स्कन्द उवाच ममाप्यनुमतो धर्मस्तं शृणुध्वं समाहिताः। नीलपण्डस्य श्रृंगाभ्यां मृत्तिकां तु यः॥ अभिषेकं त्र्यहं कुर्यात् तस्य धर्म निबोधता शोधयेदशुभं सर्वमाधिपत्यं परत्र च॥
Skanda said I shall now describe a duty that is approved of by me. Do ye listen to it with rapt attention. That person who takes a little earth from the horns of a bull of blue color, smears his body therewith for three days, and them performs his ablutions, wins great merits. Hear what those merits are. By such a deed he would wash away every stain and evil, and acquire sovereign sway hereafter.
यावच्च जायते मर्त्यस्तावच्छूरो भविष्यति। इदं चाप्यपरं गुह्यं सरहस्यं निबोधत॥
Every time he is born in this world, he becomes celebrated for his heroism. Hear of another mystery unknown to all.
प्रगृह्यौदुम्बरं पात्रं पक्वान्नं मधुना सहा सोमस्योत्तिष्ठमानस्य पौर्णमास्यां बलिं हरेत्॥
Taking a vessel of copper and placing therein some cooked food after having mixed it with honey, one should offer it as offerings to the rising Moon on the evening of the day when that luminary is at full.
तस्य धर्मफलं नित्यं श्रद्दधाना निबोधता साध्या रुद्रास्तथादित्या विश्वेदेवस्तथाश्विनौ॥ मरुतो वसवश्चैव प्रतिगृहन्ति तं बलिम्। सोमश्च वर्धते तेन समुद्रश्च महोदधिः॥ एष धर्मो मयोद्दिष्टः सरहस्यः सुखावहः॥
Do you learn, with faith, what the merits are of the person who acts thus. The Saddhyas, the Rudras, the Adityas, the Vishvedevas, the twin Ashvins, the Maruts and the Vasus, all accept that offering. By such an offering, Soma increases as also ocean that great receptacle of waters. This duty that is declared by me and that is unknown to all, if performed, certainly yields great happiness.
विष्णु उवाच धर्मगुह्यानि सर्वाणि देवतानां महात्मनान्। ऋषीणां चैव गुह्यानि यः पठेदाह्निकं सदा॥ शृणुयाद् वानसू युर्यः श्रद्दधानः समाहितः। नास्य विघ्नः प्रभवति भयं चास्य न विद्यते॥
Vishnu said That person who gifted with faith and freed from malice, listens every day with rapt attention to the mysteries about religion and duty that are preserved by the great deities and those mysteries also of the same kind that are preserved by the Rishis has never to succumb to any evil. Such a person becomes also freed from every fear.
ये च धर्माः शुभाः पुण्याः सरहस्या उदाहृताः। तेषां धर्मफलं तस्य यः पठेत जितेन्द्रियः॥
That man who, with his senses under thorough restraint, reads these sections describing these auspicious and meritorious duties, together with their mysteries duties, that have been ascribed (by the previous speakers), acquires all the merits of their actual performance.
नास्य पापं प्रभवति न च पापेन लिप्यते। पठेद् वा श्रावयेद् वापि श्रुत्वा वा लभते फलम्॥
Sin can never lord over him. Indeed, such a man can never be stained with faults of any sort. Indeed, one acquires profuse merits by reading these mysteries or by reciting them to others or by hearing them recited.
भुञ्जते पितरो देवा हव्यं कव्यमथाक्षयम्। श्रावयंश्चापि विप्रन्द्रान् पर्वसु प्रयतो नरः॥
The celestials and the departed Manes eat for ever the Havi and the Kavi offered by such a creature. Both these, on account of the virtues of the offer, become inexhaustible. Even such is the merit of the person who, with rapt attention, recites these mysteries to foremost of Brahmanas, on days of the full moon or the new moon.
ऋषीणां देवतानां च पितॄणां चैव नित्यदा। भवत्यभिमतः श्रीमान् धर्मेषु प्रयतः सदा॥
Such a person, on account of such a deed, becomes steady in the performance of all duties. He also enjoys personal beauty and prosperity. He succeeds, besides this in becoming the favourite for all time, of the Rishis and the celestials and the departed Manes.
कृत्वापि पापकं कर्म महापातकवर्जितम्। रहस्यधर्मे श्रुत्वेमं सर्वपापैः प्रमुच्यते॥
If a person becoines guilty of all sins except those which are classed as grave or heinous, he becomes purged off of them all by only listening to the recitation of these mysteries about religion and duty.
भीष्म उवाच एतद् धर्मरहस्यं वै देवतानां नराधिप। व्यासोद्दिष्टं मया प्रोक्तं सर्वदेवनमस्कृतम्॥ पृथिवी रत्नसम्पूर्णा ज्ञानं चेदमनुत्तमम्। इदमेव ततः श्राव्यमिति मन्येत धर्मवित्॥
Bhishma said Even these, O king, are the mysteries about religion and duty living in the breasts of the deities. Held in high esteem by all the celestials and promulgated by Vyasa, they have now been declared by me for your behoof. One who is conversant with religion and duty thinks that this excellent knowledge is even superior to the entire. Earth full of riches and wealth.
नाश्रद्दधानाय न नास्तिकाय न नष्टधर्माय न निघृणाय। न हेतुदुष्टाय गुरुद्विषे वा नानात्मभूताय निवेद्यमेतत्॥
This knowledge should not be given to one who has no faith or to one who is an atheist, or to one who has fallen away from the duties of his caste, or to one who is shorn of mercy, or to one who is given to the science of empty disputations, or to one who is hostile to his preceptors, or to one who thinks all creatures to be different from oneself.