Tirthayatra Parva — Description of Pulastya Tirtha

Pulastya said : Then going to the excellent Tirtha called Samveda in the evening and bathing there, a man obtains without doubt great learning.

O king, going then to Tollouhitya, Tirtha created in the days of yore by the prowess of Rama, one obtains the fruits of giving away much gold.

Going to the Karatoya and fasting there for three nights, a man obtains the fruits of Ashvamedha, this is the injunction of the lord of creation.

O king of kings, it has been said by the wise men that he who goes to the place where the Ganges has joined the sea, one obtains ten times the merit of Ashvamedha sacrifice.

O king, going to the opposite bank of the Ganges and living there for three nights, one is cleansed of all his sins.

Then one should go to Vaitarini, which destroys all sins. Going then to the Tirtha, called Viraja, one shines like the moon.

Sanctifying his own race, he is cleansed of all his sins. Receiving the fruits of giving away one thousand kine, a man sanctifies his race.

Living with purity at the confluence of the Shona and the Jyotirathi and offering oblations to the Pitris and the celestials, one obtains the fruits of Agnishtoma sacrifice.

O descendant of Kuru, bathing in Vanshagulma which is the source of the Shona and the Narmada one obtains the fruits of Ashvamedha sacrifice.

O ruler of men, going to the Tirtha, called Rishabha in Kosala and fasting there for three nights, a man obtains the fruits of Vajapeya sacrifice. He obtains the fruits of giving away one thousand kine and saves his race.

Going to Kosala and bathing in the Tirtha called Kala. One obtains without doubt the fruits of giving away eleven bulls. Bathing at Pushpavati and fasting there for three nights, a man, receiving the fruits of giving away one thousand kine, sanctifies his race.

O best of the Bharata race, then bathing in the Tirtha called Badarika, one obtains long life and goes to the celestials region.

Going then to Champa and offering oblations in Bhagirathi and going to Danda Tirtha, one obtains the fruits of giving away one thousand kine.

Then one should go to the sacred Lapetika graced by the presence of the virtuous. One obtains the fruits of Vajapeya sacrifice and becomes adored by the celestials.

Then going to Mahendra, frequented by the son of Jamadagni and bathing at the Rama Tirtha, a man obtains the fruits of Ashvamedha sacrifice.

O descendant of Kuru, there is Matanga's Tirtha called Kedara, bathing there one obtains the fruits of giving away one thousand kine.

Going to the mountain, called Sri, one should bathe in the river. Worshipping Vrishadhvaja, a (Shiva) one obtains the fruits of Ashvamedha sacrifice.

The greatly effulgent Mahadeva lives with his wife on the Sri mountain. There dwell also with great pleasure Brahma and the celestials. Then bathing in the Devahrada with purity and subdued mind, one obtains the fruits of Ashvamedha and attains to the highest state. Going to the Rishabha mountain in Pandya adored by the celestials, one obtains the fruits of Vajapeya (sacrifice) and rejoices in heaven.

Then one should go to Kaveri, surrounded by the Apsaras. O king, bathing there a man obtains the fruits of giving away one thousand kine.

Then one should bathe in the Tirtha called Kanya on the sea coast. O king of kings, bathing there one is cleansed of all his sins.

The going to Gokarna, celebrated all over the three worlds and, O king of kings, which is situated in the midst of the ocean and is reverenced by all the worlds. Where Brahma and other celestials, the ascetic Rishis, the Bhutas, the Yakshas, the Kinnaras, the great Nagas, the Siddhas, the Charanas, the Gandharvas, the men, the snakes, the rivers, the seas and the hills, worship the lord of Uma.

Worshipping thcre Ishana and fasting for three nights, a man obtains the fruits of Ashvamedha sacrifice and attains to the state of Ganapatya.

Living there for twelve nights a man becomes purified in his soul. Then one should go to the region of Gayatri adored by all the three worlds.

Living there for three nights, one obtains the fruits of giving away one thousand kine. O ruler of men, a strange phenomenon as regards Bralumanas is scen there.

O king, if a Brahmana whether born of a Brahmana woman or of a woman of any other caste, recites Gayitri there, his recitation becomes rhythmical and musical.

A man who is not a Brahmana cannot properly recite it at all. Going then to the inaccessible tank of the Brahmana Rishi Samvarta, one obtains personal beauty and great prosperity.

Then going to Vena one should offer oblations to the Pitris and the celestials. (By doing this) a man obtains a car drawn by peacocks and cranes.

Then going to the Godavari, always frequented by the Siddhas. One obtains the fruits of a cow-sacrifice and goes to the excellent region of Vasuki. Bathing at the confluence of Vena one obtains the fruits of Vajapeya sacrifice.

Bathing at the confluence of Varada one obtains the fruits of giving away one thousand kine. Going to Brahmasthana and living there for three nights a man. Obtains the fruits of giving away one thousand kine and goes to the celestials region.

Going to Kushaplavana with concentrated mind and with Brahmacharya life. And fasting there for three nights and bathing there, one obtain the fruits of Ashvamedha sacrifice.

Then bathing in the charining Devahrada supplied with water by Krishna Vena. And also bathing in the Jatismarahrada, a man obtains the recollection of his former births.

Here the king of the celestials performed one hundred sacrifices and went to heaven. O descendant of Bharata, one obtains the fruits of Agnishtoma by simply going here. Bathing in the Sarvadevahrada, one obtains the fruits of giving away one thousand kine.

Then going to that best of water, that lake, called Payoshni and worshipping the Pitris and the celestials, one obtains the fruits of giving away one thousand kine.

O descendant of Bharata, O king going to the sacred Dandakas forest, one should bathe there. One obtains the fruits of giving away (in charity) as soon as one bathes there.

Going to the hermitage called Sharbhanga of the high-souled Shukra, a man never meets with any calamity and sanctifies his race.

Then one should go to Surparka frequented by the son of Jamadagni. Then bathing in that Rama-Tirtha a man obtains the fruits of giving away much gold.

Bathing in the Sapta Godavari with regulated diet and subdued soul, one obtains great virtue and goes to the celestials region.

Then going to the Devapatha with regulated diet and subdued soul, a man obtains the merit that is the fruit of Deva sacrifice.

Going to Tungakaranya with passions under control and with Brahmacharya life, where in the days of yore, Rishi Sarasvta taught the Vedas to the ascetics.

There when the Vedas were lost, the son of Rishi Angirasa, sitting comfortably on the upper garments of the Rishis.

Pronounced distinctly and with emphasis the word Om. At this, the ascetics again recollected all that they had learnt before.

There the Rishis, the Devas, Varuna, Agni, Prajapati, Hari, Narayana and also Mahadeva.

And the exalted and the greatly effulgent Grandsire, with the celestials appointed the greatly effulgent Bhrigu to perform their sacrifice.

Gratifying Agni with libations of ghee poured according to the ordinance, the highsouled Bhrigu once more performed the Agnidhyana sacrifice for all those Rishis. After which both they and the celestials went away to their respective homes one after another. O foremost of kings, he who enters the forest of Tungaka, whether male or female, is cleansed of all his sins.

O hero, there in that Tirtha one should live for a month with regulated diet and subdued soul.

Going then to Medhavika, one should offer oblations to the Pitris and the celestials. By doing this, obtains the fruits of Agnishtoma (sacrifices) and also obtains memory and intellect.

There in that Tirtha is the celebrated mountain called Kalanjara. Bathing in the celestials lake there, one obtains the fruits of giving away one thousand kine.

O king, he who after a bath offers there oblations to the Pitris and the celestials is without doubt adored in heaven.

O king, going then to the river Mandakini which destroys sins and which is on that best of mountain called Chitrakuta, he who bathes there and worships the Pitris and the celestials obtains the fruits of Ashvamedha and attains to the best state.

O virtuous man, one should then go to the excellent Bhartristhana where, O king, heaven's generalissimo always lives.

O best of kings, only going there one obtains success. Bathing in the Koti Tirtha, a man obtains the fruits of giving away one thousand kine.

After walking round it a man should then to go Jyeshtasthana. Seeing Mahadeva there, one looks like the moon.

O great king, ever steady in war O best of the Bharata race, O Yudhishthira, there is a celebrated well, in which four seas exist.

O king of kings, bathing there and worshipping the Pitris and the celestials with subdued soul, one being purified, obtains the highest state.

O king of kings, one should then go to the great Sringapur where, O great king, Dasharatha's son Rama formerly crossed (the Ganges).

O mighty-armed hero, bathing in that Tirtha one is cleansed of his sins. Bathing in the Ganges with concentrated mind and with Brahmacharya life. One is cleansed of all his sins and obtains the fruits of Vajapeya sacrifice.

Then one should go to Munjavata, the region of the intelligent deity (Shiva). O descendant of Bharata, seeing there Mahadeva and worshipping him and also walking round it, one attains to the state of Ganapatya. Bathing in that Tirtha in the Janhavi, one is cleansed of all his sins.

Then, O king of kings, one should go to Prayaga which is highly praised by the Rishis. Here live Brahma and other celestials, the quarters with their presiding deities, the Lokapalas, the Saddhyas, the Pitris adored by the world, the grcat Rishis, Sanatkumar and others, the stainless Brahmarshis, Angiras and others, the Nagas, the Suparnas, the Siddhas, the snakes, the rivers, the seas, the Gandharvas, the Apsaras and the exalted Hari with the lord of creatures (Brahma) in front. There are three fiery caverns between which Janhavi, the foremost of Tirthas, rolls rapidly onward. The daughter of Tapana, celebrated all over the three worlds, the world purifying Yamuna unites here with the Ganges. The country between the Ganges and the Yamuna is considered as the Jaghana of the earth.

And Prayaga is known as the foremost point of that region. Prayaga, Sapratishanta, Kamvala, Asvatari and the Tirtha Bhogavati are the sacrificial altars of Prajapati (Brahma). O hero steady in war, the Vedas and the sacrifices in their embodied forms and also ascetic Rishis adore here Prajapati (Brahma). Here the celestials and the rulers of kingdoms perform their sacrifices. O descendant of Bharata, O lord, therefore Prayaga is the most sacred of all the Tirthas, in fact it is the foremost of all the Tirthas in the three worlds. Going to that Tirtha and singing its name and taking a little carth from it, one is cleansed of all his sins.

He who bathes in this celebrated confluence obtains all the merits of Ashvamedha and Rajasuya (sacrifices).

O descendant of Bharata, this sacrificial place is worshipped by the celestials themselves. If a man gives away here only a little, it increases thousand-fold.

O child, let not the texts of the Veda or the opinions of men dissuade your mind from the desire of dying at Prayaga.

O descendant of Kuru, the wise men say that six hundred millions and ten thousand Tirthas exist at Prayaga. Bathing in the confluence of the Ganges and the Yamuna, one obtains the merit of the four kinds of knowledge and the merits also of those that are truthful.

There is an excellent Tirtha of Vasuki, called Bhogavati. He who bathes in it obtains the fruits of Ashvamedha.

O descendant of Kuru, there in the Ganges is a Tirtha, celebrated all over the three worlds, called Hansaprapatana which gives one the fruits of ten sacrifices.

Wherever a man bathes in the Ganges he obtains the fruits of going to Kurukshetra, except the place named Kanakhala while the merit attaching to Prayaga is the greatest.

Having committed one hundred sins he who bathes in the Ganges has all his sins burnt off by the waters of the Ganges) as fuel is consumed by fire. It has been said that in the Satya Yuga all the Tirthas were sacred. In the Treta Pushkara alone was sacred. In the Dvapara Kurukshetra was sacred. In the Kaliyuga the Ganges alone is sacred. In Pushkara, one should practices asceticism, in Mahalaya one should give away (in charity); in the Malaya (mountains) one should ascend the funeral pyre, in Bhrigutunga, one should give up his body by fasting.

Bathing in Pushkara in Kurukshetra and in the Ganges and in the confluence of the Ganges and the Yamuna), one saves ten generations of his race upwards and downwards.

He who recites the name (of the Ganges) is purified. He who beholdsher obtains prosperity. He who bathes in her and drinks her water saves seven generations of his race upwards and downwards.

O king, so long a man's bones lie in the waters of the Ganges, so long that man is adored in the celestials region,

As is the man who earns virtues by visiting the Tirthas and by drinking their sacred water and thus by earning virtue adored in the celestials region.

There is no Tirtha like the Ganges, there is no god like Keshava (Krishna), there is none superior to Brahmanas thus said the Grandsire (Brahma).

O great king, where there is the Ganges and the place on the banks of the Ganges, is the wood fit for asceticism. The region through which the Ganges flows is a favourite hermitage.

This truth (about Tirthas) should be recited to the ears of only Brahmanas, of the pious men, one's of own sons, friends, disciples and dependants.

It (this narrative of Tirthas) is unrivalled, it is blessed, it is holy and it leads men to heaven, it is holy, entertaining, sanctifying and it is productive of high merit.

It is a mystery of the great Rishis, it cleanses all sins. By reciting this holy history in the midst of Brahmanas, one goes to heaven.

It is auspicious, heaven-giving, sacred, it is ever blessed and it destroys one's cnemies. This narrative of Tirtha is the foremost of all narratives and it increases one's intellect.

(By reciting it) the sonless obtain sons, the poor obtain wealth, the king conquers the world and the Vaisyas obtain affluence.

The Shudra cbtains all his desires and the Brahmana crosses the ocean (of world). The man who daily hears it with purity. Becomes abic to remember the incidents of his former births and rejoices in heaven. Some of the Tirthas that have been narrated here are accessible and some inaccessible.

But he who is eagerly desirous to see them should go to them even in his mind (with the help of imagination). The Vasus, the Sadhyas, the Adityas, the Marutas, the Ashvins.

And the Rishis equal to the celestials all bathed in them by performing good deeds. O descendant of Kuru, O vow observing hero, you too, acting according to the rites.

Should with subdued senses, visit these Tirthas by increasing your virtue. The man of honesty and those who understand the Shastras are able to visit these Tirthas by reason of their purified soul, by their belief in Godhead and by their study of the Vedas. He who does not observe vows, whose soul is not under control, who is impure, who is a thief and who is crooked-minded cannot bathe in these Tirthas. O descendant of Kuru, you are ever observant of virtue and you are of pure character.

O king, you have always gratified by your virtue your father, your grandfather, your great grandfather and also the celestials with Grandsire (Brahma) at their head and also the Rishis, O virtuous man, O Vasava-like hero, O Bhishma, you will attain to the region of the Vasus and you will acquire eternal fame on earth.

Narada said: Having thus spoken with cheerfulness and bidding farewell to him (Bhishma) the exalted Rishi Pulastya with his mind well pleased, disappeared then and there.

O foremost of the Kurus, Bhishma also who well understood the true import of the Shastras travelled over the world at the command of Pulastya.

O greatly exalted one, he (Bhishma) ended here (at Prayaga) his highly meritorious visits to the Tirthas which are ever capable of destroying all sins.

He who travels over the earth according to these rules obtains the great fruits of one hundred horse-sacrifices and finally obtains salvation.

O son of Pritha, you will get eight times superior merit to those that the foremost of the Kurus, Bhima formerly obtained.

O descendant of Bharata, as you will take all these Rishis to those Tirthas, your merit will be eight times greater. The Tirthas are infested with Rakshashas. O descendant of Kuru, none else except you can go there.

He who recites this narrative of all the Tirthas told by the celestials Rishi (Pulastya) by rising early in the morning is cleansed of all his sins.

There always dwell those foremost of Rishis, Valmiki and Kashyapa, Atrya, Kundayatra Vishvamitra, Gautama, Asita, Devala, Markandeya, Galava, Bharadvaja, Vasishtha, Uddalaka, Shaunaka with his son, that best of ascetics Vyasa, that foremost of Rishis Durvasa, the greatly ascetic Jabali, these foremost of Rishis are all waiting for of you. O great king, by visiting the Tirthas meet them.

O great king, a greatly effulgent Rishi named Lomasha will come to you. Go with him (to the Tirthas).

You can go with me O virtuous man, to visit some of the Tirthas. You will by this obtain great fame as did king Mahavisha,

As did virtuous minded Yayati, as did king Pururava. O foremost of kings, you too will blaze forth with your own virtue; as did king Bhagiratha as did the celebrated Rama, so would you shine among kings like the Sun.

As were Manu, Ikshvaku the greatly famous Puru and Vena so, O great king, would you become celebrated and as in the days of yore, the slayer of Vitra, the king of the celestials after, having burnt his enemies and having his mind freed from all anxieties ruled over the three worlds, so will you destroying your enemies rule over your subjects. O lotus-eyed hero, having conquered the earth according to the custom of your own order (Kshatriya), you will acquire renown by your own virtue as did Krittaviryarjuna.

Vaishampayana said : Having thus comforted the king, O great king, the exalted Rishi Narada, bidding firewell disappeared then and there.

And the virtuous-minded Yudhishthira also, reflecting on the subject, recited before the Rishis the merits that are derived from visiting the Tirthas.