Part 26

Mahadeva, with heart filled with joy, approached the dancing Rishi, and moved by the desire of doing good to the gods, said, 'O great Rishi, O virtuous one, why dost thou dance? O bull among Munis, what can be the reason of this thy present joy?' The Rishi answered, 'O best of Brahmanas, I am an ascetic that tread the path of virtue. Dost thou not behold, O Brahmana, that vegetable juice floweth from the wound in my hand? Filled with great joy at sight of this, I am dancing.' Addressing the Rishi blinded by emotion, the god laughingly said, 'O Brahmana, I do not wonder at this. Behold me.' Having said this, O best of men, Mahadeva, O sinless king, pressed his thumb by the tip of his own finger. And, lo, from the wound thus inflicted, there came out ashes white as snow. And beholding this, O king, that Muni became ashamed and fell at the feet of the god. And believing that there was nothing better and greater than the god Rudra, he began to adore him in these words: 'O holder of the trident, thou art the refuge of the celestials and the Asuras, of, indeed, the universe. By thee have been created the three worlds with their mobile and immobile beings. It is thou again that swallowest everything at the end of the Yuga. Thou art incapable of being known by the gods themselves, far less by me. O sinless one, the gods with Brahma at their head are all displayed in thee. Thou art all, the Creator himself and the Ordainer of the worlds. It is by thy grace that all the gods sport without anxiety or fear.' And adoring Mahadeva thus the Rishi also said, 'O god of gods, grant me thy grace, so that my asceticism may not diminish.' Then that god of cheerful soul answered the regenerate Rishi,--saying, 'Let thy asceticism, O Brahmana, increase a thousandfold through my grace. And, O great Muni, I shall dwell with thee in this thy asylum. Bathing in _Saptasaraswata_, they that will worship me, shall be able to attain everything here and hereafter. And, without doubt, they shall all attain to the _Saraswata_ region in the end.' Having said this, Mahadeva disappeared then and there. After visiting _Saraswata_, one should proceed to _Ausanasa_ celebrated over the three worlds. There, O Bharata, the gods with Brahma at their head, and Rishis endued with wealth of asceticism, and the illustrious Kartikeya, were ever present during two twilights and the mid-day, impelled by the desire of doing good to Bhargava. There in that _tirtha_ is another called _Kapalamochana_, which cleanseth from every sin. O tiger among men, bathing there one is cleansed from every sin. One should then proceed to the _tirtha_ called _Agni_. Bathing there, O bull among men, one obtaineth the regions of _agni_ and raiseth his own race (from lower regions). There in that _tirtha_ is another, O chief of the Bharatas, that belongeth to Viswamitra. Bathing there, O best of men, one obtaineth the status of a Brahmana. Proceeding next to Brahmayoni in purity of body and with subdued soul, one obtaineth, O tiger among men, by bathing there, the abode of Brahma, and sanctifieth, without doubt, his own race to the seventh generation up and down. One should next proceed, O king, to the _tirtha_ celebrated over the three worlds, which is called _Prithudaka_, belonging to Kartikeya. One should bathe there and occupy oneself in the worship of the Pitris and the gods. Whatever evil hath been committed, knowingly or unknowingly, by man or woman, impelled by human motives, is all destroyed, O Bharata, by a bath in that _tirtha_. Bathing there one obtaineth, too, the merit of the horse-sacrifice and heaven also. The learned have said that _Kurukshetra_ is holy; that holier than _Kurukshetra_ is the _Saraswati_; that holier than the Saraswati are all the _tirthas_ together, and that holier than all the _tirthas_ together is _Prithudaka_. He that engaged in the recitation of prayers casteth off his body at Prithudaka, which is the best of all _tirthas_, becometh an immortal. It hath been sung by Sanatkumara and by the high-souled Vyasa, and it is in the Vedas also, that one should, O king, go to Prithudaka, with subdued soul. O son of Kuru race, there is no _tirtha_ which is superior to Prithudaka. Without doubt, that _tirtha_ is purifying, holy and sin-destroying. O best of men, it hath been said by learned persons that men, however sinful, by bathing in Prithudaka, go to heaven. O best of the Bharatas, there in that _tirtha_ is another called _Madhusrava_. Bathing there, O king, one obtaineth the merit of giving away a thousand kine. One should then proceed, O king, to that celebrated and sacred _tirtha_ where the Saraswati uniteth with the Aruna. One that batheth there, having fasted for three nights, is cleansed of even the sin of slaying a Brahmana, and obtaineth also merit that is superior to that of either the _Agnishtoma_ or _Atiratra_ sacrifice, and rescueth his race to the seventh generation up and down. There in that _tirtha_ is another, O perpetuator of the Kuru race, that is called Ardhakila. From compassion for the Brahmanas, that _tirtha_ was made by Darbhi in days of old. Without doubt, by vows, by investiture of the sacred, by fasts, by rites and by _Mantras_, one becometh a Brahmana. O bull among men, it hath been seen, however, by learned persons of old that even one destitute of rites and _Mantras_, by only bathing in that _tirtha_ becometh learned and endued with the merit of vows. Darbhi had also brought hither the four oceans. O best of men, one that batheth here, never meeteth with distress hereafter and obtaineth also the merit of giving away four thousand kine. One should next repair, O virtuous one, to the _tirtha_ called _Satasahasraka_. Near to this is another called _Sahasraka_. Both are celebrated, and one that batheth in them, obtaineth the merit of giving away a thousand kine. Fasts and gifts there multiply a thousandfold. One should next proceed, O king, to the excellent _tirtha_ called _Renuka_. One should bathe there and worship the _Pitris_ and the gods. By this, cleansed from every sin, he obtaineth the merit of the _Agnishtoma_ sacrifice. Bathing next in the _tirtha_ called _Vimochana_ with passions and senses under control, one is cleansed from all the sins generated by the acceptance of gifts. With senses under control and practising the Brahmacharya mode of life, one should next repair to the woods of Panchavati. By a sojourn thither, one earneth much virtue and becometh adored in the regions of the virtuous. One should next go to the _tirtha_ of _Varuna_ called _Taijasa_, blazing in effulgence of its own. There in that _tirtha_ is the lord of Yoga, Sthanu himself, having for his vehicle the bull. He that sojourneth there, obtaineth success by worshipping the god of gods. It was there that the gods with Brahma at their head and Rishis endued with wealth of asceticism, installed Guha as the generalissimo of the celestials. To the east of that _tirtha_ is another, O perpetuator of Kuru race, that is called Kuru _tirtha_. With senses under control and leading a Brahmacharya mode of life, he that bathes in _Kuru-tirtha_, becometh cleansed of all his sins and obtaineth the region of Brahma. With subdued senses and regulated diet one should next proceed to _Svargadwara_. Sojourning thither, one obtaineth the merit of the _Agnishtoma_ sacrifice and goeth to the abode of Brahma. The pilgrim should then, O king, proceed to the _tirtha_ called _Anaraka_. Bathing there, O king, one never meeteth with distress hereafter. There, O king, Brahma himself with the other gods having Narayana at their head, is ever present, O tiger among men! And, O royal son of the Kuru race, the wife also of Rudra is present there. Beholding the goddess, one never meeteth with distress hereafter. There in that _tirtha_ O king, is also (an image of) _Visweswara_, the lord of Uma. Beholding the god of gods there, one is cleansed of all his sins. Beholding also (the image of) _Narayana_ from whose navel had sprung the lotus, one blazeth forth, O royal represser of all foes, and goeth to the abode of Vishnu. O bull among men, he that batheth in the _tirthas_ of all the gods, is exempted from every sorrow and blazeth forth like the Moon. The pilgrim should next proceed, O king, to _Swastipura_. By walking around that place, one obtaineth the merit of giving away a thousand kine. Arriving next at the _tirtha_ called _Pavana_, one should offer oblations to the _Pitris_ and the gods. By this, he obtaineth, O Bharata, the merit of the _Agnishtoma_ sacrifice. Near to that is _Ganga-hrada_, and another, O Bharata, called _Kupa_. Thirty millions of _tirthas_, O king, are present in that Kupa. Bathing there, O king, a person obtaineth heaven. Bathing also in the _Ganga-hrada_ and adoring Maheswara, one obtaineth the status of _Ganapatya_ and rescueth his own race. One should next proceed to _Sthanuvata_, celebrated over the three worlds. Bathing there, O king, one obtaineth heaven. One should then proceed to _Vadanpachana_, the asylum of _Vasishtha_. Having fasted there for three nights, one should eat jujubes. He that liveth on jujubes for twelve years, and he that fasteth at the _tirtha_ for three nights, acquireth merit that is eternal. Arriving then at _Indramarga_, O king, and fasting there for a day and night the pilgrim becometh adored in the abode of Indra. Arriving next at the _tirtha_ called _Ekaratra_, a person that stayeth there for one night, with regulated vows and refraining from untruth, becometh adored in the abode of Brahma. One should next go, O king, to the asylum of _Aditya_--that illustrious god who is a mass of effulgence. Bathing in that tirtha celebrated over three worlds, and worshipping the god of light, one goeth to the region of Aditya and rescueth his own race. The pilgrim then, O king, bathing in the _tirtha_ of _Soma_, obtaineth, without doubt, the region of Soma. One should next proceed, O virtuous one, to the most sacred _tirtha_ of the illustrious _Dadhicha_, that sanctifying _tirtha_ which is celebrated over the whole world. It was here that Angiras, that ocean of ascetic austerities belonging to the Saraswata race, was born. Bathing in that _tirtha_, one obtaineth the merit of the horse-sacrifice, and without doubt, gaineth also residence in the region of Saraswati. With subdued senses and leading a Brahmacharya mode of life, one should next proceed to _Kanyasrama_. Residing there for three nights, O king, with subdued senses and regulated diet, one obtaineth a hundred celestial damsels and goeth also to the abode of Brahma. One should next, O virtuous one, proceed to the _tirtha_ called _Sannihati_. Sojourning thither the gods with Brahma at their head and Rishis endued with wealth of asceticism earn much virtue. Bathing in the Saraswati during a solar eclipse, one obtaineth the merit of a hundred horse-sacrifices, and any sacrifice that one may perform there produceth merit that is eternal. Whatever _tirthas_ exist on earth or in the firmament, all the rivers, lakes, smaller lakes, springs, tanks, large and small, and spots sacred to particular gods, without doubt, all come, O tiger among men, month after month, and mingle with _Sannihati_, O king of men! And it is because that all other _tirthas_ are united together here, that this _tirtha_ is so called. Bathing there and drinking of its water, one becometh adored in heaven. Listen now, O king, to the merit acquired by that mortal who performeth a _Sraddha_ on the day of the new moon during a solar eclipse. The person that performeth a _Sraddha_ there, after having bathed in that _tirtha_, obtaineth the merit that one earneth by properly celebrating a thousand horse-sacrifices. Whatever sins a man or woman committeth, are, without doubt, all destroyed as soon as one batheth in that _tirtha_. Bathing there one also ascendeth to the abode of Brahma on the lotus-coloured car. Bathing next in _Koti-tirtha_, after having worshipped the Yaksha doorkeeper, Machakruka, one obtaineth the merit of giving away gold in abundance. Near to this, O best of the Bharatas, is a _tirtha_ called _Ganga-hrada_. One should bathe there, O virtuous one, with subdued soul and leading a Brahmacharya mode of life. By this, one obtaineth merit that is greater than that of a Rajasuya and horse-sacrifices. The _tirtha_ called _Naimisha_ is productive of good on earth. _Pushkara_ is productive of good in the regions of the firmament; _Kurukshetra_, however, is productive of good in respect of all the three worlds. Even the dust of Kurukshetra, carried by the wind, leadeth sinful men to a highly blessed state. They that reside in Kurukshetra, which lieth to the north of the Drishadwati and the south of the Saraswati, really reside in heaven. '_I will go to Kurukshetra,' 'I will dwell in Kurukshetra_,' he that uttereth those words even once, becometh cleansed of all sins. The sacred _Kurukshetra_ which is worshipped by Brahmarshis, is regarded as the sacrificial altar of the celestials. Those mortals that dwell there, have nothing to grieve for at any time. That which lieth between Tarantuka and Arantuka and the lakes of Rama and Machakruka is Kurukshetra. It is also called _Samantapanchaka_ and is said to be the northern sacrificial altar of the Grandsire."'"

SECTION LXXXIV