Brahma Purana — Chapter 113
BrP 113.1
इदम् अप्य् अपरं तीर्थं देवानाम् अपि दुर्लभम् ब्रह्मतीर्थम् इति ख्यातं भुक्तिमुक्तिप्रदं नृणाम् ॥
idam apy aparaṃ tīrthaṃ devānām api durlabham brahmatīrtham iti khyātaṃ bhuktimuktipradaṃ nṛṇām //
This too is another tīrtha, hard to obtain even for the gods, known as Brahmatīrtha, granting men enjoyment and liberation.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 113.2
स्थितेषु देवसैन्येषु प्रविष्टेषु रसातलम् दैत्येषु च मुनिश्रेष्ठ तथा मातृषु तान् अनु ॥
sthiteṣu devasainyeṣu praviṣṭeṣu rasātalam daityeṣu ca muniśreṣṭha tathā mātṛṣu tān anu //
When the armies of the gods were standing firm, and the Daityas had entered Rasātala, O best of sages, and the Mothers likewise (had gone) after them—
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 113.3
मदीयं पञ्चमं वक्त्रं गर्दभाकृति भीषणम् तद् वक्त्रं देवसैन्येषु मयि तिष्ठत्य् उवाच ह ॥
madīyaṃ pañcamaṃ vaktraṃ gardabhākṛti bhīṣaṇam tad vaktraṃ devasainyeṣu mayi tiṣṭhaty uvāca ha //
my fifth face, ass-shaped and terrifying—that face, while I stood among the armies of the gods, spoke:
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 113.4
हे दैत्याः किं पलायन्ते न भयं वो ऽस्तु सत्वरम् आगच्छन्तु सुरान् सर्वान् भक्षयिष्ये क्षणाद् इति ॥
he daityāḥ kiṃ palāyante na bhayaṃ vo 'stu satvaram āgacchantu surān sarvān bhakṣayiṣye kṣaṇād iti //
"Hey, Daityas, why do you flee? Let there be no fear for you; come quickly! I shall devour all the gods in an instant!"
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 113.5
निवारयन्तं माम् एवं भक्षणायोद्यतं तथा तं दृष्ट्वा विबुधाः सर्वे वित्रस्ता विष्णुम् अब्रुवन् ॥
nivārayantaṃ mām evaṃ bhakṣaṇāyodyataṃ tathā taṃ dṛṣṭvā vibudhāḥ sarve vitrastā viṣṇum abruvan //
Seeing me thus holding (them) back and likewise ready to devour, all the gods, terrified, said to Viṣṇu:
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition — the model flagged this verse as uncertain
BrP 113.6
त्राहि विष्णो जगन्नाथ ब्रह्मणो ऽस्य मुखं लुन चक्रधृग् विबुधान् आह च्छेद्मि चक्रेण वै शिरः ॥
trāhi viṣṇo jagannātha brahmaṇo 'sya mukhaṃ luna cakradhṛg vibudhān āha cchedmi cakreṇa vai śiraḥ //
"Save us, Viṣṇu, lord of the world! Cut off this face of Brahmā!" The discus-bearer said to the gods: "I shall indeed sever the head with my discus.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 113.7
किं तु तच् छिन्नम् एवेदं संहरेत् सचराचरम् मन्त्रं ब्रूमो ऽत्र विबुधाः श्रूयतां सर्वम् एव हि ॥
kiṃ tu tac chinnam evedaṃ saṃharet sacarācaram mantraṃ brūmo 'tra vibudhāḥ śrūyatāṃ sarvam eva hi //
But this, once severed, would destroy (the world) together with what moves and what does not move. We shall state a plan in this matter, gods; let it all be heard.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 113.8
त्रिनेत्रः कशिरश् छेत्ता स च धत्ते न संशयः मया च शंभुः सर्वैश् च स्तुतः प्रोक्तस् तथैव च ॥
trinetraḥ kaśiraś chettā sa ca dhatte na saṃśayaḥ mayā ca śaṃbhuḥ sarvaiś ca stutaḥ proktas tathaiva ca //
The three-eyed one is the severer of that head, and he too will bear it—there is no doubt. And Śambhu was praised by me and by all, and addressed in just that way.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition — the model flagged this verse as uncertain
BrP 113.9
यागः क्षणी दृष्टफले ऽसमर्थः स नैव कर्तुः फलतीति मत्वा फलस्य दाने प्रतिभूर् जटीति निश्चित्य लोकः प्रतिकर्म यातः
yāgaḥ kṣaṇī dṛṣṭaphale 'samarthaḥ sa naiva kartuḥ phalatīti matvā phalasya dāne pratibhūr jaṭīti niścitya lokaḥ pratikarma yātaḥ
"Sacrifice is momentary and powerless as to visible fruit; it does not bear fruit for the doer at all"—so thinking, and having concluded that the matted-haired one is the surety for the granting of fruit, people have gone to (his) rite instead.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition — the model flagged this verse as uncertain
BrP 113.10
ततः सुरेशः संतुष्टो देवानां कार्यसिद्धये लोकानाम् उपकारार्थं तथेत्य् आह सुरान् प्रति ॥
tataḥ sureśaḥ saṃtuṣṭo devānāṃ kāryasiddhaye lokānām upakārārthaṃ tathety āha surān prati //
Then the lord of the gods, well pleased, for the accomplishment of the gods' purpose and for the benefit of the worlds, said "So be it" to the gods.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 113.11
तद्वक्त्रं पापरूपं यद् भीषणं लोमहर्षणम् निकृत्य नखशस्त्रैश् च क्व स्थाप्यं चेत्य् अथाब्रवीत् ॥
tadvaktraṃ pāparūpaṃ yad bhīṣaṇaṃ lomaharṣaṇam nikṛtya nakhaśastraiś ca kva sthāpyaṃ cety athābravīt //
"That face which is sin-formed, terrifying, hair-raising—when I have cut it off with my nails as weapons, where is it to be placed?" so he then said.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 113.12
तत्रेला विबुधान् आह नाहं वोढुं शिरः क्षमा रसातलम् अथो यास्ये उदधिश् चाप्य् अथाब्रवीत् ॥
tatrelā vibudhān āha nāhaṃ voḍhuṃ śiraḥ kṣamā rasātalam atho yāsye udadhiś cāpy athābravīt //
Thereupon Ilā (the earth) said to the gods: "I am not able to bear the head; I would then sink to Rasātala." And the ocean too then said:
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 113.13
शोषं यास्ये क्षणाद् एव पुनश् चोचुः शिवं सुराः त्वयैवैतद् ब्रह्मशिरो धार्यं लोकानुकम्पया ॥
śoṣaṃ yāsye kṣaṇād eva punaś cocuḥ śivaṃ surāḥ tvayaivaitad brahmaśiro dhāryaṃ lokānukampayā //
"I would dry up in a mere instant." And again the gods said to Śiva: "This head of Brahmā must be borne by you yourself, out of compassion for the worlds."
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 113.14
अच्छेदे जगतां नाशश् छेदे दोषश् च तादृशः एवं विमृश्य सोमेशो दधार कशिरस् तदा ॥
acchede jagatāṃ nāśaś chede doṣaś ca tādṛśaḥ evaṃ vimṛśya someśo dadhāra kaśiras tadā //
"If it is not cut off, the worlds perish; if it is cut off, the fault is just as great"—reflecting thus, the lord of Soma then bore the head (of Brahmā).
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 113.15
तद् दृष्ट्वा दुष्करं कर्म गौतमीं प्राप्य पावनीम् अस्तुवञ् जगताम् ईशं प्रणयाद् भक्तितः सुराः ॥
tad dṛṣṭvā duṣkaraṃ karma gautamīṃ prāpya pāvanīm astuvañ jagatām īśaṃ praṇayād bhaktitaḥ surāḥ //
Seeing that hard-to-do deed, the gods, having reached the purifying Gautamī, praised the lord of the worlds out of affection and devotion.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 113.16
देवेष्व् अमित्रं कशिरो ऽतिभीमं तान् भक्षणायोपगतं निकृत्य नखाग्रसूच्या शकलेन्दुमौलिस् त्यागे ऽपि दोषात् कृपयानुधत्ते
deveṣv amitraṃ kaśiro 'tibhīmaṃ tān bhakṣaṇāyopagataṃ nikṛtya nakhāgrasūcyā śakalendumaulis tyāge 'pi doṣāt kṛpayānudhatte
Brahmā's head, exceedingly terrible, an enemy among the gods, had come upon them to devour them; having severed it with the needle of his nail-tip, he whose crest is the crescent moon, out of compassion, still bears it up—since even in casting it away there was fault.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition — the model flagged this verse as uncertain
BrP 113.17
तत्र ते विबुधाः सर्वे स्थिता ये ब्रह्मणो ऽन्तिके तुष्टुवुर् विबुधेशानं कर्म दृष्ट्वातिदैवतम् ॥
tatra te vibudhāḥ sarve sthitā ye brahmaṇo 'ntike tuṣṭuvur vibudheśānaṃ karma dṛṣṭvātidaivatam //
There all those gods who were standing near Brahmā praised the lord of the gods, having seen that deed surpassing (all) divinity.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 113.18
ततः प्रभृति तत् तीर्थं ब्रह्मतीर्थम् इति श्रुतम् अद्यापि ब्रह्मणो रूपं चतुर्मुखम् अवस्थितम् ॥
tataḥ prabhṛti tat tīrthaṃ brahmatīrtham iti śrutam adyāpi brahmaṇo rūpaṃ caturmukham avasthitam //
From then on that sacred ford has been known as Brahmatīrtha; even today Brahmā's four-faced form stands there.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 113.19
शिरोमात्रं तु यः पश्येत् स गच्छेद् ब्रह्मणः पदम् यत्र स्थित्वा स्वयं रुद्रो लूनवान् ब्रह्मणः शिरः ॥
śiromātraṃ tu yaḥ paśyet sa gacched brahmaṇaḥ padam yatra sthitvā svayaṃ rudro lūnavān brahmaṇaḥ śiraḥ //
Whoever sees even the head alone would go to Brahmā's abode—(there) where Rudra himself, standing, cut off Brahmā's head.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 113.20
रुद्रतीर्थं तद् एव स्यात् तत्र साक्षाद् दिवाकरः देवानां च स्वरूपेण स्थितो यस्मात् तद् उत्तमम् ॥
rudratīrthaṃ tad eva syāt tatra sākṣād divākaraḥ devānāṃ ca svarūpeṇa sthito yasmāt tad uttamam //
That same (place) would be Rudratīrtha; there the sun is present in person, and because he stands there in his own form together with the gods, that (place) is the best.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 113.21
सौर्यं तीर्थं तद् आख्यातं सर्वक्रतुफलप्रदम् तत्र स्नात्वा रविं दृष्ट्वा पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते ॥
sauryaṃ tīrthaṃ tad ākhyātaṃ sarvakratuphalapradam tatra snātvā raviṃ dṛṣṭvā punarjanma na vidyate //
That is called the Saurya tīrtha, granting the fruit of all sacrifices; bathing there and beholding the sun, there is no rebirth.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 113.22
महादेवेन यच् छिन्नं ब्रह्मणः पञ्चमं शिरः क्षेत्रे ऽविमुक्ते संस्थाप्य देवतानां हितं कृतम् ॥
mahādevena yac chinnaṃ brahmaṇaḥ pañcamaṃ śiraḥ kṣetre 'vimukte saṃsthāpya devatānāṃ hitaṃ kṛtam //
The fifth head of Brahmā, which was cut off by Mahādeva, he installed in the field of Avimukta, and (thereby) did a benefit to the gods.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
BrP 113.23
ब्रह्मतीर्थे शिरोमात्रं यो दृष्ट्वा गौतमीतटे क्षेत्रे ऽविमुक्ते तस्यैव स्थापितं यो ऽनुपश्यति कपालं ब्रह्मणः पुण्यं ब्रह्महा पूततां व्रजेत् ॥
brahmatīrthe śiromātraṃ yo dṛṣṭvā gautamītaṭe kṣetre 'vimukte tasyaiva sthāpitaṃ yo 'nupaśyati kapālaṃ brahmaṇaḥ puṇyaṃ brahmahā pūtatāṃ vrajet //
Whoever, at the Brahmatīrtha on the bank of the Gautamī, having seen the head alone, and whoever beholds Brahmā's holy skull installed in that very field of Avimukta—(even) a slayer of a brahmin would attain purity.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition