Mahabharata Vol. 3 (Penguin Translated Texts) (7 page)

‘“Pulastya said, ‘The god smiled and told the sage, who was deluded in his delight, “O brahmana! I am not surprised. Look at me.” O best of men! O king! Having uttered these words, the wise Mahadeva pricked his thumb with his fingernail and from that wound emerged ashes, as white as snow. O king! On seeing this, the sage was struck with shame and fell down at his feet. “I think that there is no other god more supreme than the great Rudra. O wielder of the spear! You are the refuge of the worlds of the gods and the demons. You have created the universe, the three worlds and everything that is mobile and immobile. O illustrious one! It is into you that everything enters at the destruction of a
yuga
. The gods themselves are incapable of comprehending you. How can I? O unblemished one! Brahma and all the other gods can be seen in you. You are everything. You are the maker of the worlds, the one who makes them act. It is through your grace that the gods are free from
fear and can rejoice.” Having thus prayed to Mahadeva, the sage remained prostrate. The rishi said, “O Mahadeva! Through your grace, may my austerities never diminish.” Then the god was delighted and spoke to the brahmarshi. “O brahmana! Through my grace, your austerities will increase thousandfold. O great sage! I will dwell with you in your hermitage. Those who bathe in Saptasarasvata and worship me will get everything that is difficult to obtain, in this world and the next. There is no doubt that they will go to Sarasvati’s world.”

‘“‘One should then go to Oushanasa,
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renowned in the three worlds.
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Brahma, the gods, the sages and the ascetics are there. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! In a desire to ensure Bhargava’s
¹⁹¹
welfare, the illustrious Kartikeya is always present there at the time of the three sandhyas. O tiger among men! Bathing in the tirtha known as Kapalamochana, one is cleansed of all sins and is freed from all sins. O bull among men! One should then go and bathe in Agnitirtha, saving one’s lineage and attaining the world of Agni. O supreme among the Bharata lineage! Vishvamitra’s tirtha is also there.
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O great king! On bathing there, one is born as a brahmana. O tiger among men! If one goes to Brahmayoni,
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pure and controlled in mind, and bathes there, one obtains Brahma’s world. There is no doubt that seven generations of one’s lineage are sanctified. O Indra among kings! One should then go to the tirtha that is renowned in the three worlds. O king! This is famous by the name of Prithudaka and belongs to Kartikeya. Having performed one’s ablutions there, one should worship the ancestors and the gods. O descendant of the Bharata
lineage! Whatever improper act one has committed because of human intelligence, knowingly or unknowingly, whether one is a man or a woman, is destroyed as soon as one bathes there. One obtains the fruits of a horse sacrifice and goes to the world of heaven. The learned say that Kurukshetra is sacred. But the Sarasvati is more sacred than Kurukshetra. The tirthas are more sacred than Sarasvati and Prithudaka is more sacred than the tirthas. It is supreme among all the tirthas. He who meditates and then gives up his body in Prithudaka, will never be tormented by the fear of death.
¹⁹⁴
This has been sung by Sanatkumara
¹⁹⁵
and the great-souled Vyasa. O king! It is also the injunction of the Vedas that one should go to Prithudaka. O supreme among men! There is no other tirtha as sacred as Prithudaka. There is no doubt that it is purifying, pure and the destroyer of sins. O best of men! The learned say that even people who commit evil acts go to heaven if they bathe in Prithudaka.

‘“‘O supreme among the Bharata lineage! O king! There is another tirtha named Madhusrava there.
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On bathing there, a man obtains the fruits of one thousand cows.
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O best of men! In due order, one should then go to the tirtha of the goddess, famous in the world and at the confluence of the Sarasvati and the Aruna.
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Having bathed there after fasting for three nights, one is freed from the sin of killing a brahmana. O bull among the Bharata lineage! A man obtains the fruits of agnishtoma and atiratra and sanctifies his lineage for seven generations. O extender of the Kuru lineage! There is another tirtha named Avatirna there. Out of compassion for the brahmanas, Darbhin created it in ancient times. There is no doubt that a twice-born who observes vows, takes up the sacred thread, fasts and follows rituals is a brahmana. O bull among men! But it has been seen from ancient times that one who bathes there, without rituals and without mantras, becomes a brahmana, with all the results of vows. O tiger among
men! Darbhin
¹⁹⁹
united the four oceans there. Bathing there, one never confronts any calamity. One obtains the fruits of four thousand cows.
²⁰⁰
O Indra among kings! From there, one should go to the tirtha named Shatasahasraka. The tirtha Sahasraka is also there, famous in the world. Bathing in those two, a man obtains the fruits of one thousand cows.
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His donations and his fasting increase a thousandfold. O Indra among kings! One should then go to the supreme Renuka tirtha.
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Having performed ablutions there and engaged in the worship of the ancestors and the gods, one is cleansed of all sins and one’s soul becomes pure. One obtains the fruits of agnishtoma. On touching the water in Vimochana, controlling one’s anger and controlling one’s senses, one is freed from all sins connected with acquisition.
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On going to Panchavata,
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celibate and in control of one’s senses, one obtains great merit and greatness in the world of those who are virtuous. There Yogeshvara Sthanu Vrishadhvaja
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is always present himself. One who goes there and worships the lord of the gods becomes successful. Varuna’s tirtha Oujasa
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is resplendent in its own energy. There Brahma, the gods and the rishis, rich in austerities, instated Guha
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as the general of the army of the gods.

‘“‘O extender of the Kuru lineage! To the east of Oujasa is Kuru tirtha. Bathing in Kuru tirtha, celibate and in control of his senses, a man is cleansed of all sins, becomes pure in soul and attains the world of the Kurus. Controlled and restrained in diet, one should
then go to Svargadvara.
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One attains the world of heaven and goes to the world of Brahma. O lord of men! Then the visitor of tirthas should go to Anaraka. O king! On bathing there, a man never confronts any difficulties. O lord of the earth! O best of men! Brahma himself is always present there, with the gods in attendance, with Narayana at their head. O Indra among kings! O extender of the Kuru lineage! Rudra’s wife is always present there. One who approaches the goddess never faces any difficulty. O great king! Vishveshvara,
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Uma’s husband, is also there. One who approaches Mahadeva is freed from all blemishes. O great king! On going to Narayana Padmanabha,
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the destroyer of enemies, one becomes radiant and goes to Vishnu’s world. O bull among men! On bathing at the tirtha of all the gods, a man discards all his misery and blazes like the moon. O lord of men! Then the visitor of tirthas should go to Svastipura. On going to that sacred tirtha and satisfying the ancestors and the gods, a man obtains the fruits of an agnishtoma sacrifice. O bull among the Bharata lineage! There is a lake named Ganga there and a well. O lord of the earth! Three crores of tirthas are in that well.
²¹¹
O king! On bathing there, a man attains the world of heaven. Bathing in the river there and worshipping Maheshvara, a man attains the status of a Ganapati and rescues his lineage. One should then go to Sthanuvata, renowned in the three worlds. On bathing and staying there for a night, a man attains Rudra’s world. Then one should go to Badaripachana and Vasishtha’s hermitage there.
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After fasting there for three nights, a man should eat jujubes.
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O lord of men! One who lives only on jujubes for twelve complete years, and one who fasts there for three nights, are equal. O lord of men! The visitor
of tirthas then reaches Indra’s path. On fasting there for one day and one night, one attains greatness in Shakra’s world. Going to Ekaratra and fasting there for one night, controlled and truthful, one attains greatness in Brahma’s world. O one learned in dharma! Then one should go to the tirtha that is renowned in the three worlds. This is the hermitage of the great-souled Aditya, full of energy. On bathing there and worshipping Vibhavasu,
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a man goes to the world of Aditya and rescues his lineage.

‘“‘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.
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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,
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one has obtained one hundred eternal horse sacrifices.
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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.
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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 Samantapanchaka
²¹⁹
and is known as the grandfather’s northern altar.’”’
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‘“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.
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Brahma, the gods, the sages and
the ascetics are there and the siddhas, the charanas, the gandharvas, the
kinnara
s
²²²
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.
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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 Ishanadhyushita
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there, difficult of access and determined to be six throws of a
shamya
away from the anthill.
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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.
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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.
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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 Tripura
²²⁸
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 Dhumavati
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and fast there for three nights, obtaining certainly everything that one desires in one’s mind. O lord of men! Rathavarta is towards the south
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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.
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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,
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Triganga and
Shakravarta, in accordance with the prescriptions, one obtains greatness in the world of the virtuous. Then bathing in Kanakhala
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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.
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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,
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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.
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