Women's Past Deeds

For that sin, O Goddess, she is born a vandhya (a woman who cannot bear children). She should make a tree of gold, with fruits and flowers,

and give it to a Veda scholar, while she is devoted to serving her husband. Then she will bear a son. The gift is ten pala (a unit of weight) of gold.

A woman loved other men and spoke sweetly to her own husband. For that sin, O Goddess, she has only daughters.

She should make a silver linga (Shiva's sacred stone emblem) of fifteen pala (a unit of weight). She should worship it with care and give it to a learned brahmin.

Then no daughter is born, and she bears a good son. Now a woman who is always unfaithful, though she keeps up her duties,

by that ripening of her deed, loses the child in her womb. Then she should worship the God who holds the conch, discus and mace.

She should bathe at Prayaga in the Makara month (the Sun in Capricorn), together with her husband. A bull with golden horns, silver hooves and a tail tied with pearls,

she should give, O Goddess, with the priest's fee, to a learned man. A woman who left her weak husband and went with another,

for that sin, O Goddess, is poor and has no sons. Then she should worship a young girl, and also Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshvara (Shiva).

She should worship them every day for one year, with self-control, dear one. When the year is full, she should give the girl a cloth and send her off.

She should keep the Sun's vrata (vow of fasting and worship), bowing to him every day. Then the woman burns away her past sin. There is no doubt.

A woman eats sweet food but gives none to her husband. For that sin she carries a bad smell in her mouth.

When she always gives jaggery, honey or sugar to a brahmin, with care, O Goddess, her mouth becomes clean.

A woman who kills her husband becomes a widow, not otherwise. She should always worship the tulasi (holy basil) with love and faith.

She should bathe in the early morning in the months of Kartik, Magha and Vaishakha. She should keep the Ekadashi vrata (vow of fasting and worship) always, with the twelve-syllable mantra (sacred words).

After careful japa (repeating a mantra), she should give it to Vishnu, who is in the form of the husband. Her sin goes away quickly.

When a sinful woman has an abortion done, for that evil deed she suffers fever and pain in the belly.

She has pain in the womb, O Goddess, a disease of the anus and a fistula. Then she should carefully make a brahmin woman and a brahmin man,

of silver weighing ten nishka (a unit of gold weight), with faith, O Great Goddess. She should worship them every day, O Goddess. She should obey her husband's word.

She should give a meal of many kinds of food, with ghee and sugar. Then she should give a cow, with faith, to one who lives by learning.

A woman of bad heart speaks harsh words to her husband. Then a disease comes in her throat and a cold in her nose.

Or a wind lump in the belly comes. O Parvati, white patches are born. A silver flower joined with gold,

she should give to a learned brahmin, and then seven fruits, O gentle one. When a wicked woman, in a quarrel, kills a young girl by force,

then kushtha (a skin disease) comes, O Goddess, and poverty in birth after birth. O beloved, she should always worship the Sun and keep the woman's vrata (vow of fasting and worship).

Every month, on a Saturday, she should worship by the rule the tree that has Vishnu's form. Her past sin is cleansed.

A woman always speaks cruel words to her mother-in-law and father-in-law. For that sin, O Goddess, she gets white patches on her body.

She should give an image of the Sun to a Veda scholar, O Goddess. It is of gold weighing three pala (a unit of weight). She should keep the Sun's vrata (vow of fasting and worship).