Padma Purana · Chapter 4.5

śaunaka uvāca-
kathayasva mahāprājña putrahīno jano bhavet /
karmaṇā kena vai sūta putro bhavati kena ca

sūta uvāca-
etatpṛṣṭaḥ purā brahmā nāradena mahātmanā /
sa yadāha tadā taṃ ca śṛṇuṣva munipuṃgava

nārada uvāca-
pitāmaha mahāprājña sarvatattvārthapāraga /
aputro vai bhavenmartyaḥ karmaṇā kena padmaja

vaṃdhyā strī vā bhavetkena vṛjinena mamāgrataḥ /
kathaya śṛṇvato vai me sarvaprāṇihite rata

duhitā jāyate kena karmaṇā vā napuṃsakaḥ /
mṛtavatso bhavetkena mṛtavatsātiduḥkhitā /
kena puṇyena bho brahmanpunaḥ putro bhavedvada

brahmovāca-
kathayāmi samāsena sāvadhānena tacchraṇu /
vṛttāṃtaṃ pṛcchasi tvaṃ vai śṛṇvatāṃ vismayapradam

pūrvajanmani yo martyo vartanaṃ brāhmaṇasya ca /
haredvā hārayedatra putrahīno bhavetkila

iha janmani yo martyaḥ purāṇaśravaṇaṃ hi ca /
sasasyā bhūmerdānaṃ ca kuryādvai śraddhayānvitaḥ

dhenuṃ bahuguṇāṃ haimīṃ bahudugdhāṃ sadakṣiṇām /
suvarṇapratimāṃ caiva tasya putro bhaveddhruvam

pūrvajanmani yā nārī parabālakaghātanam /
karoti kapaṭenaiva bālahīnā bhaveddhruvam

sauvarṇapratimādānaṃ yā nārī śraddhayānvitā /
kuryātpānaṃ brāhmaṇasya bhaktyā vai caraṇodakam

purāṇaśravaṇaṃ caiva dadyādvai bahudakṣiṇām /
bahvapatyā jīvavatsā bhavennāstyatra saṃśayaḥ

jale nimagnaṃ bālaṃ yo dṛṣṭvā yā na samuddharet /
iha janmanyaputro vai sā'putrī ca bhaveddhruvam

vṛṣabhaṃ caiva kūṣmāṃḍaṃ sasuvarṇaṃ savastrakam /
dadyāddānaṃ brāhmaṇasya kuryādbālavrataṃ śubham

gaurīṃ kanyāṃ tathā kuryātpurāṇaśravaṇaṃ hi yaḥ /
putro vai jāyate tasya sarvapātakanāśanam

pūrvajanmani yo martyo nirāśaṃ cātithiṃ dvija /
kuryātkrodhena daṃḍaṃ ca putrahīno bhaveddhruvam

brāhmaṇaṃ cātithiṃ caiva kuryādbhaktyā prapūjanam /
annadānaṃ jalaṃ caiva tathā devālayaṃ śubham

pūrvajanmani yā nārī bhrūṇahatyāṃ ca yo naraḥ /
kuryātsā mṛtavatsā ca mṛtavatso bhaveddhruvam

yā nārī svāmisahitā kuryācca harivāsaram /
suputrā bhartṛsubhagā bhavetsā pratijanmani

yo naro godhanaṃ kuryācchūdraḥ kuryādvimohitaḥ /
brāhmaṇīharaṇaṃ vāpi karmaṇā sa napuṃsakaḥ

idaṃ tu vṛjinaṃ kṛtvā paścātpuṇyaṃ karoti yaḥ /
iha puṇyaprabhāveṇa duhitā jāyate dvija

āsīttretāyuge rājā śrīdharo nāmato dvija /
aputro dhanavāṃstasya jāyā hemaprabhāvatī

vyāsaṃ sakalaśāstrajñaṃ sarvalokahitaiṣiṇam /
āgataṃ caiva papraccha cāputro'haṃ kathaṃ dvija

uvāca nṛpateḥ śrutvā vacanaṃ vinayānvitam /
rājñā datte ca pīṭhe ca nirmite kanakādibhiḥ

rājārājñī tasya pādau dhautaṃ kṛtvā ca harṣitau /
pītvā pādodakaṃ dvau ca sarvapātakanāśanam

vyāsa uvāca-
rājanśṛṇuṣva yatpṛṣṭamaputro yena karmaṇā /
taveyaṃ rājñī cāputrī caikapatnīvratastathā

pūrvajanmani caṃdrastvaṃ nāmnā varatanu smṛtaḥ /
bhāryā tavāpi śubhrāṃgī nāmnā vai śaṃkarī smṛtā

ekadā pathiyātau ca nīcaputraṃ jalepi ca /
magnaṃ dṛṣṭvā helayā ca gatau sa paṃcatāṃ gataḥ

bahupuṇyaprabhāveṇa rājñīrājā gatau yuvām /
tena karmavipākena yuvāyorna bhavetsutaḥ

rājovāca-
idānīṃ kena puṇyena suto vai jāyate prabho /
aputrasya manuṣyāṇāṃ jīvanaṃ hi nirarthakam

vyāsa uvāca-
savastraṃ caiva kūṣmāṃḍaṃ vṛṣabhaṃ sasuvarṇakam /
dehi dānaṃ brāhmaṇasya kuru bālavrataṃ tathā

gaurīṃ kanyāṃ tathā dehi purāṇaśravaṇaṃ kuru /
putro vai jāyate tatra sarvapātakanāśanam

brahmovāca-
iti śrutvā tato rājā vyāsoktaṃ dānamuttamam /
purāṇaśravaṇaṃ caiva cakāra gatakilbiṣaḥ

tataḥ putro varṣamadhye babhūva sarvapūjitaḥ /
abhūdrājā sārvabhaumaḥ suṃdaraḥ kulanāyakaḥ

sūta uvāca-
ya idaṃ śṛṇuyādbhaktyā karoti dānamuttamam /
aputro labhate putraṃ saṃkṣepātkathitaṃ mayā

bhaktyā śrutvā tu yā nārī kuryādbrāhmaṇapūjanam /
suputrā sā bhavennityaṃ śāstroktavidhinā dvija

suvarṇaṃ rajataṃ vastraṃ puṣpamālyaṃ ca caṃdanam /
yo dadyātpustake bhaktyā sarvapāpapraṇāśanam

pūrvajanmani yo mūḍho brahmabālakaghātakaḥ /
tasya krūro bhavetputraḥ saptajanmāṃtarairdvijaḥ

iti śrīpādme mahāpurāṇe brahmakhaṃḍe brahmanāradasaṃvāde karmavipākakathanaṃnāma paṃcamo'dhyāyaḥ