The Skanda Purana
by G. V. Tagare | 1950 | 2,545,880 words
This page describes The Greatness of Dhautapapa Tirtha which is chapter 110 of the English translation of the Skanda Purana, the largest of the eighteen Mahapuranas, preserving the ancient Indian society and Hindu traditions in an encyclopedic format, detailling on topics such as dharma (virtous lifestyle), cosmogony (creation of the universe), mythology (itihasa), genealogy (vamsha) etc. This is the one hundred tenth chapter of the Reva-khanda of the Avantya-khanda of the Skanda Purana.
Chapter 110 - The Greatness of Dhautapāpa Tīrtha
[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]
Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya said:
1-5. Thereafter, one should go to Dhautapāpa Tīrtha that destroys great sins. It was created by Viṣṇu formerly and is very near to Cakra Tīrtha.
Janārdana, the Lord of Devas, incurred (enormous) sin as a result of the slaughter of the terrible Dānavas. It was to dispel that sin that he made this Tīrtha and performed a severe penance at that Tīrtha after subduing anger.
He observed the vow of silence, too difficult for Devas and Dānavas. He took the holy bath and made different kinds of gifts to Brāhmaṇas. Instantly he was liberated from the sin and he went to his Vaiṣṇava region.
Similarly one who commits grave sin but takes the holy bath there and performs Japa in accordance with the injunctions, becomes free from the sin.