Chapter 50 - Impact of Koṭi Tīrtha

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Pulastya said:

1. Then one has to go to Koṭi Tīrtha which is a destroyer of all sins. Among the centres of pilgrimage, the king, the birth of Koṭi was not preceded by any special effort or by undertaking any specific perseverance.

2. The king, when the difficult Kali Yuga came on earth, most of the people became mean and most of the places of pilgrimage began to lose vigour and shake with agitation.

3. There were about three and a half crore places of pilgrimage on Earth. From them about one crore places of pilgrimage were situated on the Arbuda mountain.

4. There were one crore in Puṣkara followed by another one crore in Kurukṣetra. There were about half a crore in Vārāṇasī. Such is the figures of centres of pilgrimage as sung by the gods themselves. O king! all gods together used to protect them.

5. Whenever they (i.e. the places of pilgrimage) got seized with the fear of pollution by the touch of meanness, they began to shift and got stationed here (i.e., at Koṭi) in greater number.

6. There are three and a half crore centres of pilgrimage on this Earth which take away all sins.

7. Hence with due endeavour one needs to follow the religious ritual of having a bath there especially on the thirteenth day of the waning period of Moon in the month of Bhādrapada (i.e., September).

8. O king! it is beyond doubt that activities such as taking a bath here or taking the name of God repeatedly or conduct of sacrificial fire here yield three crore times the results/fruits in comparison to other places of pilgrimage.