The Greatness of Shukla-tīrtha

Verse 1 (skanda.7.407.1)

पुलस्त्य उवाच ततो गच्छेन्नृपश्रेष्ठ शुक्लतीर्थमनुत्तमम् यत्ख्यातिमगमत्पूर्वं सकाशाद्दाशवर्गतः

pulastya uvāca tato gacchennṛpaśreṣṭha śuklatīrthamanuttamam yatkhyātimagamatpūrvaṁ sakāśāddāśavargataḥ

Pulastya said: Then, O best of kings, one should go to Shukla-tirtha, most excellent, which formerly attained fame through a fisherman's family.

Verse 2 (skanda.7.407.2)

पुराऽऽसीद्रजको नाम्ना शमिलाक्षो महीपते नीलीमध्ये तु वस्त्राणि प्रक्षिप्तानि महीपते

purā''sīdrajako nāmnā śamilākṣo mahīpate nīlīmadhye tu vastrāṇi prakṣiptāni mahīpate

Formerly there was a washerman named Shamilaksha, O lord of the earth; clothes had been thrown into a vat of indigo dye, O lord of the earth.

Verse 3 (skanda.7.407.3)

अथासौ भयमापन्नो ज्ञात्वा वस्त्रविडंबनम् देशांतरं प्रस्थितोऽसौ स्वकुटुम्बसमावृतः

athāsau bhayamāpanno jñātvā vastraviḍambanam deśāṁtaraṁ prasthito'sau svakuṭumbasamāvṛtaḥ

Then, becoming afraid on learning of the ruin of the clothes, he set out for another land, surrounded by his own family.

Verse 4 (skanda.7.407.4)

अथ तस्य सुता राजन्दाशकन्यासखी शुभा दुःखेन महताविष्टा दाश्यंतिकमुपाद्रवत्

atha tasya sutā rājandāśakanyāsakhī śubhā duḥkhena mahatāviṣṭā dāśyaṁtikamupādravat

Then his daughter, O king, a good friend of a fisherman's daughter, overcome with great sorrow, ran to the fisherman's daughter,

Verse 5 (skanda.7.407.5)

तस्यै निवेदयामास भयं वस्त्रसमुद्भवम् विदेशचलनं चैव बाष्पगद्गदया गिरा

tasyai nivedayāmāsa bhayaṁ vastrasamudbhavam videśacalanaṁ caiva bāṣpagadgadayā girā

and told her of the fear arising from the clothes, and of the departure to a foreign land, with a voice choked with tears.

Verse 6 (skanda.7.407.6)

दाशकन्यापि दुःखेन तस्या दुःखसमन्विता अब्रवीद्वाष्संक्लिन्नां निश्वसंती मुहुर्मुहुः

dāśakanyāpi duḥkhena tasyā duḥkhasamanvitā abravīdvāṣsaṁklinnāṁ niśvasaṁtī muhurmuhuḥ

The fisherman's daughter too, filled with sorrow at her sorrow, spoke to her, drenched in tears, sighing again and again:

Verse 7 (skanda.7.407.7)

दाशकन्योवाच अस्त्युपायो महानत्र विदितो मम शोभने ध्रुवं तेन कृतेनैव निर्भयं ते च ते पितुः

dāśakanyovāca astyupāyo mahānatra vidito mama śobhane dhruvaṁ tena kṛtenaiva nirbhayaṁ te ca te pituḥ

The fisherman's daughter said: There is a great remedy here, known to me, O lovely one; by that very deed, surely, you and your father shall become free from fear.

Verse 8 (skanda.7.407.8)

अत्रास्ति निर्झरं सुभ्रूरर्बुदे वरवर्णिनि तत्र मे भ्रातरश्चैव तथान्ये मत्स्यजीविनः

atrāsti nirjharaṁ subhrūrarbude varavarṇini tatra me bhrātaraścaiva tathānye matsyajīvinaḥ

Here on Arbuda, O fair-browed one of excellent complexion, there is a spring; there my brothers and other fishermen too dwell,

Verse 9 (skanda.7.407.9)

यच्चान्यदपि तत्रैव क्षिप्यते सलिले शुभे तत्सर्वं शुक्लतामेति पश्य मे वपुरीदृशम्

yaccānyadapi tatraiva kṣipyate salile śubhe tatsarvaṁ śuklatāmeti paśya me vapurīdṛśam

and whatever else is thrown into that auspicious water there, all of it becomes white — behold my own body, such as it is!

Verse 10 (skanda.7.407.10)

सर्वेषामेव दाशानां तस्य तोयस्य मज्जनात् तानि वस्त्राणि तत्रैव तातस्तव सुमध्यमे जले प्रक्षालयेत्क्षिप्रं प्रयास्यंति सुशुक्लताम्

sarveṣāmeva dāśānāṁ tasya toyasya majjanāt tāni vastrāṇi tatraiva tātastava sumadhyame jale prakṣālayetkṣipraṁ prayāsyaṁti suśuklatām

By the immersion of all the fishermen in that water — O you of the beautiful waist, let your father wash those very clothes quickly in that water there; they shall at once become brilliantly white.

Verse 11 (skanda.7.407.11)

त्वयाऽत्र न भयं कार्यं गत्वा तातं निवारय प्रस्थितं परदेशाय नात्र कार्या विचारणा

tvayā'tra na bhayaṁ kāryaṁ gatvā tātaṁ nivāraya prasthitaṁ paradeśāya nātra kāryā vicāraṇā

You need have no fear in this matter; go and stop your father, who has set out for another land — there is no need for deliberation in this.

Verse 12 (skanda.7.407.12)

पुलस्त्य उवाच सा तस्या वचनं श्रुत्वा गत्वा सर्वं न्यवेदयत् जनकाय सुता तूर्णं ततोऽसौ तुष्टिमाप्तवान्

pulastya uvāca sā tasyā vacanaṁ śrutvā gatvā sarvaṁ nyavedayat janakāya sutā tūrṇaṁ tato'sau tuṣṭimāptavān

Pulastya said: She, having heard her words, went and told her father everything at once; thereupon he became glad.

Verse 13 (skanda.7.407.13)

प्रातरुत्थाय तूर्णं स निर्झरं तमुपाद्रवत् क्षिप्तमात्राणि राजेन्द्र तानि वस्त्राणि तेन वै

prātarutthāya tūrṇaṁ sa nirjharaṁ tamupādravat kṣiptamātrāṇi rājendra tāni vastrāṇi tena vai

Rising early the next morning, he swiftly hastened to that spring, O king of kings, and cast those clothes into it.

Verse 14 (skanda.7.407.14)

तस्मिंस्तोयेतिशुक्लत्वं गतानि बहुलां ततः कांतिमापुश्च परमां तथा दृष्ट्वांबराणि च

tasmiṁstoyetiśuklatvaṁ gatāni bahulāṁ tataḥ kāntimāpuśca paramāṁ tathā dṛṣṭvāṁbarāṇi ca

In that water, they became exceedingly white, and attained supreme luster; and seeing the garments thus transformed,

Verse 15 (skanda.7.407.15)

अथासौ विस्मयाविष्टस्तानि चादाय सत्वरः राज्ञे निवेदयामास वृत्तांतं च तदुद्भवम्

athāsau vismayāviṣṭastāni cādāya satvaraḥ rājñe nivedayāmāsa vṛttāṁtaṁ ca tadudbhavam

he, filled with astonishment, took them at once and reported to the king the entire account of what had happened.

Verse 16 (skanda.7.407.16)

ततो विस्मयमापन्नः स राजा तत्र निर्झरे अन्यानि नीलीरक्तानि वस्त्राणि चाक्षिपज्जले

tato vismayamāpannaḥ sa rājā tatra nirjhare anyāni nīliraktāni vastrāṇi cākṣipajjale

Then the king, filled with astonishment, threw other clothes dyed with indigo and other colors into the water there.

Verse 17 (skanda.7.407.17)

सर्वाणि शुक्लतां यांति विशिष्टानि भवंति च ज्ञात्वा ततः परं तीर्थं स्नानं चक्रे यथाविधि

sarvāṇi śuklatāṁ yāṁti viśiṣṭāni bhavaṁti ca jñātvā tataḥ paraṁ tīrthaṁ snānaṁ cakre yathāvidhi

All of them turned white and became exceptional. Knowing this to be the supreme tirtha, he then bathed there according to rule.

Verse 18 (skanda.7.407.18)

त्यक्त्वा राज्यं स तत्रैव तपस्तेपे महीपतिः ततः सिद्धिं परां प्राप्तस्तीर्थस्यास्य प्रभावतः

tyaktvā rājyaṁ sa tatraiva tapastepe mahīpatiḥ tataḥ siddhiṁ parāṁ prāptastīrthasyāsya prabhāvataḥ

Having abandoned his kingdom, the king performed austerity right there; thereupon he attained supreme accomplishment by the power of this tirtha.

Verse 19 (skanda.7.407.19)

एकादश्यां नरस्तत्र यः श्राद्धं कुरुते नृप स कुलानि समुद्धृत्य दश याति दिवं ततः स्नानेनव विपापत्वं तत्क्षणादेव जायते

ekādaśyāṁ narastatra yaḥ śrāddhaṁ kurute nṛpa sa kulāni samuddhṛtya daśa yāti divaṁ tataḥ snānenava vipāpatvaṁ tatkṣaṇādeva jāyate

Whoever, O king, performs shraddha there on Ekadashi uplifts ten generations of his family and thereby goes to heaven; freedom from sin arises for him at that very instant, simply by bathing.