The Skanda Purana
by G. V. Tagare | 1950 | 2,545,880 words
This page describes Greatness of the Manushya Tirtha which is chapter 28 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 twenty-eighth chapter of the Arbuda-khanda of the Prabhasa Khanda of the Skanda Purana.
Chapter 28 - Greatness of the Manuṣya Tīrtha
[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]
Pulastya said:
1. Then O best king! one has to go to that pool known as ‘human pool’ which is very auspicious. By having a bath there, man attains humanness for ever.
2. Despite having committed great sins, he does not become a foetus in the wombs of animals and birds. There was an astounding happening there in this regard which has no comparison. O king! listen to that.
3. Following a flock of deer, the hunters had spread out in all directions and they were present everywhere. Frightened, those deer then entered into middle of the water.
4. But then as soon as they remembered their previous birth, they instantly attained human-hood. Coinciding this, the hunters, altogether appeared before them.
5. Bearing bows and arrows in hands, all the hunters appeared as if they were servants of Yama. Then they asked all those deer the bearers of human bodies as to how could human-hood arrive on them.
6. We had come here to get hold of the deer who have taken resort in the middle of water. By which way could we bring their end by swiftly killing them for we all have been tired of hunger and thirst in particular?
The deer in human bodies said:
7. While being deer, all of us have become humans by taking a resort here. This has been possible as an effect of this place of pilgrimage. This is the truth beyond any doubt.
Pulastya said:
8. Then having foresaken [forsaken?] all their bows and arrows and having had a bath in the water there, all those earthly beings, O king! who had come to the mountains, attained fulfilment.
9. Thereafter O king! Indra having seen this place of pilgrimage as taking away sins of all, embanked this pool with earth completely and from all sides, so that it does not get polluted.
10. O king! even today, human beings who take a bath here, never follow the pursuit of animalhood.
11. Through Śrāddha accompanied with charities and a bath here, the results equivalent to that of the sacrificial fire conducted in memory of one’s forefathers, can be obtained here.