The Splendor of Manusha-tīrtha

Verse 1 (skanda.7.412.1)

पुलस्त्य उवाच ततो गच्छेन्नृपश्रेष्ठ सुपुण्यं मानुषं ह्रदम् यत्र स्नातो नरः सम्यङ्मनुष्यो जायते सदा

pulastya uvāca tato gacchennṛpaśreṣṭha supuṇyaṁ mānuṣaṁ hradam yatra snāto naraḥ samyaṅmanuṣyo jāyate sadā

Pulastya said: Then, O best of kings, one should go to Manusha-hrada, the most sacred pool, where a man who bathes properly is always reborn as a human.

Verse 2 (skanda.7.412.2)

न तिर्यक्त्वमवाप्नोति कृत्वाऽपि बहुपातकम् तत्राश्चर्यमभूत्पूर्वं यत्तच्छृणु नराधिप

na tiryaktvamavāpnoti kṛtvā'pi bahupātakam tatrāścaryamabhūtpūrvaṁ yattacchṛṇu narādhipa

He does not attain an animal birth, even having committed many sins. Listen, O lord of men, to the wonder that formerly occurred there.

Verse 3 (skanda.7.412.3)

मृगयूथमनुप्राप्त व्याधव्याप्तं समन्ततः ते मृगा भयसन्त्रस्ताः प्रविष्टा जलमध्यतः

mṛgayūthamanuprāpta vyādhavyāptaṁ samaṁtataḥ te mṛgā bhayasaṁtrastāḥ praviṣṭā jalamadhyataḥ

A herd of deer, surrounded on all sides by hunters, entered the midst of that water, terrified with fear.

Verse 4 (skanda.7.412.4)

सद्यो मनुष्यतां प्राप्ताः पूर्वजातिस्मरास्तथा एतस्मिन्नेव काले तु व्याधास्ते समुपागताः

sadyo manuṣyatāṁ prāptāḥ pūrvajātismarāstathā etasminneva kāle tu vyādhāste samupāgatāḥ

They instantly attained humanity, and also became recollectors of their former births. At that very time, those hunters arrived there,

Verse 5 (skanda.7.412.5)

चापबाणधराः सर्वे यथा वै यमकिंकराः पप्रच्छुश्च मृगान्भूप मानुषत्वमुपागतान्

cāpabāṇadharāḥ sarve yathā vai yamakiṁkarāḥ papracchuśca mṛgānbhūpa mānuṣatvamupāgatān

all bearing bows and arrows, like veritable servants of Yama. And, O king, they questioned those deer who had attained humanity:

Verse 6 (skanda.7.412.6)

मृगयूथमनु प्राप्तमस्मिन्स्थाने जलाश्रये केन मार्गेण तद्यातं वदध्वं सत्वरं हि नः वयं सर्वे परिश्रांताः क्षुत्तृड्भ्यां च विशेषतः

mṛgayūthamanu prāptamasminsthāne jalāśraye kena mārgeṇa tadyātaṁ vadadhvaṁ satvaraṁ hi naḥ vayaṁ sarve pariśrāntāḥ kṣuttṛḍbhyāṁ ca viśeṣataḥ

The herd of deer that came to this watery place — by which path did it go? Tell us quickly, for we are all exhausted, especially by hunger and thirst.

Verse 7 (skanda.7.412.7)

मनुष्या ऊचुः वयं ते हरिणाः सर्वे मानुष्यं भावमाश्रिताः तीर्थस्यास्य प्रभावेण सत्यमेतदसंशयम्

manuṣyā ūcuḥ vayaṁ te hariṇāḥ sarve mānuṣyaṁ bhāvamāśritāḥ tīrthasyāsya prabhāveṇa satyametadasaṁśayam

The humans said: We are all those very deer, who have taken on human nature by the power of this tirtha; this is true, without doubt.

Verse 8 (skanda.7.412.8)

पुलस्त्य उवाच ततस्ते शबराः सर्वे त्यक्त्वा चापानि पार्थिव कृत्वा स्नानं जले तस्मिन्सद्यः सिद्धिं गता नृप

pulastya uvāca tataste śabarāḥ sarve tyaktvā cāpāni pārthiva kṛtvā snānaṁ jale tasminsadyaḥ siddhiṁ gatā nṛpa

Pulastya said: Then all those hunters, O king, abandoning their bows, bathed in that water and, O king, instantly attained accomplishment.

Verse 9 (skanda.7.412.9)

ततः शक्रस्तु तद्दृष्ट्वा तीर्थं पापहरं नृप पूरयामास सर्वत्र पांसुभिर्नृपसत्तम

tataḥ śakrastu taddṛṣṭvā tīrthaṁ pāpaharaṁ nṛpa pūrayāmāsa sarvatra pāṁsubhirnṛpasattama

Then, O best of kings, Shakra (Indra), seeing that sin-removing tirtha, filled it everywhere with dust, O king.

Verse 10 (skanda.7.412.10)

अद्यापि मनुजास्तत्र बुधाष्टम्यां नराधिप स्नानं ये प्रकरिष्यंति तिर्यक्त्वं न व्रजंति ते

adyāpi manujāstatra budhāṣṭamyāṁ narādhipa snānaṁ ye prakariṣyaṁti tiryaktvaṁ na vrajaṁti te

Even today, O lord of men, those men who bathe there on Budhashtami (the eighth falling on a Wednesday) do not go to an animal birth;

Verse 11 (skanda.7.412.11)

पितृमेधफलं कृत्स्नं श्राद्धदानादवाप्नुयुः

pitṛmedhaphalaṁ kṛtsnaṁ śrāddhadānādavāpnuyuḥ

they obtain the entire fruit of the ancestral sacrifice through the gift given at shraddha.