁ suviśrabdhaṁ taistadā dvijasattamāḥ

O best of brahmins, meanwhile they saw a herd of deer sitting there quite trustingly beneath a tree.

Verse 9 (skanda.6.23.9)

अथ ताँल्लुब्धकान्दृष्ट्वा दूरतोऽपि भयातुराः। पलायनपराः सर्वे मृगा जग्मुर्द्रुतं ततः

atha tā~llubdhakāndṛṣṭvā dūrato'pi bhayāturāḥ| palāyanaparāḥ sarve mṛgā jagmurdrutaṁ tataḥ

Seeing those hunters, even from a distance, all the deer, stricken with fear, took to flight and swiftly fled from there.

Verse 10 (skanda.6.23.10)

अथ ते सन्निधौ दृष्ट्वा गंभीरं सलिलाशयम्। प्रविष्टा हरिणाः सर्वे भयार्ताः शरपीडिताः

atha te sannidhau dṛṣṭvā gaṁbhīraṁ salilāśayam| praviṣṭā hariṇāḥ sarve bhayārtāḥ śarapīḍitāḥ

Then, seeing nearby a deep pool of water, all those deer, terrified and struck by arrows, plunged into it.

Verse 11 (skanda.6.23.11)

ततस्तत्सलिलस्यांतस्ते मृगाः सर्व एव हि। मानुषत्वमनुप्राप्तास्तत्प्रभावाद्द्विजोत्तमाः

tatastatsalilasyāṁtaste mṛgāḥ sarva eva hi| mānuṣatvamanuprāptāstatprabhāvāddvijottamāḥ

O best of brahmins, then, within that water, all those deer, by the power of that tirtha, attained the state of humans.

Verse 12 (skanda.6.23.12)

अथ तान्मानुषीभूतान्पप्रच्छुर्लुब्धका मृगान्। मृगयूथं समायातं मार्गेणानेन सांप्रतम्। केन मार्गेण निर्यातं तस्माद्वदत मा चिरम्

atha tānmānuṣībhūtānpapracchurlubdhakā mṛgān| mṛgayūthaṁ samāyātaṁ mārgeṇānena sāṁpratam| kena mārgeṇa niryātaṁ tasmādvadata mā ciram

Then the hunters asked those deer, now turned human: A herd of deer just came along this path -- by which path has it now gone? Tell us at once.

Verse 13 (skanda.6.23.13)

मानुषा ऊचुः। वयं ते हरिणाः सर्वे मानुषत्वं सुदुर्लभम्। तीर्थस्याऽस्य प्रभावेन प्राप्ताः सत्यं न संशयः

mānuṣā ūcuḥ| vayaṁ te hariṇāḥ sarve mānuṣatvaṁ sudurlabham| tīrthasyā'sya prabhāvena prāptāḥ satyaṁ na saṁśayaḥ

The humans said: We are all those very deer; by the power of this tirtha we have attained the human state, so hard to obtain -- this is true, without doubt.

Verse 14 (skanda.6.23.14)

तच्छ्रुत्वा विस्मयाविष्टास्ततस्ते लुब्धका द्रुतम्। त्यक्त्वा धनूंषि बाणांश्च स्नानं तत्र प्रचक्रिरे

tacchrutvā vismayāviṣṭāstataste lubdhakā drutam| tyaktvā dhanūṁṣi bāṇāṁśca snānaṁ tatra pracakrire

Hearing this, those hunters, filled with astonishment, at once cast aside their bows and arrows and bathed there themselves.

Verse 15 (skanda.6.23.15)

स्नानमात्रात्ततः सर्वे दिव्यमाल्यानुलेपनाः। दिव्यगात्रधरा सर्वे संजाताः पार्थिवोत्तमाः

snānamātrāttataḥ sarve divyamālyānulepanāḥ| divyagātradharā sarve saṁjātāḥ pārthivottamāḥ

By that bathing alone, all of them became adorned with divine garlands and unguents, bearing divine bodies, and became excellent, kingly men.

Verse 16 (skanda.6.23.16)

ऋषय ऊचुः। अत्याश्चर्यमिदं सूत यत्त्वया परिकीर्तितम्। स्नानमात्रेण ते प्राप्ता लुब्धकास्तादृशं वपुः

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ| atyāścaryamidaṁ sūta yattvayā parikīrtitam| snānamātreṇa te prāptā lubdhakāstādṛśaṁ vapuḥ

The sages said: O Suta, most wondrous is what you have told -- that by mere bathing those hunters obtained such a divine form.

Verse 17 (skanda.6.23.17)

तथा मानुष्यमापन्ना मृगास्तोयावगाहनात्। तत्कथं मेदिनीपृष्ठे तत्तीर्थं संबभूव ह

tathā mānuṣyamāpannā mṛgāstoyāvagāhanāt| tatkathaṁ medinīpṛṣṭhe tattīrthaṁ saṁbabhūva ha

And likewise the deer attained the human state by immersion in the water -- how did that tirtha come to be on the surface of the earth?

Verse 18 (skanda.6.23.18)

सूत उवाच। लिंगभेदोद्भवं तोयं यत्पुरा वः प्रकीर्तितम्। आच्छन्नं पांसुभिः कृत्स्नं वायुना शक्रशासनात्

sūta uvāca| liṁgabhedodbhavaṁ toyaṁ yatpurā vaḥ prakīrtitam| ācchannaṁ pāṁsubhiḥ kṛtsnaṁ vāyunā śakraśāsanāt

Suta said: The water that arose from the splitting of the linga, which I described to you before, was entirely covered over with dust by the wind, at Indra's command.

Verse 19 (skanda.6.23.19)

वल्मीकरंध्रमासाद्य तन्निष्क्रांतं पुनर्द्विजाः। कालेन महता तत्र प्रदेशे स्वल्पमेव हि

valmīkaraṁdhramāsādya tanniṣkrāṁtaṁ punardvijāḥ| kālena mahatā tatra pradeśe svalpameva hi

O brahmins, that water, finding an opening through an anthill, emerged again, though after a very long time, and only in a small quantity, at that spot.

Verse 20 (skanda.6.23.20)

यत्र स्नातः पुरा सद्यस्त्रिशंकुः पृथिवीपतिः। दिव्यं वपुः पुनः प्राप्तश्चंडालत्वेन संस्थितः

yatra snātaḥ purā sadyastriśaṁkuḥ pṛthivīpatiḥ| divyaṁ vapuḥ punaḥ prāptaścaṁḍālatvena saṁsthitaḥ

There, in ancient times, King Trishanku bathed, and though he stood reduced to the state of an outcaste, he instantly regained his divine form.

Verse 21 (skanda.6.23.21)

एतस्मात्कारणात्तत्र स्नाताः सारंगलुब्धकाः। सर्वे पापविनिर्मुक्ताः संप्राप्ताः परमं वपुः

etasmātkāraṇāttatra snātāḥ sāraṁgalubdhakāḥ| sarve pāpavinirmuktāḥ saṁprāptāḥ paramaṁ vapuḥ

For this very reason, the deer and the hunters who bathed there were all freed from sin and attained the supreme form.