The Padma Purana

by N.A. Deshpande | 1951 | 1,261,945 words | ISBN-10: 8120838297 | ISBN-13: 9788120838291

This page describes kanyatirtha, saptasarasvata, prithudaka, sannihiti, etc. which is chapter 27 of the English translation of the Padma Purana, one of the largest Mahapuranas, detailling ancient Indian society, traditions, geography, as well as religious pilgrimages (yatra) to sacred places (tirthas). This is the twenty-seventh chapter of the Svarga-khanda (section on the heavens) of the Padma Purana, which contains six books total consisting of at least 50,000 Sanskrit metrical verses.

Disclaimer: These are translations of Sanskrit texts and are not necessarily approved by everyone associated with the traditions connected to these texts. Consult the source and original scripture in case of doubt.

Chapter 27 - Kanyātīrtha, Saptasārasvata, Pṛthūdaka, Sannihiti, etc.

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Nārada said:

1-11. O you pious one, then a man should go to the excellent holy place (called) Kanyātīrtha. A man having bathed at Kanyā-tīrtha would obtain the fruit of Agniṣṭoma (sacrifice). Thence, O best among men, a man should go to the excellent place of Brahmā. Having bathed there a man of a low caste obtains brāhmaṇahood; and a brāhmaṇa, with his soul purified, would go to the highest position. Thence, O best among men, a man should go to the excellent Somatīrtha. Having bathed there, O king, a man would obtain (i.e., go to) Soma’s world. Thence, O king, he should go to the holy place (called) Saptasārasvata where (lived) Maṅkaṇaka, a siddha, a brāhmaṇic sage, famous in the world. O king, it is heard that formerly Maṅkaṇaka was injured on his hand by the tip of Kuśa (i.e., darbha). From it vegetable juice flowed. The brāhmaṇic sage of a great penance seeing that vegetable juice and being full of great joy and with his eyes dilated due to amazement, danced. Then, when he danced, all that was immovable and movable, both, being deluded by his lustre, danced. O king, gods like Brahmā, and also sages with penance as their wealth, requested Mahādeva (i.e., Śiva) for the sake of the sage, “O god, please act in such a way that this (sage) would not dance.” Then the god seeing the sage dancing with his mind full of joy said, with a desire for the good of the deities, to the sage: “O pious, great sage, why are you dancing? O best sage, what is the cause of your joy today?”

The sage said:

12-24a. O best brāhmaṇa, O brahman, do you not see that from this wound incurred by me, an ascetic following the righteous path, vegetable juice has flowed, seeing which, I, full of great joy, have been dancing?

Laughing at the sage overwhelmed by emotion the god said: “O brāhmaṇa, I am not amazed. Look at me.” O best among men, having said so, Mahādeva, at that time, struck his thumb with the tip of his finger, O sinless one. From his wound ashes resembling snow came out. O king, seeing it, the sage, being ashamed, fell at (Śiva’s) feet. (The sage said:) “I do not think there is anything superior to god Rudra. O you trident-holder, you are the refuge of the world (consisting) of the gods and the demons. You have created this universe—the three worlds with the mobile and the immobile. At the end of the yuga all enter you only. Even gods cannot know you. How (then) can I? O you sinless one, in you are seen all gods like Indra. You always are the all-in-all and you fashion and get fashioned the worlds. Through your grace the gods, having no fear from anywhere, rejoice here.” Having praised Mahādeva like this, the sage bowed (before him) and said: “O Mahādeva, by your favour my penance does not perish.” Then the god, with his mind pleased, said to the brāhmaṇic sage: “O brāhmaṇa, by my grace may your penance grow thousandfold. O great sage, I shall stay with you in this hermitage. For those who have bathed at (the holy place called) Saptasārasvata, nothing will be difficult to be obtained in this or in the next world. They would go to the world of Sarasvatī. There is no doubt about this.”

24b-3la. Having spoken like this Mahādeva disappeared there only. Thence (a man) should go to (the holy place called) Auśanasa well-known in the three worlds, where gods like Brahmā and sages with penance as their wealth (dwell), and where the revered Kārtikeya lived for doing good (to his devotees), O Bhārgava. (Then there is) the holy place called Kapālamocana which destroys all sins. O best of men, having bathed there a man is freed from all sins. Thence he should go to Agni-tīrtha. O best of Bharatas, having bathed there he obtains (i.e., goes to) Agni’s world, and would liberate his family. O best among Bharatas, the tīrtha of (i.e., sacred to) Viśvāmitra is there only. O great king, having bathed there, he is born in a brāhmaṇa family. With a pure and controlled mind he should go to Brahmayoni. O best of men, having bathed there he goes to Brahmā’s heaven and undoubtedly purifies his family up to the seventh (descendant).

31b-40. Then, O lord of kings, he should go to the holy place well-known in the three worlds as Pṛthūdaka and said to be of (i.e., sacred to) Kārtikeya. Engaged in the worship of the deities and manes, he should bathe there. O descendant of Bharata, all the bad deeds done by a man or a woman knowingly or unknowingly through (limited) human intelligence, perish by just bathing there. He (or she) obtains the fruit of a horse sacrifice and heaven also. Kurukṣetra is said to be holy. Sarasvatī is said to be (holier) than Kurukṣetra. The holy places are superior to Sarasvatī. Pṛthūdaka is superior to the holy places. He who intent upon muttering (the names of the lord) casts his body at Pṛthutīrtha, the best of all holy places, would not have birth and rebirth. It is sung (praised) by Sanatkumara and by the noble Vyāsa also, and also, O king, it is ordained by the Veda (that a man) should go to Pṛthūdaka. O best of men, there is no auspicious place better than Pṛthūdaka. It is sacred, pure and purifying. There is no doubt about this. Even sinful persons go to heaven after having bathed there, i.e., at Pṛthūdaka. Thus the wise say, O best of men. Just there is a holy place (called) Madhusrava, O best of Bharatas. O king, having bathed there a man would obtain the fruit of (having given) a thousand cows.

41-47. Thence, O best among men, he should, according to the order, go to the place of (i.e., sacred to) the goddess, i.e. to the confluence of Sarasvatī and Aruṇā, which is well-known in the world. Having fasted (there) for three nights and having bathed (there), he is absolved of (the sin of) the murder of a brāhmaṇa. Also he sanctifies his family up to the seventh (member). There is no doubt about this. O you who perpetuate the Kuru-family, there only is a holy place called Avakīrṇa, which was formerly fashioned for the sake of brāhmaṇas by Darbhin. By (practising) vows (and undergoing) thread ceremony, fasting, a twice-born undoubtedly becomes a brāhmaṇa endowed with (i.e., knowing) rites and hymns. It is an ancient observation that a brāhmaṇa who is without any rite or (sacred) hymns would become a brāhmaṇa who has observed vows. Darbhin also brought together the four oceans. O best of men, having bathed there, a man would not have (i.e., meet with) misfortune; and he obtains the fruits of (having donated) four thousand cows.

48-49. Thence, O lord of kings, he should go to the holy place (called) Śatasahasraka. (A holy place called) Sahasraka is there only. (These) two holy places are well-known in the world. A man having bathed at (these) two (holy places) would obtain the fruit of (having given) a thousand cows. A gift (given here) or a fast (observed at these holy places) would be thousandfold (effective).

50-52a. From there, O lord of kings, he should go to the excellent (place called) Reṇukātīrtha. Engaged in worshipping manes and deities he should bathe there. With manes and deities he should bathe there. With his soul freed from all sins, he would obtain the fruit of an Agniṣṭoma sacrifice. With his anger subdued (i.e., not being excitable) and his senses controlled, he, having (i.e., he who has) bathed at (the holy place called) Vimocana, is completely free from sins born of receiving donations.

52b-58a. Thence, being chaste and with his senses controlled, he should go to Pañcavaṭa. Being endowed with great religious merit, he is honoured in heaven. Here, Sthāṇu (i.e., Śiva) the lord of the meditating saints having the bull for his banner, himself (resides). (Then) there is the holy place which is sacred to Varuṇa called Taijasa shining with its own lustre, where at that (i.e., old) time gods like Brahmā and others and sages with penance as their wealth, consecrated Guha (i.e., Kārtikeya) as the general (of the army of gods). O you perpetuating the Kuru family, to the east of Taijasa is Kurutīrtha. A chaste man who has controlled his senses, has his soul purified of all sins after bathing at Kurutīrtha. Being restrained and with his diet controlled he should thence go to Svargadvāra. He obtains (the fruit of) an Agniṣṭoma (sacrifice) and obtains (i.e., goes to) the world of Brahmā.

58b-62a. Thence, O lord of men, a pilgrim should go to the holy place (called) Anaraka. O king, having bathed there a man would not obtain (i.e., meet with) misfortune. Brahmā himself is always honoured there with gods. O best among men, with those whose origin is the highest Nārāyaṇa, he remains at the Rudravedī, O you who perpetuate the Kuru family. Having approached that goddess, he would not get (i.e., meet with) misfortune. Having gone to Mahādeva, the master of the world and the lord of Umā (who resides) there only, he is freed from all sins.

62b-68a. O you who subdue your enemies, the man having gone to Padmanābha Nārāyaṇa, shines, and goes to Viṣṇu’s heaven. O lord of men, a man who has simply bathed at the places holy to all deities, gets free from all his miseries and always shines like Śiva. Thence, O king, a pilgrim should go to Asthipura. Having reached (that) purifying holy place, he should offer oblations to the manes and deities. O descendant of Bharata, he obtains the fruit of an Agniṣṭoma sacrifice. There is the (holy place called) Gaṅgāhrada, the pool, O best among the Bharatas. In that pool there are three crores of holy places. O king, a man bathing there is honoured and goes to Brahmā’s world. A man having bathed in the river and having worshipped the great god (i.e., Śiva), gets the highest position and would liberate his family also.

68b-69a. Thence be should go to Sthāṇuvaṭa, well-known in the three worlds. Having bathed there and having stayed there for a night, he would obtain (i.e., go to) Rudra’s world.

69b-73a. Then he should go to the grove of badarīs, and then to Vasiṣṭha’s hermitage, where a man having fasted for three nights, eats badarī (fruits). A man who eats badarī (fruits) for twelve years and he who fasts for three nights are on par, O king. Having reached Indramārga, O king, a pilgrim is honoured in Brahmā’s heaven.

73b-76a. Thence, O lord of kings, a man should go to the holy place well-known in the three worlds, where there is the hermitage of Āditya (i.e., the Sun) who, the magnanimous one, is the mass of lustre. A man having bathed there and worshipped the Sun, goes to the Sun’s heaven, and would also liberate his family. O you who perpetuate the Kuru family, a man bathing at the Somatīrtha undoudtedly obtains (i.e., goes to) Soma’s world.

76b-80a. O you pious one, O king, a man should thence go to the auspicious, holy place of Dadhīci, which is purifying and which is well-known in the world, where Sarasvatī, the treasure of penance, obtained perfection. Having bathed at that holy place, a man would obtain the fruit of a Vājapeya sacrifice. There is no doubt that he also has a mind (to reach) goddess Sarasvatī. Being controlled and chaste and devoutly observing a fast he should go to Kanyāśrama, and having stayed there for three nights he would obtain a hundred daughters and he goes to Brahmā’s world.

80b-85. Thence, O pious one, he should go to the holy place (called) Sannihiti where gods like Brahmā and sages having penance as their treasure, endowed with great merit, gather every month. Having bathed at Sannihiti when the sun is eclipsed by Rāhu (i.e., on the day of solar eclipse), he thereby gets (the fruit of) a hundred horse sacrifices and desired objects eternally. O lord of men, whichever holy places there are on the earth or in the sky, and also wells and brāhmaṇas and auspicious abodes, all those, O king, undoubtedly will come (i.e., come) on the new moon day in every month to Sannihiti, O best among men. (The holy place) is well-known on the earth as Sannihiti because of the presence of holy places (there). Having bathed and drunk (water) there, a man is honoured in heaven.

86-89a. (Now) listen to the meritorious fruit of the Śrāddha that a man performs on a new moon day or when the sun is eclipsed by Rāhu. A man who has just bathed there and who performs a śrāddha (there) obtains the fruit of a thousand horse sacrifices properly performed. There is no doubt that whatever bad deed of (i.e., is done by) a woman or a man, all that perishes merely by bathing (there). He goes to Brahmā’s world in a car having lotus-like colour.

89b-91. Then with (the announcement of) his name he should (salute) Macakruka. O best of Bharatas, the pool of Gaṅgā is there only. O you pious one, a man being restrained and calm should bathe there. (Such) a man obtains the fruit of Rājasūya and Aśvamedha (sacrifices). On the earth Naimiṣa is holy and Puṣkara in the sky.

92-96. In the three worlds Kurukṣetra is distinguished. Even the particles of dust greatly shaken by wind take even a sinful person to the best position (i.e., salvation). Those who live in Kurukṣetra on the northern (bank) of Sarasvatī and to the south of (the holy place called) Sarasvatī, live in heaven. Even by just uttering these words: “I shall go to kurukṣetra; I shall stay at Kurukṣetra”, a man is honoured in heaven. O king, auspicious Kurukṣetra resorted to by brāhmaṇic sages, is at Brahmavedī. Those who live there, are not to be grieved over. The five on the boundary of Kurukṣetra—the distance between Taraṇḍa and Kāraṇḍaka, between the pools of (i.e., sacred to) Paraśurāma and Macakruka—are called the Uttaravedi of the Grandsire.

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