Narada said:
1. What is the origin of that slab whereby Gayasura was kept steady and submissive? What is its form? What is its greatness? Please mention its name.
Sanatkumāra said:
2. There was once a highly refulgent person named Dharma. He had mastered all sacred lore. His wife Viśhvarūpå was devoted to the service of her husband.
3. A daughter of great qualities and endowed with all the auspicious characteristics like Lakşhmi was born of her to Dharma. She was the chaste girl named Dharmavrata.
4-5. Whatever good qualities there are in the three worlds, were present in her. Dharma searched for a befitting bride groom to Dharmavrata in all the three worlds, but in vain. Then he told her, “Perform a penance for the sake of attaining a bridegroom”. She said, “So be it”, and went to the forest.
6. That girl performed a very severe penance which could not be performed by anyone. She subsisted only on the air and spent ten thousand Yugas in that Shveta Kalpa.
7. During the course of his wandering over the earth, the mental son of Brahma, well known by the name of Marichi, saw that jewel of a girl.
8. To that girl who was endowed with beauty and youth and who was engaged in the greatest penance, Marichi asked, “Tell me who you are and to whom you belong.
9. O timid lady, of excellent vows, you are a fascinating one by this beauty of yours. I am the son of Brahma, well known as Marichi. I have mastered the Vedas.”
10. On hearing the words of Marichi, the girl replied to the sage, “I am the daughter of Dharma. My name is Dharmavrata. I am endowed with penance,
11. O leading Brāhmaṇa, I am performing this great penance for the wooing of a good husband”. Marichi thereupon spoke to Dharmavrată lovingly:
12. “O woman of auspicious rites, by merely looking at me, you will become a great chaste lady. I am roaming day and night on the earth, only with a desire to meet with a chaste lady.
13. If you have become a Pativrată, I shall resort to you Come unto me as your bridegroom. There is no other girl in the world like you, and you will never have another bride groom equal to me.
14. Hence O Dharmavratā, be my lawfully wedded wife now”. Dharmavrată thereupon told the sage, “O sage of good rites, request Dharma (for my hand).”
15. On hearing those words, he went to Dharma. Dharma saw the prospective) bridegroom like a mass of refulgence. He bowed to him and honoured him with the offer of seat and materials of worship.
16. On being asked “Why have you come?” Marichi replied to Dharma, “While roaming over the whole earth for the sake of a (marriageable) girl, your excellent daughter has been seen by me. Give that daughter unto me. You will have welfare resulting therefrom.”
17. After honouring him with Arghya etc., Dharma said to him, “So be it”. He brought Dharmavrata there and gave her to Marichi.
18. He granted him boons as well. He fulfilled the promise made. The Brāhmaṇa (Marichi) took her to his hermitage along with Agnihotra (sacred fire).
19. The sage sported in her company like Vişhnu with Shri or Shambhu with Parvati or Brahma with Sarasvati.
20. Marichi begot of her a hundred sons comparable even with Vişhnu. Once Marichi went to the forest for the sake of flowers and fruits and returned (very tired).
21. As he was tired, he told thus to his chaste wife, “After taking food massage my feet, even as I lie down on the couch”.
22. Dharmavrată said, “So be it”. As the sage lay down on his bed, she rubbed his feet with ghee and began to massage them with eagerness.
23-24. Even as the sage was becoming sleepy Brahma came to that place. She was placed in a dilemma, “Shall I continue to massage the feet or honour the Jagadguru (the preceptor of the world).” Then deciding to honour him, as he was Guru of Gurus, she stood up.
25. She offered Arghya, Padya etc. and worshipped Brahma. Brahma took rest on a couch after due worship.
26. In the meantime, the husband got up from his bed. Unable to see Dharmavrata, the Brāhmaṇa became infuriated and cursed her.
27. “Abandoning the massage of my feet and thereby disobeying my behest, you have gone elsewhere. Hence you will be consumed by this fire of curse. Be a slab of stone.”
28. On being cursed by her husband, she spoke to Marichi in a great fury, “While you were sleeping, Brahma, your father and preceptor, arrived here.
29-30. It was your duty to have got up and worshipped your father. O sage, strictly adhering to pious activities (as a wife), I carried out your duty. Hence I am guiltless. Still I have been cursed by you. So I too curse you. O husband, you will have that curse undoubtedly from Mahadeva.
31-32. On seeing her husband agitated, she too became distressed. She went to Prajapati and bowed to him, as he was lying down. She kindled the fire Gärhapatya with fuel and stood in its middle. There she performed a very terrible penance. Similarly, Marichi who too had been cursed, performed a terrible penance.
33. Indra and others who were distressed due to the penance of Marichi sought refuge in Hari.
34. They spoke to Hari who was sleeping in the ocean of milk”O Hari, we are extremely distressed due to the penance of the chaste lady and the sage. O Keśhava, save the three worlds.”
35. On hearing the words of Indra and others, Vişhnu went up to Dharmavratā. In the meantime, Aja (Brahma) woke up. The Devas including Keśhava, spoke to Dharmavrată who was in the middle of the fire:
36. “O chaste lady, who has the capacity to perform penance in the middle of the fire? But that has been achieved by you. It is really a thing that terrifies all worlds.
37. O knower of Dharmas, choose any boon that you desire from us”. On hearing the words of Vişhņu and others, Dharmavratā spoke to the Devas:
38. “I am unable to turn back the curse of my husband even with all my power. Let that curse given by Marichi to me recede.”
39-41. On hearing the words of Dharmavrata, the Devas spoke to her again, “O daughter of Dharma, of pious rites, this curse has been given to you by a great sage. It cannot be nullified by Devas and Brāhmanas. Hence choose any other boon, so that the Dharma proclaimed by the Vedas will be established in the three worlds, O lady of auspicious vows”. On hearing the words of Devas, Dhamavratā spoke to the Devas:
42. “O immortal gods, if you are not able to redeem me from the curse of my husband, please grant me an excellent boon like this.
43. I shall then become a slab of stone which will be the most auspicious and the holiest in the whole of the Cosmic Egg. I shall be more sanctifying than rivers, lakes, Devas etc.
44. I shall be holier than the sages, ascetics, the chief of Devas and others. Let all those Lingas in the three worlds, whether manifest or unmanifest, abide for ever on my body in the form of a holy place.
45. Let all the holy centres, the chiefs of the constellations, all the Devas and the Devis (goddesses) and the sages stand by (on me).
46-47. Brahma, Vişhnu and Rudra shall mark their footprints on me. The five fires and Kumāra and others be stationed in their multiforms. The Devas are stationed in their embodied and unembodied forms as well as through their foot-prints. They are stationed on the earth over the slab in the form of idols, within the dimension of a krośha.
48. All the people will become purified on seeing that slab which is the destroyer of all great sins. The performer of Shraddhas becoming pure, will be authorised in the holy rites and will attain Brahmaloka.
49. Let all those who after taking their baths in all the sacred waters stationed on the rocky slab, perform Tarpaņa and then the Shraddha along with the offerings of Pinda attain Brahmaloka.
50-51. Let the visible holy centre of Gadādhara be the most excellent of all excellent holy centres. May those who stay there or die there go to the region of Brahma. Let the holy centres of Vārāṇasi and Prayaga stay there with the name of Puruşhottama. Let the holy centres named Gangasagara stay in the holy spot of Phalgu. The holiest of spots is presided over by Gadadhara. By performing Shraddha of dead persons, Pitris will attain salvation.
52. May Jarāyujas (viviparous beings), Andajas (oviparous), Svedajas (sweat-born beings) or Udbhids (vegetable kingdom) attain the form of Vishnu after abandoning their bodies on the slab.
53. Just as all Yajñas become completely accomplished when Hari is worshipped, so also let the Shraddha, Tarpana and ablution be everlasting here.
54. Let those who perform the Japas of the mantras of the leading Suras on my body become Siddhas and the masters of Siddhis ere long.
55. It is certain that a man who performs Shrāddha etc. uplifts thousand Pitris of his family including himself and leads them to Vişhnuloka, the region of Vişhnu.
56. O leading Suras, whatever excellent (sacred) rivers there are such as Gangā etc., whatever auspicious eddies there are whether oceans, or important lakes such as Manasa etc., let them be conducive to salvation of the persons who perform Shraddhas.
57-60. Let the Devatas go in their embodied forms in some places and in other places let them not go; Vişhnu is one and single; but he is glorified by learned men as having three Mūrtis (physical forms). Let the sages and all the groups of Gandharvas stand on the slab of stone along with the Devas and all the holy centres. The Shilā (slab of stone) shall be called Sarpadeva-svarūpa (having the form of all the Devas). Let it (the (slab of stone) stay as long as the Cosmic Egg lasts. Those who perform Japa and penance on my physical body in the form of Rocky Slab, shall also be permitted to perform Homa in the fire. May it be eternal. Let the Shraddha be eternal, so also be the Japas, Homas and the penances. Let them stay on me in the form of huge mountain”.
61-62. On hearing the words of the chaste lady, the Devas spoke to her, “Undoubtedly whatever has been requested by you shall take place. When you remain steady on the head of Gayasura we shall stay there in the form of footprints and remain there steadily.” After giving the evidence, of having granted the boon, the Devas vanished there itself.