Chapter 1

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| śrīgaṇeśāya namaḥ |
śrījagadaṃbāyai namaḥ |
athāvantyakhaṇḍe'vantīkṣetramāhātmyaṃ prārabhyate |
vyāsa uvāca |
sraṣṭāro'pi prajānāṃ prabalabhavabhayādyaṃ namasyaṃti devā |
yo hyavyakte praviṣṭaḥ pravihitamanasāṃ dhyānayuktātmanāṃ ca |
lokānāmādidevaḥ sa jayatu bhagavāñchrīmahā kālanāmā bibhrāṇaḥ somalekhāmahivalayayutaṃ vyaktaliṃgaṃ kapālam || 1 ||
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umovāca |
pṛthivyāṃ yāni tīrthāni puṇyāśca saritastathā |
kathyaṃtāṃ tāni yatnena śraddhā yeṣu prajāyate || 2 ||
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īśvara uvāca |
asti lokeṣu vikhyātā gaṃgā tripathagā nadī |
sevitā devagandharvairmunibhiśca niṣevitā || 3 ||
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tapanasya sutā devī yamunā lokapāvanī |
pitṝṇāṃ vallabhā devī mahāpātakanāśinī || 4 ||
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candrabhāgā vitastā ca narmadā'marakaṇṭake |
kurukṣetraṃ gayā devi prabhāsaṃ naimiṣaṃ tathā || 5 ||
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kedāraṃ puṣkaraṃ caiva tathā kāyāvarohaṇam |
tathā puṇyatamaṃ devi mahākālavanaṃ śubham || 6 ||
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yatrāste śrīmahākālaḥ pāpendhanahutāśanaḥ |
kṣetraṃ yojanaparyaṃtaṃ brahmahatyādināśanam || 7 ||
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bhuktidaṃ muktidaṃ kṣetraṃ kalika lmaṣanāśanam |
pralaye'pyakṣayaṃ devi duṣprāpaṃ tridaśairapi || 8 ||
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umovāca |
prabhāvaḥ kathyatāṃ deva kṣetrasyāsya maheśvara |
yāni tīrthāni vidyante yāni liṃgāni saṃti vai || 9 ||
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tānyahaṃ śrotumicchāmi paraṃ kautūhalaṃ hi me || 10 ||
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mahādeva uvāca |
śṛṇu devi prayatnena prabhāvaṃ pāpanāśanam |
kṣetramādyaṃ mahādevi sarvapāpapraṇāśanam || 11 ||
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śrīmeroḥ saṃnidhāne ca śikharaṃ ratnacihnitam |
anekāścaryanilayaṃ bahupādapasaṃkulam || 12 ||
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vicitradhātubhiścitraṃ svacchasphaṭikavedikam |
vicitravarṇaśobhāḍhyamṛṣisaṃghanināditam || 13 ||
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mṛganāgendrasaṃyuktaṃ gajayūthasamākulam |
nirjharāṃbuprapātotthaśīkarākarasaṃkulam || 14 ||
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vātāhatataruvrātaprasūnāsthānacitritam |
mṛganābhivarāmodavāsitā śeṣakānanam || 15 ||
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latāgṛharatisthānaṃ siddhavidyādharāśrayam |
pravīṇakinnaravrātamadhuradhvanināditam || 16 ||
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tasminvane mahāramye śobhitāśeṣa bhūmikam |
vairājaṃ nāma bhavanaṃ brahmaṇaḥ parameṣṭhinaḥ || 17 ||
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tatra divyāṃganāgītamadhuradhvanināditā |
pārijātatarucchannamaṃjarīdāmaśobhitā || 18 ||
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bahuvādyasamunnaddhamahāsvananināditā |
layatālayutānekagītavāditranāditā || 19 ||
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vinyastā koṭibhiḥ staṃbhairnirmalādarśaśobhitā |
layatālayutānekamahākautukasaṃyutā || 20 ||
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apsaronṛtyavinyāsavilāsollāsaśobhitā |
sabhā kāṃtimatīnāma devānāṃ harṣadāyikā || 21 ||
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ṛṣisaṃghasamākīrṇā munivṛndaniṣevitā |
dvijātivedaśabdena nāditā'naṃdadāyikā || 22 ||
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tasyāṃ niviṣṭaṃ vāgīśaṃ śaṃkarārādhane ratam |
sanatkumāraṃ brahmarṣiṃ brahmaṇo mānasaṃ sutam || 23 ||
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munimadhyātsamutthāya kṛṣṇadvaipāyano muniḥ |
parāśarasuto vyāsaḥ praṇipatya yathāvidhi || 24 ||
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kṛtāṃjalipuṭo bhūtvā bhavabhaktyānubhāvitaḥ |
papraccha parayā tuṣṭyā harṣitāṃgaruhānanaḥ || 25 ||
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mahākālasya māhātmyaṃ prāṇināṃ mohanāśanam |
vyāsa uvāca |
mahākālavanaṃ kasmātprocyate sarvato varam || 26 ||
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bhagavankṣetramāhātmyaṃ mahākālasya kathyatām |
kathaṃ guhyavanaṃ proktaṃ pīṭhatvamūṣaraṃ tathā || 27 ||
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phalaṃ yathātra vasatāṃ mṛtānāṃ ca gatiryathā |
snānena yadbhavetpuṇyaṃ dānenāpi ca yatphalam || 28 ||
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kathametatsmaśānaṃ ca kṣetraṃ proktaṃ yathā tathā |
pṛṣṭaṃ me śaṃkare bhaktyā brūhi tvaṃ śāstrakovida || 29 ||
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sanatkumāra uvāca |
kṣīyate pātakaṃ yatra tenedaṃ kṣetramucyate |
yasmātsthānaṃ ca mātṝṇāṃ pīṭhaṃ tenaiva kathyate || 30 ||
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mṛtāḥ punarna jāyaṃte tenedamūṣaraṃ smṛtam |
guhyametatpriyaṃ nityaṃ kṣetraṃ śaṃbhormahā tmanaḥ || 31 ||
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yasmādiṣṭaṃ hi bhūtānāṃ smaśānamativallabham |
mahākālavanaṃ yacca tathā caivāvimuktikam || 32 ||
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ekāmrakaṃ bhadrakālaṃ karavīravanameva ca |
kolāgiristathā kāśī prayāgamamareśvaram || 33 ||
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bharathaṃ caiva kedāraṃ divyaṃ rudramahālayam |
divyasmaśānānyetāni rudrasyeṣṭāni nityaśaḥ || 34 ||
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ramate bhagavāneṣu siddhakṣetreṣu sarvadā |
pṛthivyāṃ naimiṣaṃ tīrthamuttamaṃ tīrthapuṣkaram || 35 ||
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trayāṇāmapi lokānāṃ kurukṣetraṃ praśasyate |
kurukṣetrāddaśaguṇā puṇyā vārāṇasī matā || 36 ||
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tasyā daśaguṇaṃ vyāsa mahākālavanottamam |
prabhāsādyāni tīrthāni pṛthivyāmiha yāni tu || 37 ||
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prabhāsamuttamaṃ tīrthaṃ kṣetramādyaṃ pinākinaḥ |
śrīśailamuttamaṃ tīrthaṃ devadāruvanaṃ tathā || 38 ||
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tasmādapyuttamaṃ vyāsa puṇyā vārāṇasī matā |
tasmāddaśaguṇaṃ proktaṃ sarvatīrthottamaṃ yataḥ || 39 ||
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mahākālavanaṃ guhyaṃ siddhakṣetraṃ tathoṣaram |
kiṃcidguhyānyathānyāni smaśānānyūṣarāṇi ca || 40 ||
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sarvatastu samākhyātaṃ mahākālavanaṃ mune |
smaśānamūṣarakṣetraṃ pīṭhaṃ tu vanameva ca || 41 ||
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paṃcaikatra na labhyaṃte mahākālapurādṛte || 42 ||
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iti śrīskāṃde mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pañcama āvaṃtyakhaṇḍe'vantīkṣetramāhātmye mahākālavanapraśaṃsāvarṇanaṃnāma prathamo'dhyāyaḥ || 1 ||
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