Mahabharata Vol. 3 (Penguin Translated Texts) (6 page)

‘“‘O lord of men! O Indra among kings! The visitor of tirthas should then go to Rama’s lakes.
¹³⁵
The radiant and energetic Rama destroyed the kshatriyas through his valour and created five lakes there. O tiger among men! It has been heard that he filled them with blood. Thus did he worship all his fathers and grandfathers. O lord of men! Then the ancestors were pleased and told Rama, “O Rama! O immensely fortunate Rama! O Bhargava!
¹³⁶
O lord! We are pleased with your devotion to your ancestors and your valour. O fortunate one! O immensely radiant one! Ask for a boon. What do you wish for?” O Indra among kings! At these words, Rama, supreme among those who can smite, joined his hands in salutation and told his ancestors who were established in the sky, “If you are pleased with me and if I have earned your favour, I wish to obtain a boon from my ancestors that I may again be satisfied through austerities.
Overcome with anger, I destroyed the kshatriyas. Through your energy, may I be freed from that sin. Let these lakes become tirthas, famous on earth.” Having heard Rama’s pure words, the ancestors were extremely delighted and happily told Rama, “Especially because of your devotion to your ancestors, let your austerities become greater. The kshatriyas have been destroyed by you out of wrath. But you have been freed from that sin, because it was their deeds that brought them down. There is no doubt that these lakes of yours will become tirthas. One who bathes in these lakes and worships his ancestors, will please his ancestors and they will grant him everything that his mind desires, even if it is the most difficult of objects to obtain on earth, and even the eternal world of heaven.” O king! Having granted this boon, Rama’s pleased ancestors showed their respects to Bhargava and disappeared instantly. It was thus that Rama’s lakes, those of the great-souled Bhargava, become sacred. O Indra among kings! If one leads the life of a brahmachari, pure in vows, and bathes in Rama’s lakes and worships Rama, one obtains a lot of gold.
¹³⁷

‘“‘O extender of the Kuru lineage! O king! A visitor of tirthas should go to Vamshamulaka and save his own lineage by bathing in Vamshamulaka. O supreme among the Bharata lineage! One should then go to the tirtha known as Kayashodhana.
¹³⁸
Bathing in that tirtha, there is no doubt that one can purify one’s body. Having purified one’s body, one goes to the supreme and sacred worlds. O Indra among kings! Then one should go to the tirtha that is famous in the three worlds. In ancient times, the powerful Vishnu rescued the worlds there. O king! Having gone to Lokoddhara
¹³⁹
tirtha, famous in the three worlds, and bathing in that supreme of tirthas, one recovers
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many worlds for one’s own self. One should then go to the tirtha known as Shri
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and obtain supreme prosperity. Composed, the brahmachari should then go to Kapila tirtha.
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A man who bathes there and worships the gods and the ancestors, obtains the fruits of one thousand tawny cows.
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With a controlled mind, one should then go and bathe in Surya tirtha.
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Having worshipped the gods and the ancestors and having fasted, one attains agnishtoma
¹⁴⁵
and goes to the world of Surya. Then, in proper order, the visitor of tirthas goes to Govambhavana.
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Having performed one’s ablutions there, one obtains the fruits of one thousand cows.
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O extender of the Kuru lineage! The visitor of tirthas then goes to Shankhini.
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Bathing in that tirtha of the goddess, a man obtains supreme beauty. O Indra among kings! One should then go to the gatekeeper Arantuka.
¹⁴⁹
That tirtha of the great-souled Indra among the yakshas is on the banks of the Sarasvati. O king! Having bathed there, a man obtains the fruits of agnishtoma. O one who is learned in dharma! O lord of men! Then one should go to Brahmavarta. Bathing in Brahmavarta, a man attains Brahma’s world. O one who is learned in dharma! Then one should go to the supreme Sutirtha. The ancestors are always there, together with the gods. Having performed ablutions there, devoted to the worship of the ancestors and the gods, one
obtains a horse sacrifice and attains the world of the ancestors. O one learned in dharma! In due order, one then goes to Ambuvashya. O supreme among the Bharata lineage! Bathing in the tirtha of the lord of treasures,
¹⁵⁰
one is cleansed of all disease and attains greatness in the world of Brahma.

‘“‘O descendant of the Bharata lineage! There is also Matri tirtha.
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O king! On bathing there, one’s offspring increase and one attains everlasting prosperity. Controlled and restrained in diet, one should then go to Shitavana tirtha.
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O great king! There is a great thing there, rare elsewhere. O lord of men! One is sanctified in one stroke only by looking at it. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! One is purified by shaving one’s hair there. O great king! There is a tirtha there, known by the name of Shvanalomapaha.
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O tiger among men! O supreme among the Bharata lineage! Learned brahmanas who are devoted to tirthas, supreme among brahmanas, perform
pranayama
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in Shvanalomapaha.
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O Indra among kings! Purified in this way, they become sanctified and attain the supreme objective. O lord of the earth! Then there is the tirtha known as Dashashvamedhika.
¹⁵⁶
O tiger among men! Bathing there, one attains the supreme goal. O Indra among kings! One should then go to Manusha, renowned in the worlds. O king! There, a black antelope was oppressed by a hunter. Plunging into a lake, it assumed the form of a human.
¹⁵⁷
Bathing
there, as a brahmachari, and conquering one’s senses, one is cleansed of all sins and having become pure in soul, attains greatness in the world of heaven. O lord of the earth! The river renowned as Apaga
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is only a
krosha
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to the east of Manusha. This is frequented by the siddhas. A man offering a meal of grain
¹⁶⁰
to the gods and the ancestors there attains all the great fruits of dharma. One brahmana fed there is equal to one crore brahmanas being fed. Bathing there and worshipping the ancestors and the gods, and staying there for only a single night, one obtains the fruits of agnishtoma.

‘“‘O Indra among kings! One should then go to Brahma’s supreme region. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! This is famous on earth as Brahma’s
udumbara
.
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O bull among the Kuru lineage! O Indra among kings! Whoever bathes there, in the lake of the
saptarshi
s,
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in Kedara of the great-souled Kapishthala,
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pure and controlled in mind, attains Brahma and cleansed of all sin and pure in soul, attains Brahma’s world. On going to Kapishthala and Kedara, difficult of access, all one’s sins are burnt through the powers of asceticism and one obtains the powers of disappearance. O Indra among kings! One should then go to Saraka,
¹⁶⁴
famous in the worlds. On seeing Vrishadhvaja there on the fourteenth day of
krishnapaksha
,
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one obtains everything that one desires and goes to the world of heaven. O descendant of the Kuru lineage! There are three crore tirthas in Saraka. O lord of the earth! There are wells and ponds in Rudrakoti. O supreme among the Bharata lineage! The tirtha known as Ilaspada is there. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Bathing there and
worshipping the ancestors and the gods, one overcomes all misfortunes and attains a horse sacrifice.
¹⁶⁶
O lord of the earth! O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Bathing in Kimdana and Kimjapya, a man obtains immeasurable donations and prayers.
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A man who performs ablutions in Kalashi, devoted and while controlling his senses, obtains the fruits of an agnishtoma sacrifice. O best among the supreme of the Kuru lineage! The tirtha of the great-souled Narada is to the east of Saraka and is famous by the name of Anajanma. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! On bathing in that tirtha,
¹⁶⁸
after giving up his life, on the instructions of Narada, a man obtains worlds that are difficult to get. On the tenth day of shuklapaksha, one should go to Pundarika. On bathing there, a man obtains the fruits of a
pundarika
sacrifice. One should then go to Trivishtapa, famous in the three worlds. The sacred river Vaitarani, the cleanser of all sins, flows there.
¹⁶⁹
Bathing there, and worshipping Vrishadhvaja, the wielder of the trident, one’s soul becomes pure and cleansed of all sins, one goes to the supreme goal. O Indra among kings! One should then go to the supreme Phalakivana. O king! The gods always sought refuge in Phalakivana. They performed great austerities for many thousands of years. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Bathing in Drishadvati
¹⁷⁰
and worshipping the gods, a man obtains the fruits of agnishtoma and atiratra. O supreme among the Bharata lineage! O Indra among kings! When one bathes in the tirtha of all the gods, a man obtains the fruits of one thousand cows.
¹⁷¹
On bathing in Panikhata and worshipping the gods, a man attains a royal sacrifice and obtains the world of the rishis.

‘“‘O Indra among kings! One should then go to the supreme tirtha of Mishraka. O Indra among kings! We have heard that there, the
great-souled Vyasa, tiger among men, mixed all the tirthas for the welfare of brahmanas. A man who bathes in Mishraka bathes in all the tirthas. Controlled and restrained in diet, one should then go to Vyasa’s grove. A man who bathes in Manojava obtains the fruits of one thousand cows.
¹⁷²
Going on to the tirtha of the goddess in Madhuvati,
¹⁷³
a pure man, who bathes and worships the ancestors and the gods with devotion and purity, obtains the fruits of one thousand cows on the instructions of the goddess. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! He who is restrained in diet and bathes at the confluence of the Koushiki and the Dhrishadvati, is freed from all sins. Then there is Vyasasthali.
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The wise Vyasa was afflicted by sorrow over his son and determined to give up his body there.
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O Indra among kings! The gods resurrected him there. One who goes to Sthali obtains the fruits of one thousand cows.
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O extender of the Kuru lineage! If one goes to the well named Kimdatta and offers a measure
¹⁷⁷
of sesamum seeds there, one attains the supreme objective and is freed from all one’s debts. The tirthas known as Ahas and Sudina are difficult to access. O tiger among men! By bathing there, one attains the world of the sun. One should then go to Mrigadhuma, renowned in the three worlds. A man who bathes in the pond known as Ganga there, and worships Mahadeva, the wielder of the trident, obtains the fruits of a horse sacrifice. Bathing in Devatirtha, a man obtains the fruits of one thousand cows.
¹⁷⁸
One should then go to Vamanaka, famous in the three worlds.
¹⁷⁹
Bathing in the mark of Vishnu’s foot there and worshipping Vamana, one becomes pure in
soul and cleansed of all sins, attains Vishnu’s world. Bathing in Kulampuna, a man purifies his own lineage. O tiger among men! A man who goes to Pavana’s lake,
¹⁸⁰
the supreme tirtha of the Maruts, and bathes there, attains greatness in Vayu’s world. O lord of men! Bathing in the lake of the immortals, through the powers of the immortals, one attains greatness in the world of heaven, among the immortals. O Indra among kings! O best among supreme of men! By bathing in Shalishurpa in Shalihotra,
¹⁸¹
in accordance with the rites, a man obtains the fruits of one thousand cows.
¹⁸²
O supreme among the Bharata lineage! Shrikunja tirtha is on the banks of the Sarasvati. O king! On bathing there, a man obtains the fruits of agnishtoma.

‘“‘O extender of the Kuru lineage! One should then go to the grove known as Naimisha. O Indra among kings! It is said that in ancient times, the sages who lived in Naimisha,
¹⁸³
rich in their austerities, went on a pilgrimage to Kurukshetra. O supreme among the Bharata lineage! They established a grove on the banks of the Sarasvati. This became a great and satisfying place for the sages to rest. A man who goes and bathes in that grove obtains the fruits of one thousand cows.
¹⁸⁴
A man who bathes in Kanyatirtha
¹⁸⁵
obtains the fruits of agnishtoma. O tiger among men! From there, one should go to Brahma’s supreme region. Bathing there, a man who is from the other varnas becomes a brahmana. A brahmana who is pure in soul attains the supreme objective. O best of men! One should then go to the supreme Somatirtha.
¹⁸⁶
O king! On bathing there, a man attains the world of the moon. Then one should go to the tirtha known as Saptasarasvata.
¹⁸⁷
Mankanaka, famous in the world of
the maharshis, found success there. O king! We have heard that, in ancient times, Mankanaka cut his hand with the tip of
kusha
grass. O king! From that wound flowed out the juices of vegetables. On seeing the vegetable juice, the great ascetic was filled with delight. The brahmana sage widened his eyes in wonder and began to dance. On seeing him dance, all mobile and immobile objects were benumbed by his valour and energy, and also began to dance. O king! O lord of men! Then the gods, with Brahma at the forefront, and the great ascetics, went to Mahadeva and told him about the rishi. “O God! You should act so that he stops dancing.” In a desire to ensure the welfare of the gods, the god
¹⁸⁸
went to the one who was dancing, having lost his senses in delight, and told him, “O maharshi! O one who is learned in dharma! Why are you dancing? O bull among the sages! Why are you so delighted today?” The sage replied, “O God! Can you not see vegetable juices flowing from my hand? On seeing this, I am greatly delighted and am dancing.”’