Chapter 95 - The Greatness of Nārāyaṇa Tīrtha

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya said:

1-10. Thereafter, one should go to the excellent Badaryāśrama, O great king. It has been formerly mentioned by Śaṃbhu as the most meritorious and excellent Tīrtha of all Tīrthas.

Kirīṭin (i.e. Arjuna), your brother, also called Phālguna, became a Siddha there for the sake of the descendants of Bharata. Know that he is Nara with divine features.

Both of them, Nara and Nārāyaṇa came to the banks of Narmadā. Knowledge is attained only by him who is devoted to Janārdana.

One who is impartial towards all beings, mobile as well as immobile, Brāhmaṇa as well as Cāṇḍāla, gets the favour of Janārdana. He is pleased with him.

O son of Kuntī, see the identity between me and other Ātmans. There never is any difference. The Badarikāśrama penance-grove has been made by Nara and Nārāyaṇa.

For the purpose of blessing the worlds, Śaṅkara was installed there. The Liṅga installed by the triad of deities opens the path to heaven and then to salvation.

After going there, a devotee should remain clean and observe fast for a night. Eschewing Rajas and Tamas, he should adopt Sāttvika attitude. At night he should keep awake. The festival days are the eighth day in the month of Madhu and the fourteenth day of either half. Particularly that of Āśvina month has been spoken to you, O son of Pāṇḍu. With great devotion he should bathe the Bull-emblemed Lord with milk along with honey. This mixed with curds and sugar-candy to which ghee is added, is the holy Pañcāmṛta with which the Lord is to be bathed.

11-21. If a devotee perceives Śiva being bathed duly, and he has devotion and absence of envy, his residence is near Śiva in the world of Śakra. There is no doubt at all.

If obeisance is made to the Trident-bearing Lord even insincerely, it shall act as the unraveller of the bondage of the worldly existence.

If the practice of reciting the Mantra “oṃ namaḥ śivāya” is stabilised by the devotee, it is as good as everything is studied and heard and performed by him.

The devotee with sense-organs subdued should take one meal a day and devoutly bathe the Lord. O son of Kuntī, I shall mention a bit of the benefit he is sure to attain.

Though afflicted by old age I shall speak out of my affection for you. They pierce the solar zone and enter the greatest place (supreme position).

He and people like him become full of all happiness in the world. The fact that they are the abodes of pious rites shall be a surprise to the kinsmen. O Lord of the earth, they are endowed with the fulfilment of all desires on the earth.

The devotee shall perform Śrāddha there itself with the mixture of the waters of Narmadā through well qualified Brāhmaṇas of noble birth and mastery over the Vedas, who are of handsome features and good conduct, who are virtuous and devoted to their own wives, who have been born in the Āryadeśa, who are adepts and possess excellent physical forms.

The offering of the balls of rice should be done when the Sun is in the last Muhūrta of the day, if the person wishes for the greatest world of the Pitṛs, O son of Dharma.

A person should cautiously avoid those Brāhmaṇas who are squint-eyed, wicked and hypocritical, who are ruthless men, eunuchs and those who slander Brāhmaṇas. One shall avoid these Brāhmaṇas if one wishes for one’s welfare.

22-28. Hence with all efforts one should resort to a deserving, well-qualified Brāhmaṇa. He shall then redeem the departed ones from hells, the chief whereof is Kuṃbhīpāka.

Thus there shall be salvation of all the Pitṛs, O Prince. Uttering “May my Pitāmaha be pleased” the devotee should give gold to Brāhmaṇas.

To them he should give cooked rice, and garments with devotion. He should give a cow, bullock, land and an umbrella, all of good qualities. That man attains Svarga. So said Lord Śaṅkara.

One who gives up his life through fire, water or starvation shall go to Śiva’s palace.

On the banks of Naranārāyaṇī or in Devadroṇī, O king, one should perform holy rites. He dwells in the presence of Īśvara as long as fourteen Indras complete their reign. Slipping down again from heaven he becomes a powerful king endowed with all prosperity and good qualities and alert in protecting the subjects. Then he remembers that Tīrtha and comes back to the same Tīrtha.