वैशम्पायन उवाच ते तथा सहिता वीरा वसन्तस्तत्र तत्र ह। क्रमेण पृथिवीपाल नैमिषारण्यमागताः॥
Vaishampayana said : O ruler of earth, those heroes, (the Pandavas) accompanied by their followers, going from place to place, at last reached Naimisha forest.
ततस्तीर्थेषु पुण्येषु गोमत्याः पाण्डवा नृप। कृताभिषेकाः प्रददुर्गाश्च वित्तं च भारत॥ तत्र देवान् पितॄन् विप्रांस्तर्पयित्वा पुनः पुनः। कन्यातीर्थेऽश्वतीर्थे च गवां तीर्थे च भारत। कालकोट्यां वृषप्रस्थे गिरावुष्य च पाण्डवाः॥ बाहुदायां महीपाल चक्रुः सर्वेऽभिषेचनम्। प्रयागे देवयजने देवानां पृथिवीपते॥ ऊषुराप्लुत्य गात्राणि तपश्चातस्थुरुत्तमम्। गङ्गयामुनयोश्चैव संगमे सत्यसंगराः॥
O king, O descendant of Bharata, the Pandavas bathed in the sacred Tirtha of Gomati and gave away kine and wealth (in charity). O descendant of Bharata, again and again offering oblations there to the Pitris and the celestials and the Brahmanas and living in Kalkoti and Brishaprastha hills, these descendants of Kuru, O ruler of earth, reached Vahuda and all performed there oblations. O king, going then to the sacrificial ground of the celestials. Those truth-observing men purified their bodies by bathing in the confluence of the Ganges and the Yamuna and performed excellent austerities.
विपाप्मानो महात्मानो विप्रेभ्यः प्रददुर्वसु। तपस्विजनजुष्टां च ततो वेदी प्रजापतेः॥ जग्मुः पाण्डुसुता राजन् ब्राह्मणैः सह भारत। तत्र ते न्यवसन् वीरास्तपश्चातस्थुरुत्तमम्॥ संतर्पयन्तः सततं वन्येन हविषा द्विजान्।
Having been thus cleansed of all their sins, those high-souled heroes gave much wealth to the Brahmanas. O descendant of Bharata, then the son of king, O Pandu went to the (sacrificial altar) Vedi of the Creator, ever adored by the ascetics. There lived those heroes and performed excellent asceticism. Always gratifying the Brahmanas with the offer of fruits and ghee.
ततो महीधरं जग्मुर्धर्मज्ञेनाभिसंस्कृतम्॥ राजर्षिणा पुण्यकृता गयेनानुपमद्युते। नगो गयशिरो यत्र पुण्या चैव महानदी॥ वानीरमालिनी रम्या नदी पुलिनशोभिता। दिव्यं पवित्रकूटं च पवित्रंधरणीधरम्॥ ऋषिजुष्टं सुपुण्यं तत् तीर्थं ब्रह्मसरोत्तमम्। अगस्त्यो भगवान् यत्र गतो वैवस्वतं प्रति॥
Then they went to Mahidhara, consecrated by the virtuous. Royal sage Gaya of matchless effulgence. Here stands the hill called Gayasira and where flows the sacred great river. With charming banks adorned with bushes of cane plants. On that celestials and sacred hill of holy peaks. Is the highly sacred Tirtha called Brahmasara adored by the Rishis, where Agastya went to the high-souled Vivasvata.
उवास च स्वयं तत्रधर्मराजः सनातनः। सर्वासां सरितां चैव समुद्भेदो विशाम्पते॥
And where dwelt the eternal king of justice (Yama) himself. O king, all the rivers have taken their rise from it.
यत्र संनिहितो नित्यं महादेवः पिनाकधृक्। तत्र ते पाण्डवा वीराश्चातुर्मास्यैस्तदेजिरे॥ ऋषियज्ञेन महता यत्राक्षयवटो महान्।
The wielder of Pinaka, the great god (Shiva) is always near it. The heroic Pandavas performed there the vow called Chaturmasa, according to the rites of the Rishi Jagma. Here is also the great banian tree called Akshayavata.
अक्षये देवयजने अक्षयं यत्र वै फलम्॥
Any sacrifice performed there produces ever-lasting merit.
ते तु तत्रोपवासांस्तु चक्रुनिश्चितमानसाः। ब्राह्मणास्तत्र शतशः समाजग्मुस्तपोधनाः॥
They (the Pandavas) began to fast there with subdued mind. And there came to them hundreds of ascetic Brahmanas.
चातुर्मास्येनायजन्त आर्षेण विधिना तदा। तत्र विद्यातपोवृद्धा ब्राह्मणा वेदपारगाः। कथां प्रचक्रिरे पुण्यां सदसिस्था महात्मनाम्॥
Those Brahmanas, learned in the Vedas and old in knowledge, also performed the vow called Chaturmasa according to the rites ordained by the Rishis and they, becoming he court of the illustrious heroes talked on various subjects.
तत्र विद्याव्रतस्तातः कौमारं व्रतमास्थितः। शमथोऽकथयद् राजन्नामूर्तरयसं गयम्॥
O king, the learned and vow-observing and celebrated Samatha spoke of Gaya, the son of Amurtaya.
शमथ उवाच अमूर्तरयसः पुत्रो गयो राजर्षिसत्तमः। पुण्यानि यस्य कर्माणि तानि मे शृणु भारत॥
Samatha said: The son of Amurtaya is Gaya, the foremost of royal sages. O descendant of Bharata, listen to me, as I recite his virtuous deeds.
यस्य यज्ञो बभूवेह बह्वन्नो बहुदक्षिणः। यत्रानपर्वता राजशतशोऽथ सहस्रशः॥ घृतकुल्याश्च दध्नश्च नद्यो बहुशतास्तथा। व्यञ्जनानां प्रवाहाश्च महार्हाणां सहस्रशः॥
O king, here it was that he performed many sacrifices, in which food and gifts were in abundance and in which cooked rice was in hundreds and thousands of mountains. Ghee and curds were in hundreds of lakes and rivers and richly cooked curries in thousands of streams.
अहन्यहनि चाप्येवं याचतां सम्प्रदीयते। अन्ये च ब्राह्मणा राजन् भुञ्जतेऽन्नं सुसंस्कृतम्॥
O king, day after they were given away to all that asked for them. Besides Brahmanas were fed with food which was pure.
तत्र वै दक्षिणाकाले ब्रह्मघोषो दिवं गतः। न च प्रज्ञायते किंचिद् ब्रह्मशब्देन भारत॥
O descendant of Bharata, when the time for distributing Dakshina (gift) came, the chanting of the Vedas reached heaven. Nothing else could be heard for that chanting of the Vedas.
पुण्येन चरता राजन् भूर्दिशः खं नभस्तथा। आपूर्णमासीच्छब्देन तदप्यासीन्महाद्भुतम्॥ यत्र स्म गाथा गायन्ति मनुष्या भरतर्षभ। अन्नपानैः शुभैस्तृप्ता देशे देशे सुवर्चसः॥
O king, those sacred sounds filled earth, the points of the firmament, the sky and the heaven itself; and great wonders were seen. O best of Bharata race, greatly gratified with the food and the drink, men went about singing the following verse in various countries.
गयस्य यज्ञे के त्वद्य प्राणिनो भोक्तुमीप्सवः। तत्र भोजनशिष्टस्य पर्वताः पञ्चविंशतिः॥
“Who is there among creatures that desires to day to eat more in the sacrifice of Gaya? There are still twenty-five mountains of food (uneaten).
न तत् पूर्वे जनाचक्रुर्न करिष्यन्ति चापरे। गयो यदकरोद् यज्ञे राजर्षिरमितद्युतिः॥
What the immeasurably effulgent royal sage Gaya has done was never done by any man before or will be done by any man in future.
कथं तु देवा हविषा गयेन परितर्पिताः। पुनः शक्ष्यन्त्युपादातुमन्यैर्दत्तानि कानिचित्॥
The celestials have been so very much fed with the Ghee that Gaya has offered them that they are not able to take anything more offered by any one else.
सिकता वा यथा लोके यथा वा दिवि तारकाः। यथा वा वर्षतोधारा असंख्येयाः स्म केनचित्। तथा गणयितुं शक्या गययज्ञे न दक्षिणाः॥
As sand-grains on earth, as stars in the sky, as the drops of falling rains cannot be counted by any body, so will none be able to count the Dakshina given away in Gaya's sacrifice.”
एवंविधा: सुबहवस्तस्य यज्ञा महीपतेः। बभूवुरस्य सरसः समीपे कुरुनन्दन॥
O descendant of Kuru, O king, many such sacrifices of his were performed on the banks of this lake.