Tirthayatra Parva — History of the hawk and pigeon

Lomasha said: O descendant of Bharata, if men give up their bodies here, they go to heaven. O king, thousands of men come here with the desire to die.

A blessing was pronounced here by Daksha when in the days of yore he was performing sacrifice at this spot. (It was as follows), “The men that will die here will go to heaven.”

O king, here is the charming celestials river full of water, named Sarasvati. It is here Vinasana of the Sarasvati (where she disappeared).

O hero, here is the gate of the kingdom of the Nishadas; it is from the hatred of the Nishadhas that the Sarasvati entered the earth so that she might not be seen by the Nishadas.

Here is also Chamashodbheda where the Sarasvati again reappeared. Here she was joined by all the other sacred ocean-going currents.

O chastiser of foes, here is the greatly sacred place called Sindhu, where Lopamudra accepted the great Rishi Agastya as her husband.

O sun-like effulgent hero, here is the sacred Tirtha called Pravasha which is truly sacred, sin-destroying and a favourite place of Indra.

Yonder appears the excellent Tirtha called Vishnupada. Here also is the charming river and greatly purifying Vipasa.

Here from the grief at his son's death, the great Rishi Vasishtha threw himself into the Vipasa after first binding himself, but he rose again.

O chastiser of foes, behold with your brothers the sacred region of Kashmira, ever frequented by the holy Rishis.

O descendant of Bharata, here a conference took place between Agni and the Rishi Kashyapa and between the son of Nahusha (Yayati) and the Rishis of the north.

O great king, yonder appears the gate of Manaka. A gap was opened by Rama in the midst of this mountain.

O greatly powerful hero, here is the celebrated Vatikakhanda, which although near the gate of Vedika, lies on the north of it.

O foremost of men, there is another very remarkable thing in connection with this place. It is this that at the end of every Yuga the deity Shiva who is capable of assuming every form at will may be seen here with Uma and his followers. In the yonder lake men, desirous of securing welfare to them, cheerfully gratify the wielder of Pinaka in the month of Chaitra by performing sacrifices.

The religious-minded and self-controlled men perform their ablations in this lake and become free from all sins. They certainly obtain the blessed regions. Here is the sacred Tirtha called Ujjanaka where the holy Rishi Vasishtha with his wife Arundhati lived.

Yonder is the lake called Kushavanisha in which grow the lotuses called Kushashaya. Here also is the hermitage of Rukmini where she attained peace by conquering her anger. O son of Pandu, O great king, you must have heard of the great hill Bhrigutunga. Behold it (now).

O king of kings, behold Vitasta which cleanses all sins. The water of it is very cool and transparent and it is frequented by the great Rishis.

(Behold) Jala and Upjala the rivers on both the sides of the Yamuna. Ushinara surpassed Vasava (Indra in greatness) by performing a sacrifice here.

O king, O descendant of Bharata, being desirous of testing the merit of that great king, Vasava (Indra) and Agni came to his celestialslike Sava.

Being inquisitive to know Ushinara and being willing to bestow boons on him, those two celestials Indra and Agni, came to his sacrificial ground, Indra becoming a hawk and Agni a pigeon.

O king, the pigeon from the fear of the hawk fell upon the king's thighs for protection; and it became almost dead from the great fear.