Chapter 66 - Glory of Gaṅgādvāra (Or Haridvāra)

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Mohinī submitted:

1. O most excellent one among the Brāhmaṇas, the greatness of Kurukṣetra^[1] that is exceedingly destructive of sins, and which bestows Siddhis on men, has been heard from you.

2. O preceptor, blessed are you. Kindly recount to me the meritorious Tīrtha well known as Gaṅgādvāra.^[2] There is great desire in my heart to hear about it.

Vasu narrated:

3. Listen, O gentle lady, I shall describe to you the greatness of Gaṅgādvāra that destroys sins. It is holy anḍ auspicious to those who listen and read.

4. It is at this place that the holy Gaṅgā named Alakanandā reaches the Earth piercing through the mountains in thousand places and following the chariot of Bhagīratha.

5. It is here that Dakṣa,^[3] the Prajāpati, formerly worshipped Yajñeśa (Lord of Yajñas). That holy place bestows merits on men and destroys sins.

6. In this Yajña, Devas with their leaders like Indra and others had been invoked. With a desire to partake of their shares in the Yajña, they came here accompanied by their attendants.

7. O auspicious lady, the divine sages, pure Brahmanical sages and saintly kings together with their disciples and their disciples’ disciples had come there.

8-9a. All of them had been invited by that intelligent son of Brahmā. The Gandharvas, Apsaras, Yakṣas, Siddhas, Vidyādharas and serpents—all came to the place of Yajña, except Śiva, the Pināka-bearing deity.

9b-10. As the invitees were going in their aerial chariots along with their wives, they were extolling the festivities in the Yajña of Dakṣa delightedly. The beautiful lady Satī heard (their descriptions) and became eager (to see it for herself). She therefore requested Mahādeva for permission to go.

11-12. On hearing it, the Lord said: “It is not conducive to welfare to go there”. In view of the gravity of the inevitable future, she disregarded the lord and went there to participate in the celebration of the Yajña by her father. When she reached there, she was neither honoured nor welcomed by anyone.

13-15a The beautiful lady laid down her life there anḍ that spot became an excellent holy centre.^[4] Those who take their holy bath in that Tīrtha and perforin the rite of Tarpaṇa to the Devas and Pitṛs, shall be favourites of the goddess. They will be able to enjoy worldly pleasures as well as salvation. Those who cast off their lives there by means of fasts etc. attain Śiva himself. They are not reborn in Saṃsāra.

15b-16. On hearing about the death of his beloved from Nārada, lord Nīlalohita (Śiva) created Vīrabhadra. Accompanied by all the Pramathas, he destroyed that Yajña completely.

17. By the subsequent prayer of Brahmā God Śiva was immediately propitiated. He reorganized the Yajña. The disorganized Yajña was brought back to normalcy.

18. Thereafter, that Tīrtha has become unequalled and destructive of all sins. By performing ablution into it, the moon-god became free from the grip of consumptive diseases.

19. No doubt need be entertained in this respect, O daughter of Brahmā. He who duly takes bath in that Tīrtha attains every desire he cherishes.

20. Hari Tīrtha is that holy centre where the immutable lord Viṣṇu, the lord of Yajñas, was eulogised by Dakṣa and Devas.

21. The man who duly takes a holy bath there at Haripāda, O chaste lady, shall be a beloved favourite of Viṣṇu and the receptacle of worldly pleasures and salvation.

22. To the east of this is the well known holy centre Trigaṅgā. The Tripathagā (Gaṅgā flowing along the three paths) is directly seen there by the people.

23. By taking a holy bath therein and by performing the rite of Tarpaṇa to the Devas, sages, Pitṛs and human beings, the man endowed with perfect faith rejoices in heaven like a god.

24. O chaste lady, he who falls into the current and abandons his life, shall go to the abode of Viṣṇu. He is duly honoured by Devas.

25. Thereafter, the devotee should go to the Tīrtha, Kanakhala^[5] in the southern direction. In observing fast for three nights and by taking a holy dip in the Tīrtha, one is liberated from all sins.

26. O gentle lady, he who gives a cow there to a Brāhmaṇa who has mastered the Vedas never sees Vaitaraṇī nor Yama.

27a. Anything given or offered into the sacred fire, or Japa, or penance performed here attains everlasting benefit.

27b-28. The Jahnu-Tīrtha is also here where formerly that river was drunk up by the royal sage Jahnu after making a mouthful of her. When he was propitiated, the river was released by him and it came out of his ear.

29-30a. O blessed lady, the man who takes his holy dip there, who observes fast, who is equipped with faith and who duly propitiates a Brāhmaṇa who has mastered the Vedas, by feeding him with excellent cooked rice, shall stay in the heaven for the duration of a Kalpa.

30b-31. O lady of fine waist-line, thereafter, the devotee should go to the Koṭitīrtha which is in the western direction. By visiting Koṭīśa the merit acquired is a crore of times more. By observing fast for a night there, the devotee shall attain the benefit of Puṇḍarīka sacrifice.

32. Similarly, in the northern quarter, there is the great Tīrtha well known as Saptagaṅgā.^[6] O gentle lady, it is destructive of all sins.

33-34a. O highly intelligent lady, the holy hermitages of the seven sages are there. By taking a holy bath severally in those Tīrthas and by performing the rite of Tarpaṇa to the gods and to the Pitṛs, the man obtains the eternal world of sages.

34b-35. When the Divine river Gaṅgā was being brought by king Bhagīratha, the river, thanks to her love and fondness for them (seven sages), flowed in seven currents. Therefore, the Tīrtha became famous as Saptagaṅgā.

36. The devotee then goes to the Āvarta and performs Tarpaṇa rite to all, beginning with the Devas, after the holy bath. Thereby, he rejoices in the abode of Devendra for the period of a Yuga.

37. Thereafter, O gentle lady, the devotee should go to the excellent Kapilahrada. By giving a cow as gift to an excellent Brāhmaṇa he shall attain the benefit of giving a thousand cows.

38. The extremely sacred Tīrtha of Nāgarāja, (king of serpents, is here itself. He who performs the rite of ablution here, shall derive protection from serpents.

39. Thereafter, the devotee should go to Lalitaka and the excellent Tīrtha of Śantanu. By taking the holy bath therein and performing the rite of Tarpaṇa in accordance with injunctions the gods and others, the devotee attains salvation.

40. It was here that Gaṅgā who had come in a human form was attained by Śantanu. After giving birth to the Vasus year by year, it was here that she threw them in and finally cast off her body.

41-42a. Where the body was cast off, medicinal trees grew up. The man who takes bath there and eats parts of the trees never sees any misfortune by the grace of goddess Gaṅgā.

41. Thereafter, the devotee shall go to the Tīrtha Bhīmasthala.^[7] He who takes a holy bath there is a meritorious man.

43. After enjoying pleasures here, the devotee shall attain heavenly status after death.

O gentle lady, these holy centres have been narrated to you very briefly.

44-45a. O blessed lady, there are thousands of other Tīrthas there. He who takes a holy dip in this sacred holy centre when Jupiter is in Aquaries and the sun is in Aries, shall be a master of speech and shall be like the Sun god himself in refulgence.

45b-46. After having completed the pilgrimage of Prayāga and other holy centres full of sacred waters, the pilgrim should assiduously take a holy bath in the following Tīrthas Viz: Vāruṇa, Yoga, Mahāvāruṇa and Mahāmahāvāruṇa. He shall take holy bath in accordance with injunctions.

47-48. By worshipping the Brāhmaṇas devotedly, he shall attain the region of Brahmā. If he makes any charitable gift during the transit of the Sun, or on the new-moon day, or when the Vyatīpāta period of time occurs, or on the anniversary day of the beginning of Yugas, or during other sacred days, it shall have a crore times more benefit. It is the truth that has been declared by me.

49. He who remembers Gaṅgādvāra even when he is far away, attains good goal like the person who remembers Hari in the end.

50. That deity whom pure man worships at Haridvāra shall become delighted and fulfil his desires.

51. The place where Gaṅgā entered the Earth is itself a place of penance, it is a place of Japa and the place of Homa.

52. The man who observes restraints and after taking a holy dip, repeats the thousand epithets of the Gaṅgā three times per day, shall attain a line of progeny that gets never extinct.

53. O blessed lady, he who devoutly listens to the Purāṇa at Gaṅgādvāra with due observance of restraints, attains the unchanging region (i.e. the permanent abode of the Supreme Lord).

54. The excellent man who listens to or reads the greatness of Haridvāra with great devotion shall acquire the benefit of the holy bath there.

55-56. O gentle lady, there is no cause of fear from serpents, thieves, fires, evil planets or tyrannous kings. All the riches increase, thanks to the grace of lord Viṣṇu.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

 The editor of the Sanskrit Text remarks:

Thus the greatness of Kurukṣetra is completely recounted. Now the greatness of Gaṅgādvāra is begun.

[2]:

The same as Haridvāra (Haradvāra) (U.P.). Although the name Haridvāra implying Gaṅgādvāra is used in the Skanda Purāṇa IV and the Padmapurāṇa., Gaṅgādvāra was more popular in ancient times as Hiuen Tsang and Al Biruni called it Gaṅgādvāra (‘the Gate of the Gaṅgā’ as the Chinese traveller put it). It is one of the seven holiest cities in India. It is also called Māyā or Māyāpurī.

[3]:

It is at a distance of about half a mile or so from modern Hari- dvāra that we are shown the place of Dakṣa’s famous sacrifice. The story of destruction of Dakṣa’s sacrifice is given in Mahābhārata Śānti 283. 32-37 and in other Purāṇas like the Bhāgavata Purāṇa

[4]:

This is called SatīKuṇḍa.

[5]:

Kanakhala is at a distance of about three miles from Here kī Paiḍī.

[6]:

It is called Saptadhārā now. It is at a distance of a mile or so from Bhīma-Goḍā.

[7]:

Probably the same as Bhīmagoḍā, a holy centre on the way from Hariḍvāra to Ṛishikesh (Kalyāṇa 31. 1. P. 64).