Chapter 23

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| sūta uvāca |
tasyaiva paścime bhāge mṛgatīrthamanuttamam |
asti puṇyatamaṃ khyātaṃ samaste dharaṇītale || |
tatra ye mānavāstīrthe samyakchraddhāsamanvitāḥ |
caitraśuklacaturdaśyāṃ snānaṃ kurvaṃtibhāskare || 2 ||
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madhye sthite na te yāṃti tiryagyonau kathaṃcana |
api pāpasamopetā doṣaiḥ sarvaiḥ samanvitāḥ || 3 ||
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kṛtaghnā nāstikāścaurā maryādābhedakāstathā |
snātā ye tatra sattīrthe te yāṃti paramāṃ gatim |
vimānavaramārūḍhāḥ stūyamānāśca kiṃnaraiḥ || 4 ||
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ṛṣaya ūcuḥ |
mṛgatīrthaṃ kathaṃ tatra saṃjātaṃ sūtanaṃdana |
kiṃ prabhāvaṃ samācakṣva paraṃ kautūhalaṃ hi naḥ || 5 ||
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sūta uvāca |
pūrvaṃ tatra mahāraṇye nānāmṛgagaṇāvṛte |
nānāvihaṃgasaṃghuṣṭe nānāvṛkṣasamākule || 6 ||
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samāyātā mahāraudrā lubdha kāścāpapāṇayaḥ |
kṛṣṇāṃgā bhramamāṇāste yamadūtā ivā'pare || 7 ||
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etasminnaṃtare dṛṣṭaṃ mṛgayūthaṃ taroradhaḥ |
upaviṣṭaṃ suviśrabdhaṃ taistadā dvija sattamāḥ || 8 ||
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atha tāṃllubdhakāndṛṣṭvā dūrato'pi bhayāturāḥ |
palāyanaparāḥ sarve mṛgā jagmurdrutaṃ tataḥ || 9 ||
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atha te sannidhau dṛṣṭvā gaṃbhīraṃ salilāśayam |
praviṣṭā hariṇāḥ sarve bhayārtāḥ śarapīḍitāḥ || 10 ||
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tatastatsalilasyāṃtaste mṛgāḥ sarva eva hi |
mānuṣatvamanuprāptāstatprabhāvā ddvijottamāḥ || 11 ||
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atha tānmānuṣībhūtānpapracchurlubdhakā mṛgān |
mṛgayūthaṃ samāyātaṃ mārgeṇānena sāṃpratam |
kena mārgeṇa niryātaṃ tasmādvadata mā ciram || 12 ||
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mānuṣā ūcuḥ |
vayaṃ te hariṇāḥ sarve mānuṣatvaṃ sudurlabham |
tīrthasyā'sya prabhāvena prāptāḥ satyaṃ na saṃśayaḥ || 13 ||
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tacchrutvā vismayāviṣṭāstataste lubdhakā drutam |
tyaktvā dhanūṃṣi bāṇāṃśca snānaṃ tatra pracakrire || 4 ||
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snānamātrāttataḥ sarve divyamālyānulepanāḥ |
divyagātradharā sarve saṃjātāḥ pārthivottamāḥ || 15 ||
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ṛṣaya ūcuḥ |
atyāścaryamidaṃ sūta yattvayā parikīrtitam |
snānamātreṇa te prāptā lubdhakāstādṛśaṃ vapuḥ || 16 ||
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tathā mānuṣyamāpannā mṛgāstoyāvagāhanāt |
tatkathaṃ medinīpṛṣṭhe tattīrthaṃ saṃbabhūva ha || 17 ||
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sūta uvāca |
liṃgabhedodbhavaṃ toyaṃ yatpurā vaḥ prakīrtitam |
ācchannaṃ pāṃsubhiḥ kṛtsnaṃ vāyunā śakraśāsanāt || 18 ||
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valmīkaraṃdhramāsādya tanniṣkrāṃtaṃ punardvijāḥ |
kālena mahatā tatra pradeśe svalpameva hi || 19 ||
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yatra snātaḥ purā sadyastriśaṃkuḥ pṛthivīpatiḥ |
divyaṃ vapuḥ punaḥ prāpta ścaṃḍālatvena saṃsthitaḥ || 20 ||
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etasmātkāraṇāttatra snātāḥ sāraṃgalubdhakāḥ |
sarve pāpavinirmuktāḥ saṃprāptāḥ paramaṃ vapuḥ || 21 ||
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