Chapter 24 - Piṅgatīrtha, Narmadā, Dvārāvatī, Timi etc.

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Yudhiṣṭhira said:

1. Now tell me about other holy places described by Vasiṣṭha, on hearing about which sins perish, O Nārada.

Nārada said:

2-6a. O king, now hear about the holy places described by Vasiṣṭha. A self-restrained man, with his senses controlled, obtains (the fruit of) the Agniṣṭoma sacrifice on reaching the southern sea and gets into an aeroplane. A restrained man, having controlled his diet, having reached Carmaṇvatī, and being allowed by Rantideva, would obtain the fruit of (having performed) the Agniṣṭoma sacrifice. Then, O righteous one, he should go to Arbuda (i.e. mountain Abu), the son of Himālaya, where, O Yudhiṣṭhira, there was formerly a fissure in the earth. There is the hermitage of Vasiṣṭha, well-known in the three worlds. Having lived there for a night, he would obtain the fruit of (having given away) a thousand cows (to a brāhmaṇa).

6b-9. O king, a restrained man, having bathed at Piṅgatīrtha, would obtain the fruit of (having donated) a hundred tawny cows (to a brāhmaṇa). Thence he should go to (the holy place) called Prabhāsa which is well-known in the world, O pious one; there Fire himself is always present. O hero, Fire, with Wind as his charioteer, is the mouth of the deities. A man, being pure and having controlled his mind, gets on bathing there the fruit of the Agniṣṭoma^[1] and the Atirātra^[2] (sacrifices).

10-12. Going from there to the confluence of Sarasvatī and the ocean, he, having obtained the fruit of (having donated) a thousand cows, is honoured in heaven. O best among the Bharatas, always shining like fire by means of his lustre, he, with his mind controlled, should bathe in the holy place of the king of waters; and living there for three nights, he should offer oblations to the deities in the form of the manes. He shines like Soma, and obtains (the fruit of) a horse-sacrifice.

13-14a. O best among the Bharatas, O Yudhiṣṭhira, thence he should go to the sacred place called Varadāna where Durvā-sas granted a boon to Viṣṇu. A man having bathed at Varadāna, gets the fruit of (having donated) a thousand cows (to a brāhmaṇa).

14b. Then being restrained and controlled in diet, he should go to Dvārāvatī.

15. A man having bathed at Piṇḍāraka would obtain much gold.

16-20. O you who restrain your enemies, at that holy place, O great king, even now coins marked with lotuses are seen. That is a wonder. O you descendant of Kuru, lotuses marked with tridents are seen. O best among the Bharatas, Mahādeva also dwells there. O you descendant of Bharata, having reached the confluence of the ocean and Sindhu, and having, with a controlled mind, bathed there, and offered oblations to manes, gods and sages, he obtains, shining with his own lustre, Varuṇa’s heaven. O Yudhiṣṭhira, the wise say that having worshipped god Śaṅku-karṇeśvara, he gets ten times the merit obtained by (the performance of) a horse sacrifice.

21-25. Turning to the right, O best among the Bharatas, O best among the Kurus, he should go to the holy place, well known in thethree worlds, named Timi which frees (one) from all sins and where gods like Śakra and others worship Maheśvara. A man having bathed there and having worshipped Rudra, surrounded by hosts of gods, is freed from the sins committed from his birth. O best among men, here is Timi, praised by all gods. O best among men, having bathed there, he would obtain the fruit of (having performed) a horse sacrifice. O very wise one, formerly Viṣṇu conquered there Diti’s son and, O king, made it pure by killing the nuisance (i.e. demons) to gods.

26-28. Thence, O you pious one, he should go to Vasudhārā praised (by all); by just going there, he would obtain the fruit of (having performed) a horse sacrifice. A man having bathed there and with his mind controlled, should, O best among the Kurus, offer oblations to manes and gods. He is honoured in Viṣṇu’s heaven. O best among the Bharatas there is also a great holy place of the Vasus. Having bathed there, and drunk (water from the place) a man is liked by the Vasus.

29. (Then there is) a holy place known as Sindhutama which destroys all sins. O best man, having bathed there (a man) would get much gold.

30-31. Being pure and with his mind controlled, he of good acts and free from passion, obtains (i.e. goes to) Brahmā’s world, on reaching Brahmatuṅga. For the maidens the holy place of Śakra is resorted to by siddhas. Having bathed there, O best of men, he would obtain (i.e. go to) Indra’s heaven.

32-33. There only is the holy place of (i.e. sacred to) Reṇukā. A brāhmaṇa having bathed there would be pure like the moon. Then, being restrained and having controlled his food he, after going to Pañcanada, obtains (i.e. performs) the five sacrifices which have been described in a sequence.

34-38. Thence, O pious one, he should go to the best place of (i.e. sacred to) Bhīma. Having bathed there a man does not go into a womb (i.e. is not reborn). He would be the son of a goddess. There is Kuṇḍalavigraha. (There) he would get the great fruit of (having donated) a hundred thousand cows. Having reached Girikuñja, well-known in the three worlds, and having saluted the Grandsire (there), he would obtain the fruit (of having given away) a thousand cows (to a brāhmaṇa). O righteous one, from there he should go to the excellent holy place (called) Vimala, where even now golden and silver fish are seen. O best of men, having bathed there, he would obtain the fruit of (having performed) a Vājapeya sacrifice; and with his soul purified of all sins he would get the highest position.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Agniṣṭoma: Name of a protracted sacrificial rite extending over several days in spring and forming an essential part of the Jyotiṣṭoma sacrifice.

[2]:

Atirātra: An optional part of Jyotiṣṭoma sacrifice.