Chapter 7 - The Greatness of Pañcadhārā and Other Tīrthas

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Śiva said:

1. On the south-west thereof, five streams of water flow down. Know that they are Prabhāsa, Puṣkara, Gayā, Naimiṣa and Kurukṣetra in liquid (water) form, O Six-faced One.

2. Formerly those intelligent ones went to the abode of Brahmā in unclean forms, (because) they had been polluted by the sins of sinners.

3. After going there and bowing down to Brahmā, the sanctifier of the worlds, all of them stood there with palms joined in reverence and told the purpose of their arrival.

4. On hearing it the Lord of the universe went into a trance. On recollecting Badarikāśrama he smiled and spoke the following sweet words:

5. “Do not be afraid. Go quickly to Badarikāśrama of Had by entering which great merit will accrue to you.”

6. Then they bowed down to Brahmā and with their eyes (like) full-blown (lotus) on account of excessive delight, they went to Viśālā of unmeasured lustre.

7. The moment they entered Viśālā, all their sins were dispelled. Thereafter, they assumed two forms and eagerly went to their own abode.

8-10. In liquid (water) form as well as in another all those five stand free from the impurities. By taking bath in accordance with the injunctions in those Tīrthas and by performing the daily routine of holy rites with purity, one obtains the merit of the respective Tīrtha and attains the greatest position in the end. One who is engaged in the observance of fasts for five days and then worships Janārdana, enjoys many worldly pleasures here and (after death) attains Sālokya (i.e. residence in the same world as that) of Hari.

11. Beyond that is the Tīrtha free of impurities, named Somakuṇḍa. It is the place where Soma, the storehouse of digits, performed a penance.

Skanda said:

12. O you the most excellent one among eloquent beings, describe to me the greatness of Somakuṇḍa. O great Lord, I wish to hear about it with your favour.

Śiva said:

13. Formerly Soma, the glorious son of Atri, attained youth. From Gandharvas he frequently heard that heaven-dwellers enjoy (perpetual) happiness. Then he went to his father to ask him how it could be obtained.

Soma said:

14-15. O holy lord conversant with all pious activities, O ocean of the nectar of mercy, how can heaven that is the most excellent of all, be obtained? Kindly tell me, O father, that (holy) means through which I shall become Lord of Planets, Stars, Constellations and Medicinal Herbs.

Atri said:

16. O son, if one propitiates Govinda by means of restraints and pious observances, what is difficult of access to him? Nothing is difficult to be obtained by good people in this world and in the other world.

17. From Nārada he heard that (Badarī), the holy place, is excellent and free from impurities. After bowing down to his father, he went to the North, to Badarī.

18. After going there, he performed the worship of Viṣṇu by means of pure and praiseworthy fruits. He performed Japa of the excellent and charming eight-syllabled Mantra (viz. oṃ nārāyaṇāya namaḥ).

19. For eighty thousand years he performed the excessively austere, great penance with the Lord in view. It was the cause of great panic to all the worlds.

20. Then the delighted Lord, fond of his devotees, came there and spoke to Soma duly: “O devotee of excellent holy rites, choose your boon.”

21. Then Soma got up, bowed to him again and again and said: “With thy favour I wish to be Lord of Planets, Stars and Constellations as well as all the Brāhmaṇas.”

Hari said:

22. Choose another boon that is more difficult to obtain to people like you.

Then he did not choose any boon, O Son of the Daughter of Himavān.

23. With his mind excessively distressed, Soma performed a great penance once again for thirty thousand years by the standard of gods, O dear son.

24. At that time, with his heart filled with pity, the Lord went there and said, “Welfare unto you. Choose a boon. I am the bestower of boons in front of you.” Soma chose a boon like the one before. On hearing it, Hari vanished.

25. Thereupon Soma who became more distressed performed a great penance once again. A very difficult penance was performed (by him) for forty thousand years.

26. Thereupon, the delighted Hari appeared directly before him holding the conch, the discus and the iron club. He spoke these charming words to the exhausted Soma, the storehouse of penance:

27. “Get up, get up; welfare unto you. Choose a boon, O (devotee) of holy rites. I, the storehouse of penances, have been certainly propitiated by you by means of penance.”

Soma said:

28. If you are delighted with me, O holy Lord, the most prominent bestower of boons, grant unto me the lordship of Planets, Constellations and Stars as well as of Medicinal Herbs, Brāhmaṇas and Night, O Lord of the universe.

Śrī Bhagavān said:

29. A thing very difficult to obtain has been prayed for, O dear one. Yet I shall grant it. Let it be so.

Thereupon all the heaven-dwellers came there and duly crowned Soma as the king with great respect.

30. Thereupon the Moon-god came in a chariot covered with fine cloths. He then got into the aerial chariot. Being eulogized by Suras, he rose into the firmament.

31. Ever since then that Tīrtha became well-known as Somakuṇḍa. It is a rare sacred place. Merely by seeing it, men become rid of their faults and sins.

32-34. Even persons of despicable nature go to Soma’s world by touching it and drinking its waters. By taking the holy bath in it, by propitiating Pitṛs and Devas in accordance with the injunctions, the devotee shall pierce Soma’s world and pass on to the world of Viṣṇu.

If anyone observes fast for three days and worships Janārdana, he never returns to the earth even in the course of hundreds and crores of Kalpas.

If a person stays there for three days, worships Janārdana, performs particular Japas, he can achieves mastery over Mantras.

35. By visiting Somakuṇḍa, all the sins of men, committed mentally, verbally or physically, shall be destroyed.

36. Beyond that is the Dvādaśāditya Tīrtha which is a great destroyer of sins. By performing a very difficult penance here a son of Kaśyapa became the Sun-god.

37. It is very difficult to get (a Tīrtha like this) in all the three worlds. It is the sole cause for success of penance. On Sundays, the seventh lunar day and on the days of the transit of the Sun (from one Zodiac to another), one should take his holy bath in accordance with the injunctions. He becomes purified, of all the sins committed in the course of seven births.

38. One shall perform the Pārāka^[1] expiatory rites duly and worship Janārdana. He will rejoice in the world of the Sun and will be honoured in the world of Viṣṇu.

39. One who is afflicted with severe illness should take bath and drink its water with mental and physical purity. Ere long he will be liberated from ailments. There is no doubt about it.

40. The next Tīrtha is Catuḥsrota. It is very fascinating to the eyes. The four aims of life, Dharma (virtue), Artha (wealth), Kāma (love) and Mokṣa (salvation), stay there in liquid form.

41. In compliance of the behest of Hari in this Vaiṣṇava holy place, the Puruṣārthas (aims of life) themselves in liquefied form are the causes of the salvation of all living beings.

42. The aims of life with Dharma as the most important one occupy the quarters beginning with the East in due order. They are there as if they have separate bodies. If people worship them as they occupy (the quarters) in due order, indeed people will derive perpetual pleasure.

43. In other holy places these four have not come together like this. They are not obtainable even to gods. Those who have masses of merit acquired before, take birth as Brāhmaṇas and see them.

44-45.^[2] Those who are wicked, those who are in league with vicious people, those who are like only pet short animals of vulgar womenfolk, may give importance to forbearance, straightforwardness, and vital breaths. They do not see the aims of human life even after a long time.

Similarly they find ere long those aims of life that may cause Tattvajñāna (knowledge of the Truth).

46. Devas beginning with Brahmā, sages and ascetics come here during Parvan days with great purity, in order to take their holy bath, O Six-faced One.

47-50. There, beyond that is the Tīrtha named Satyapada. It is charming to all. This Kuṇḍa is in the shape of a triangle. It is destructive of sins. On the eleventh day (in the lunar fortnight) Hari himself comes to that holy spot. After him come all the sages, saints and ascetics, in order to take their bath duly in the Kuṇḍa named Satyapada. A few persons who are devoutly engaged in the practice of truth hear the song of Ganḍharvas and celestial damsels at midday on the eleventh day. On seeing this holy Tīrtha even great sins flee with fright like deer on seeing a lion.

51. A clever devotee should take holy bath in accordance with the injunctions of one’s own branch (of Vedas). Thereby he attains Satyaloka. Thereafter he attains salvation.

52. One should be pure (mentally and physically) and observe fast for a day and a night. Then he should worship Janārdana in accordance with his capacity. He shall be worthy of being a liberated soul even while alive.

53. Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Rudra are stationed in a triangle. They perform penance with perfect concentration everyday for giving delight to all the worlds.

54. This Tīrtha which gives the region of Satya(-loka), named Trikoṇamaṇḍita should be visisted with great effort by those who desire to be rid of all sins.

55. It is impossible even for Brahmā to express the greatness of those who perform Japa, penance, eulogy of Hari, worship, adoration and salutation to Hari.

56. Beyond that is the hermitage of Nara and Nārāyaṇa, named Ativimala. There the pure water is seen in two forms.

57. Both of them will be certainly delighted with both of these. One who takes bath there with determination and worships Janārdana shall certainly be liberated from all sins.

58. Thereafter, a sacred Tīrtha^[3] of fine shape on the summit that is the abode of Nārāyaṇa, is the manifestor of Urvaśī (i.e. her birth place).

Skanda said:

59. O father, how did Uravaśī reveal herself on that summit? What is the merit and the benefit of that holy Tīrtha there? I have great curiosity. Recount it to me.

Śiva said:

60. Mūrti was the wife of Dharma, O Six-faced One. Nara and Nārāyaṇa were born to her. The Lord himself was born (of her).

61. Getting the sanction from their parents, they determined to perform penance. They stationed themselves on the two mountains like personifications of penance itself.

62-63. On seeing them, Śakra was surprised. He sent Manmatha (i.e. the god of love) along with his group, so that the penance might be (disturbed and) destroyed. They went to Gandhamādana with pride in their exploits. Realizing the rise in the strength of Nārāyaṇa duly, they lost their hope and they became dispirited. The Lord of the universe said to them:

Hari said:

64-66. Why have you come? Let my hospitality be accepted.

After saying this he gave them fruits and roots as well as Urvaśī. Then he vanished even as they stood observing her as one who might cause obstruction to the penance. They became frightened and went to heaven where they mentioned to Śakra about the strength of Hari. On getting Urvaśī Śakra experienced ecstatic delight.

67-68. Ever since then, that Tīrtha became famous separately after the name of Urvaśī. In the place where the Lord sits engrossed in penance, a devotee should take his bath in accordance with the injunctions and observe fast for two nights. By worshipping Hari there Nara (Man) becomes Nārāyaṇa himself.

69. A man who reaches Urvaśīkuṇḍa and takes his bath there with an ardent desire obtains the world of Urvaśī, O dear son.

70. Near Urvaśīkuṇḍa the Lord is always present in the (posture of) performing a penance, contemplating on the well-being of all living beings.

71. Above it even wind bears the fragrance obtained solely from the lotus-like feet of the Lord of Śrī. If those who are afflicted by the sins of Kali come into contact with it, they will never suffer due to the mass of sins.

72. (Defective Text) A person who is dejected due to the glory of (his high) office attained delight by the power of the contact with it. He serves Acyuta alone in the cavity of the mountain. Bearing the pair of the feet of the Lord of Śrī all round, he becomes calm in the wind.

73. Even a worm which is full of excessive sins laughs at Devas because, stationed in that holy spot, all his evils have been subdued and he has become devoid of desires. Indeed that region is obtained after abandoning the flower which has become sport due to his contact(?).

74. After going to that place, the minds of sages are not aware of external objects, because they (their minds) are fixed to the lotuslike feet (of the Lord). The Lord of the earth stationed there, allots his own region to the people coining in due order.

75. There are many Tīrthas on the mountain resorted to by Nārāyaṇa. They are destructive of all sins instantaneously. I know them but the common people do not.

76. In the terrible cave of Saṃsāra where (the existence of) the Ātman is concealed, after reaching Urvaśīkuṇḍa a man should stay there for a day.

77. To the southern side of Urvaśīkuṇḍa, there are the weapons of the Lord of the universe. By seeing them one will not meet with any danger from weapons.

78. He who listens to this devoutly or he who reads or recites this with concentration shall be rid of all sins. He attains Sālokya of Hari.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Pārāka: Also called Kṛcchra by some (Baudhāyana Dh. S. II.1-91). It consists of a twelve-day fast. This penance removes all sins. For details vide Manu XI.215. Yājñavalkya III.320, Baudhāyana Dh.S. IV.5.16, AP 171.10.

[2]:

In v44 the second line: kṣamārijaya-prāṇa-jaya-pradhānā, should form the 4th line of the verse and should meaningfully be connected with verse 45. Thus lines 3 & 4 of verse 44 form one meaningful sentence, viz. “Those wicked people who are in league with the vicious, like pet animals of vulgar women, do not see (i.e. attain) for a long time the Puruṣārthas.”

Line 2 of v 44 taken with v 45 means “Those persons who are mainly characterised by forbearance, straightforwardness, control of breath (or Yogic practice) similarly look (i.e. achieve) ere long those objectives of human life which are caused only by the knowledge of Truth.

[3]:

This is difficult to climb even now-a-days. The Purāṇas claim Urvaśī’s birth from Nārāyaṇa whose laps (uru) she is said to have occupied (√vas). Her name suggests that she must have been a resident of Ur in Central Asia.