‘“‘O extender of the Kuru lineage! A man who is a visitor of tirthas should go and bathe in Soma tirtha. There is no doubt that such a man will go to the world of the moon. O one learned in dharma! One should then go to the tirtha of the great-souled Dadhicha. O king! This is pure and purifying and is famous in the world. Angiras of the Sarasvata lineage, treasure of austerities, is there. A man who bathes in that tirtha obtains the fruits of a horse sacrifice and there is no doubt that he attains Sarasvati’s world.215 Controlled and celibate, one should then go to Kanyashrama. O king! If one fasts and lives there for three nights, one obtains one hundred celestial maidens and goes to Brahma’s world. Brahma, the gods, the sages and the ascetics go there every month and obtain great merits. If one touches the water at Samnihiti when the sun has been devoured by Rahu,216 one has obtained one hundred eternal horse sacrifices.217 Whatever tirthas exist on earth and in the sky, female rivers, male rivers, lakes, all streams, wells, ponds and everything else that is sacred, there is no doubt that they are gathered every month at Samnihiti. Whatever evil act a man or a woman may have committed, there is no doubt that they are all destroyed on bathing there. One goes to Brahma’s world in a lotus-coloured vehicle. Having worshipped the yaksha gatekeeper Arantuka, if one touches the water in Kotirupa, one obtains a lot of gold. O supreme among the Bharata lineage! There is a tirtha, a pond named Ganga, there. O one learned in dharma! On bathing there, controlled and celibate, one obtains the eternal fruits of royal and horse sacrifices. There is a sacred tirtha Naimisha on earth and Pushkara in the sky. But in all the three worlds, Kurukshetra is special. Even the dust carried away by the wind in Kurukshetra takes the performer of evil acts to the supreme objective. To the south is Sarasvati and to the north Drishadvati.218 Those who live in Kurukshetra live in heaven. “I will go to Kurukshetra, I will live in Kurukshetra.” He who utters this single sentence is cleansed of all sins. O king! Those who live in sacred Kurukshetra, Brahma’s altar and frequented by the brahmarshis, there is no doubt that one should not sorrow for them. The region between Tarantuka and Arantuka and between Machakruka and Rama’s lakes is Kurukshetra Samantapanchaka219 and is known as the grandfather’s northern altar.’”’220
379(82)
‘“Pulastya said, ‘O one learned in dharma! One should then go to the ancient Dharmatirtha. O king! There is no doubt that a man who bathes there, controlled and devoted to dharma, sanctifies his lineage for seven generations. O one learned in dharma! One should then go to the supreme Karapatana. One obtains agnishtoma and goes to the world of the sages. O king! A man should then go to the forest Sougandhika.221 Brahma, the gods, the sages and the ascetics are there and the siddhas, the charanas, the gandharvas, the kinnaras222 and the great nagas. As soon as one enters the forest, one is freed from all sins. O king! The best of streams, the supreme of rivers, the immensely sacred goddess and river, Sarasvati, flows in Plaksha.223 On performing one’s ablutions there, from the water that issues from an anthill, and worshipping the ancestors and the gods, one obtains the fruits of a horse sacrifice. There is a tirtha named Ishanadhyushita224 there, difficult of access and determined to be six throws of a shamya away from the anthill.225 O tiger among men! It has been seen in the ancient accounts, that on bathing there, one obtains a thousand tawny cows and a horse sacrifice.226 O descendant of the Bharata lineage! O best of men! If one goes to Sugandha, Shatakumbha and Panchayajna, one obtains greatness in the world of heaven. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! The tirtha known as Trishulakhata is also there. On performing ablutions there, engaged in the worship of the ancestors and the gods, there is no doubt that after discarding one’s body, one attains the status of a Ganapati.
‘“‘O Indra among kings! One should then go the place of the goddess that is difficult of access. This is famous in the three worlds by the name of Shakambhari.227 O lord of men! Strict in her vows, for a thousand divine years, she subsisted on vegetables, month after month. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Rishis, ascetics and devotees of the goddess came there and the guests were entertained with offerings of vegetables. Her name of Shakambhari was thus established. On going to Shakambhari, celibate and controlled, one should live there for three nights, eating vegetables and restrained and pure. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Through the grace of the goddess, a visit there is equal in fruits to living on vegetables for twelve years.
‘“‘Then one should go to Suvarnaksha, renowned in the three worlds. In ancient times, to win his favours, Vishnu propitiated Rudra there. He obtained many rare boons, difficult even among the gods. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! The destroyer of Tripura228 was satisfied and told him, “O Krishna! You will be more loved in the world. There is no doubt that your mouth will be the entire universe.” O Indra among kings! Going there and worshipping Vrishadhvaja, one attains a horse sacrifice and the status of a Ganapati. Then a man should go to Dhumavati229 and fast there for three nights, obtaining certainly everything that one desires in one’s mind. O lord of men! Rathavarta is towards the south230 of the goddess. O one learned in dharma! One should ascend it with faith, and in control of one’s senses. Through Mahadeva’s grace, one then obtains the supreme objective. O bull among the Bharata lineage! O immensely wise one! After circumambulating it, one should go to Dhara, the cleanser of all sins. O tiger among men! O lord of men! On bathing there, one never sorrows. O one learned in dharma! After showing obeisance to the great mountain, one should then go to the gate of the Ganga.231 There is no doubt that this is like the gate of heaven. On bathing there in Kotitirtha, controlled in mind, one obtains pundarika sacrifice and saves one’s lineage. On satisfying the gods and the ancestors in Saptaganga,232 Triganga and Shakravarta, in accordance with the prescriptions, one obtains greatness in the world of the virtuous. Then bathing in Kanakhala233 and fasting there for three nights, a man obtains a horse sacrifice and goes to the world of heaven. O lord of men! The visitor of tirthas should then go to Kapilavata.234 Staying there for one night, one obtains the fruits of one thousand cows. O Indra among kings! O best among the supreme of the Kuru lineage! This is the tirtha of the great-souled Kapila, king of the nagas. It is renowned in all the worlds. O lord of men! On performing ablutions in that tirtha of the nagas, a man obtains the fruits of one thousand tawny cows. Then one should go to Lalitika, Shantanu’s supreme tirtha. O king! On bathing there, a man never confronts difficulties. A man who bathes at the confluence of the Ganga and the Sangama,235 obtains ten horse sacrifices and rescues his lineage. O Indra among kings! From there, one should go to Sugandha, famous in the worlds. Cleansed of all sin and pure of soul, one attains greatness in Brahma’s world. O lord of men! The visitor of tirthas should then go to Rudravarta. O king! On bathing there, a man obtains greatness in the world of heaven. O best of men! On bathing at the confluence of the Ganga and the Sarasvati, one obtains a horse sacrifice and goes to the world of heaven.236
‘“‘On going to Bhadrakarneshvara and worshipping the gods in accordance with the rites, one never confronts difficulties and goes to the world of heaven. O lord of men! The visitor of tirthas should then go to Kubjamraka. One obtains the fruits of one thousand cows and goes to heaven. O lord of men! The visitor of tirthas should then go to Arundhativata. On touching the water at Samudraka, and fasting there for three nights, a man obtains the fruits of one thousand cows and rescues his lineage. Celibate and controlled in mind, one should then go to Brahmavarta. One obtains a horse sacrifice and goes to the world of heaven. On going to the source of the Yamuna237 and touching the water of the Yamuna there, one obtains the fruits of a horse sacrifice and attains greatness in the world of heaven. Then one should go to the tirtha named Darvisamkramana, famous in the three worlds. One obtains a horse sacrifice and goes to the world of heaven. On going to the source of the Sindhu,238 frequented by siddhas and gandharvas, and staying there for five nights, one obtains a lot of gold. On going thereafter to Vedi, extremely difficult of access, a man obtains a horse sacrifice and the goal of Ushanas.239
O descendant of the Bharata lineage! One should then go to Rishikulya240 and Vasishtha. On going to Vasishtha, all the other varnas become brahmanas. O lord of men, having bathed in Rishikulya, a man attains the world of the rishis, if one lives there for one month and subsists on vegetables.’
‘“On going to Bhrigutunga, one obtains the fruits of a horse sacrifice. On going to Virapramoksha, one is freed from all sins. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! On going to the tirthas of Krittika and Magha, a virtuous man obtains the fruits of agnishtoma and atiratra. On going to the supreme Vidyatirtha in the evening, and touching the water there, one becomes skilled in all forms of knowledge. If one spends a night in Mahashrama, eating once a day, one is cleansed of all sins and attains the worlds of the pure. Living there for one month at the time of Mahalaya241 and eating once in three days, one is cleansed of all sins, the soul becomes pure, and one obtains a lot of gold. One should then go to Vetasika, frequented by the grandfather.242 One obtains a horse sacrifice and goes to the objective of Ushanas. Then, on reaching the tirtha of Sundarika, frequented by the siddhas, as has been witnessed in the ancient texts, one becomes handsome. Then, going on to Brahmani, celibate and in control of one’s senses, one goes to Brahma’s world in a lotus-coloured vehicle. Then one should go to the sacred Naimisha, frequented by the siddhas. Brahma always resides there, together with the masses of the gods. Even if one desires to go to Naimisha, half of one’s sins are destroyed. As soon as a man enters it, all his sins are cleansed. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! The wise visitor of tirthas should live in Naimisha for a month. All the tirthas of the earth are in Naimisha. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Bathing there, controlled and restrained in diet, one obtains the fruits of a sacrifice in which cows are donated. O supreme among the Bharata lineage! One also rescues one’s lineage for seven generations. It is said by the wise ones that he who gives up his life in Naimisha through fasting, finds delight in the world of heaven. O supreme among kings! Naimisha is always sacred and holy.
‘“On going to Gangobheda and fasting there for three nights, a man obtains a horse sacrifice and is born like Brahma. Going to the Sarasvati, one should satisfy the ancestors and the gods. There is no doubt that one finds delight in Sarasvati’s world. Celibate and controlled, one should then go to Bahuda. A man then obtains the fruits of a devasatra243 sacrifice. Then one should go to the sacred Chiravati, surrounded by holy ones. Worshipping the ancestors and the gods there, one obtains a horse sacrifice. On going to Vimalashoka, one shines like the moon. Spending a night there, one attains greatness in the world of heaven. One should then go to Gopratara, the supreme of tirthas on the Sarayu. Rama went to heaven there, with his servants, forces and vehicles.244 O lord of men! On bathing at the tirtha of Gopratara, a man is cleansed of all sins, becomes pure in soul and attains greatness in the world of heaven. O descendant of the Kuru lineage! If a man bathes in Rama’s tirtha on the Gomati,245 he obtains a horse sacrifice, and the man’s lineage is saved. O supreme among the Bharata lineage! The tirtha Shatasahasrika is there. O bull among the Bharata lineage! On bathing there, controlled and restrained in diet, one obtains the sacred fruits of one thousand cows. O Indra among kings! One should then go to the supreme region of Bhartri. O king! On bathing in Kotitirtha and worshipping Guha,246 a man obtains the fruits of one thousand cows. Such a man becomes energetic. On going to Varanasi and worshipping Vrishadhvaja, and bathing in the pond known as Kapila, one attains a royal sacrifice. O Indra among kings! On going to Markandeya’s tirtha, difficult of access and famous in the worlds, located at the confluence of the Gomati and the Ganga, one obtains agnishtoma and rescues one’s lineage. Celibate and in control of one’s senses, one should then go to Gaya. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! On going there, one obtains a horse sacrifice. Akshayavata, famous in the three worlds, is there. O lord! Whatever is offered to the ancestors there becomes inexhaustible. On bathing in Mahanadi and satisfying the ancestors and the gods, one attains the inexhaustible worlds and saves one’s lineage. On going to Brahma’s lake, adorned with Dharma’s forests, one attains a pundarika sacrifice, as soon as night becomes dawn. O Indra among kings! Brahma’s sacrificial pole rises high in that lake. On circumambulating the pole, one obtains the fruits of a horse sacrifice.
‘“O Indra among kings! One should then go to Dhenuka, famous in the world. O king! On staying there for one night and donating sesamum and a cow, all sins are cleansed, one becomes pure in soul and there is no doubt that one goes to the world of the moon. O great king! There is no doubt that, even today, there is a sign there. A cow, with her calf, used to roam over that mountain. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Her hoof-marks, and those of her calf, can be seen there, even today. O Indra among kings! O supreme among kings! O descendant of the Bharata lineage! On touching water at these hoof-marks, whatever evil acts one has committed are destroyed. Then one should go to Gridhravata, the place where the wise god is established. On going to Vrishadhvaja, one should bathe in ashes. If one is a brahmana, one will obtain a vow of twelve years.247 If one is from an inferior varna, all one’s sins will be destroyed. O bull among the Bharata lineage! Then one should go to Mount Udyanta, filled with the sound of singing. The footprint of Savita248 can be seen there. Rigid in vows, a brahmana who observes the sandhya prayers there is like one who has observed sandhya prayers for twelve years. O bull among the Bharata lineage! The famous Yonidvara249 is there. On going there, a man is freed from any mixing up of varnas.250 O king! If a man lives in Gaya during both shuklapaksha and krishnapaksha, there is no doubt that his lineage is sanctified for seven generations. If one wishes for many sons, one should only go to Gaya, or perform a horse sacrifice, or set free a blue bull.251 O king! O lord of men! The visitor of tirthas should then go to Phalgu.252 He obtains a horse sacrifice and goes to great success. O Indra among kings! Controlled, one should then go to Dharmaprastha. O great king! O Yudhishthira! Dharma is always present there. Going there, one obtains the fruits of a horse sacrifice. O Indra among kings! One should then go to the supreme Brahmatirtha. O Indra among kings! There, worshipping Brahma, whose energy is unlimited, a man obtains the fruits of a royal sacrifice and a horse sacrifice.
‘“O lord of men! The visitor of tirthas should then go to Rajagriha.253 On touching the warm water there, one becomes the equal of Kakshivat254 and finds delight. On partaking from the daily offerings made to the yakshini there, a man becomes pure. Through the grace of the yakshini, one is freed from the sin of killing an embryo. Going to Maninaga, one obtains the fruits of one thousand cows. If one partakes from the daily offerings made to Maninaga, and stays there for one night, one is freed from all sins and terrible serpent’s venom does not cause harm. O king! Then one should go to brahmarshi Goutama’s forest. Bathing in Ahalya’s255 lake, one goes to the supreme objective. O king! On going to Shri,256 one obtains supreme prosperity. O one learned in dharma! There is a spring there, renowned in the three worlds. Performing one’s ablutions there, one obtains a horse sacrifice. There is also rajarshi257 Janaka’s well, worshipped by the thirty gods.258 On performing one’s ablutions there, one attains Vishnu’s world. One should then go to Vinashana,259 which frees from all sins. One obtains the fruits of a horse sacrifice and goes to the world of the moon. On going to Gandaki,260 created from the water of all the tirthas, one obtains a horse sacrifice and goes to the world of the sun. O one learned in dharma! One should then go to the hermitage Adhivamshya. O great king! There is no doubt that one finds delight among the guhyakas.261 Going on to the river Kampana, frequented by the siddhas, one obtains a pundarika sacrifice and goes to the world of the sun. Then going to the river Vishala, renowned in the three worlds, one obtains agnishtoma and goes to the world of heaven. O lord of men! On going to the rivulet Maheshvari, one attains a horse sacrifice and rescues one’s lineage. On going to the celestial pond, a pure man never confronts difficulties and attains a horse sacrifice. Celibate and controlled, one should then go to Maheshvarapada. On bathing in Maheshvarapada,
one obtains the fruits of a horse sacrifice. O bull among the Bharata lineage! O Indra among kings! There are one crore famous tirthas there and these were carried away by an evil-souled demon in the form a tortoise. O king! While they were being carried away, Vishnu recovered them through Vishnu’s powers. O Yudhishthira! On performing ablutions at the one crore tirthas, one obtains a pundarika sacrifice and goes to Vishnu’s world. O Indra among kings! One should then go to Narayana’s region. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Hari always dwells near that place. Vishnu, the performer of extraordinary deeds, is famous by the name of Shalagrama there.262 On going to Vishnu, without decay, the granter of boons and the lord of the three worlds, one obtains a horse sacrifice and goes to Vishnu’s world.
‘“O one learned in dharma! There is a well there that frees from all sins. The four oceans are always present in this well. O Indra among kings! By touching the water there, one never confronts any difficulties. On going to Mahadeva,263 Vishnu without decay and the granter of boons, one shines like the moon and is freed from all one’s debts. If one touches the water in Jatismara, pure and controlled in mind, there is no doubt that one can recall one’s past lives by bathing there. Going to Vateshvarapura and fasting and worshipping Keshava, there is no doubt that one satisfies all one’s wishes and desires. Thereafter, on going to Vamana, one is freed from all sins. On worshipping the god Hari, one never confronts any difficulties. Then one should go to Bharata’s hermitage, which frees from all sins. There, a man should go to the Koushiki,264 the destroyer of great sins, and obtain the fruits of a royal sacrifice. O, one learned in dharma! Then one should go to the supreme forest of Champaka. Spending a night there, one obtains the fruits of one thousand cows. Then one should go the supremely revered tirtha of Jyeshthila. Fasting and spending a night there, one obtains the fruits of agnishtoma. O bull among men! On seeing the immensely radiant lord of the universe there,265 together with the goddess, one attains the world of Mitra and Varuna. O bull among the Bharata lineage! On going to Kanyasamveda, controlled and restrained in diet, one goes to the world of Prajapati Manu. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Whatever drink or food is offered at Kanya becomes inexhaustible. This is what sages, rigid in their vows, have said. On going to Nishchira,266 renowned in the three worlds, one attains a horse sacrifice and goes to Vishnu’s world. O tiger among men! There is no doubt that men who donate at the confluence of Nishchira, go to Brahma’s world. Vasishtha’s hermitage, renowned in the three worlds, is there. On performing ablutions there, one attains a horse sacrifice.
Mahabharata Vol. 3 (Penguin Translated Texts) Page 6
