Mahabharata Vol. 3 (Penguin Translated Texts) Page 4

  ‘“There is in the world of men a tirtha of the god of the gods. It is famous in the three worlds and is known by the name of Pushkara.23 Those who are immensely fortunate go there. O lord of the earth! At the time of the three sandhyas,24 ten thousand crores of tirthas can be found in Pushkara. O lord! Adityas,25 Vasus,26 Rudras,27 the Sadhyas,28 with the Maruts29 and gandharvas and apsaras30 are always present there. O great king! It was there that the gods, demons and brahmarshis performed austerities and attained great merits and celestial yoga.31 Even if one only desires Pushkara in one’s mind, all the sins of that intelligent one are cleansed and he is revered in the vault of heaven. The immensely fortunate grandfather32 always dwells there, happily worshipped by the gods and the demons. O immensely fortunate one! It was in Pushkara that the gods, with the rishis at the forefront, attained salvation and great merits. The learned ones say that he who bathes there and worships the gods and the ancestors, obtains ten times the merits of an ashvamedha.33 O Bhishma! He who goes to Pushkara forest and feeds only a single brahmana, obtains through that deed happiness in this life and the afterlife. If he himself survives on vegetables, roots and fruits and faithfully and respectfully offers that to a brahmana, that wise man obtains the fruits of a horse sacrifice. O supreme among kings! Great-souled brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaishyas and shudras who bathe in this tirtha are not reborn as inferior species. O bull among the Bharata lineage! A man who specially goes to Pushkara at the time of the full moon in the month of Kartika extends his merits and they become inexhaustible. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! He who joins his hands in salutation and remembers Pushkara in the morning and the evening attains the fruits of bathing in all the tirthas. That man obtains Brahma’s eternal world, without decay. Whatever sins a woman or a man has committed since birth are all instantly destroyed from bathing in Pushkara. O king! Just as Madhusudana34 is the origin of all the gods, Pushkara is known as the origin of all the tirthas. He who lives constantly and purely in Pushkara for twelve years obtains all the sacrifices35 and attains Brahma’s world. He who performs agnihotra36 for one hundred years and he who lives in Pushkara on the night of the full moon in Kartika are like equals. It is difficult to go to Pushkara. It is difficult to perform austerities in Pushkara. It is difficult to donate in Pushkara. It is extremely difficult to live there.

  ‘“Having lived in Pushkara for twelve nights, restrained and with a controlled diet, one should circumambulate it and go to Jambumarga.37 Jambumarga is frequented by the gods, the rishis and the ancestors and once one has entered, one obtains the fruits of a horse sacrifice and goes to Vishnu’s world. A man who lives there for five nights and eats once in three days never confronts calamity and achieves supreme success. Having left Jambumarga, one goes to Tandulikashrama and never confronts calamity, being worshipped in heaven. O king! He who goes to Agastya’s38 lake and engages himself in worshipping the ancestors and the gods, residing there for three nights, obtains the merits of an agnishtoma.39 He lives there on vegetables and fruits and obtains the supreme abode of Kumara.40 He then reaches Kanva’s41 hermitage, full of prosperity and worshipped in the world. O bull among the Bharata lineage! From the beginning, that has been a sacred forest, full of dharma. As soon as one enters there, one is freed from all sins. He who restrains himself and controls his diet there, worshipping the ancestors and the gods, obtains all the objects of desire and the fruits of all sacrifices. Having circumambulated it, one should go to the place where Yayati fell.42 This gives one the merits from a horse sacrifice. Restrained and controlled in diet, one should then go to Mahakala.43 Having bathed in Kotitirtha,44 one obtains the fruits of a horse sacrifice. One who is learned in dharma should then go to the sacred place of Uma’s consort.45 This is famous in the three worlds by the name of Bhadravata.46 Having gone there and seen Ishana,47 he obtains the fruits of donating one thousand cows. Through Mahadeva’s48 grace, he obtains the status of a ganapatya.49

  ‘“One then goes on to the river named Narmada, famous in the three worlds. Having offered oblations to the ancestors and the gods, one obtains the fruits of agnishtoma. The brahmachari50 who is in control of his senses goes on to the southern waters, attains agnishtoma51 and ascends a celestial chariot. Controlling himself and controlling his diet, he then goes to Charmanvati,52 and obtaining Rantideva’s permission, attains the fruits of agnishtoma. O Yudhishthira!53 O one learned in dharma! He then goes on to Arbuda, the son of the Himalayas. In earlier times, there used to be a hole in the earth here.54 Vasishtha’s hermitage, famous in the three worlds, is there. He who spends a single night there, obtains the fruits of one thousand cows.55 O tiger among men! As a brahmachari in control of one’s senses, one should bathe in Pingatirtha and obtain the fruits from one hundred tawny cows.56 O one learned in dharma! One then goes to Prabhasa, famous in the worlds.57 The fire-god is himself always present there. The brave Anala58 is the mouth of the gods and has the wind for his chariot. A man who bathes in that supreme tirtha, pure and restrained in mind, obtains the fruits of both agnishtoma and atiratra.59 One then goes to the place where Sarasvati unites with the ocean. O bull among the Bharata lineage! He obtains the fruits of one thousand cows60 and attains the world of heaven, blazing in resplendence like the fire. One should stay there for three nights and offer oblations to the ancestors and the gods. One then shines like the moon and attains ashvamedha.61 O supreme among the Bharata lineage! One then goes to the tirtha where a boon was granted. O Yudhishthira!62 Durvasa granted a boon to Vishnu there. A man who bathes where the boon was granted obtains the fruits of one thousand cows.63 Then, restrained and controlled in one’s diet, one goes to Dvaravati. A man who bathes in Pindaraka64 obtains a lot of gold. O immensely fortunate one! O destroyer of enemies! O descendant of the Kuru lineage! It is extraordinary that in that tirtha,65 even today, coins can be seen, marked with the signs of the lotus and signs of the trident. O bull among the Bharata lineage! Mahadeva is always present there.

  ‘“O descendant of the Bharata lineage! One goes on to where the Sindhu66 unites with the ocean. With a restrained mind, one bathes in the waters of that king among tirthas. O bull among the Bharata lineage! One offers oblations to the ancestors, the gods and the sages. One obtains the world of Varuna and becomes resplendent in one’s own energy. O Yudhishthira!67 The wise ones say that by worshipping the god who is the lord of Shankukarna, one obtains ten times an ashamedha.68 O bull among the Bharata lineage! O supreme among the best of the Kuru lineage! After circumambulating it, one goes to the tirtha that is famous in the three worlds. This is renowned by the name of Drimi and is the cleanser of all sins. It is there that Brahma and the other gods worshipped Maheshvara.69 A man who bathes there and worships Rudra, surrounded by the masses of the gods, removes all the sins he has committed since birth. It was there that Drimi, supreme among men, was honoured by all the gods. O best of men! Bathing there, one obtains a horse sacrifice.70 O immensely intelligent one! O king! In earlier times, it was there that the lord Vishnu purified himself after slaying the thorns of the gods.71 O one learned in dharma! One should then go to Vasudhara, universally worshipped. From merely going there, one obtains a horse sacrifice.72 O best among the supreme of the Kurus! By bathing there, controlling his soul and worshipping the gods and the ancestors, one is glorified in Vishnu’s world. O bull among the Bharata lineage! In that tirtha, there is a sacred lake of the Vasus. Bathing there and drinking its water, one is favoured by the Vasus. O best of men! There is the famous Sindhuttama, the cleanser of all sins. Bathing there, one obtains a lot of gold. Having gone to Brahmatunga, pure and controlled in mind, a man who performs good deeds without any passion, attains the world of Brahma. There is Shakra’s73 tirtha named Kumarika, frequented by the siddhas.74 Having bathed there, a man swiftly attains Shakra’s world. There is another tirtha named Renuka there, frequented by the gods. On bathing there, a brahmana becomes as unblemished as the moon.

  ‘“Controlled and restrained in diet, one should then go to Panchanada.75 As has been ext
olled, in due order, one obtains the five sacrifices.76 O one learned in dharma! One then goes to the supreme place known as Bhimasthana.77 O supreme among the Bharata lineage! O king! Bathing in Yoni,78 a man becomes the son of a goddess and has a body adorned with golden earrings. He obtains the fruits of one hundred thousand cows.79 Going to Girimunja and worshipping the grandfather,80 one obtains the fruits of a thousand cows.81 O one learned in dharma! Then one goes to the supreme tirtha known as Vimala.82 Even today, golden and silver fish can be seen there. O best of men! Having bathed there, one obtains a horse sacrifice.83 Cleansed of all sins and pure in soul, one attains the supreme goal. Then one should go to Malada, famous in the three worlds. At the time of the western84 sandhya, one should perform ablutions in the ritual fashion. One should then offer charu85 to the seven-flamed fire in accordance with one’s powers. The learned say that such offerings to the ancestors become inexhaustible. Charu offered to the seven-flamed fire is superior to a hundred thousand cows,86 a hundred royal sacrifices and one thousand horse sacrifices. O Indra among men! From there, one should specifically go to Vastrapada. Having gone to Mahadeva there, one obtains the fruits of a horse sacrifice. O king! One then goes to Manimat. Practising brahmacharya, controlling one’s mind and living there for one night, one obtains the fruits of agnishtoma.

  ‘“O Indra among kings! O bull among the Bharata lineage! Then one should go to Devika,87 famous in the world. It has been heard that brahmanas were created there. This is the place of the wielder of the trident, famous in the three worlds.88 O bull among the Bharata lineage! Bathing in Devika and worshipping Maheshvara, and offering charu in accordance with one’s capacity, a man obtains the fruits of a sacrifice that yields all desires. Rudra’s tirtha Kamakhya,89 frequented by the divine sages, is also there. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Having bathed there, a man swiftly obtains success. Moving on to Yajana, Yajana90 and Brahmavaluka and touching the waters of Pushpam, one overcomes sorrow and death. It is said that the sacred Devika, frequented by devarshis, is five yojanas91 long and half a yojana wide. O one learned in dharma! Then in due order, one should go to Dirghasatra.92 With Brahma at the forefront, the gods, the siddhas and the supreme rishis performed a long sacrifice there, rigid in their vows and donating dakshina.93 O Indra among kings! O destroyer of enemies! By going to Dirghasatra, a man obtains the fruits of a royal sacrifice and a horse sacrifice. Then, controlled and restrained in one’s diet, one should go to Vinasana.94 The Sarasvati disappeared there in the midst of the desert and could again be seen in Chamasa, Shivodbheda and Nagodbheda. Bathing in Chamasodbheda,95 one obtains the fruits of agnishtoma. Bathing in Shivodbheda, a man obtains the fruits of one thousand cows.96 Bathing in Nagodbheda, a man obtains the world of the nagas.97

  ‘“O Indra among kings! One moves on to Shashayana,98 a difficult tirtha to attain. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Lotuses assume the form of rabbits there for an entire year. O Indra among kings! O best of the Bharata lineage! O tiger among men! Bathing in the waters there, at the time of the full moon in the month of Kartika, one is always radiant like the moon. O bull among the Bharata lineage! One obtains the fruits of one thousand cows.99 O descendant of the Kuru lineage! Restrained, one should go on to Kumarakoti. Having bathed there, one should worship the ancestors and the gods. Thus one obtains the fruits of infinite cows100 and uplifts one’s lineage. O one learned in dharma! Restrained in soul, one then goes to Rudrakoti. O great king! In ancient times, one crore self-controlled sages assemble there, filled with great joy and desiring to see Rudra. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! ‘I will be the first one to see Vrishadhvaja.’101 ‘I am the first to see him.’ O king! It is said that thus did the sages speak. O lord of the earth! In an attempt to prevent those self-controlled sages from becoming angry, the lord of yoga102 resorted to yoga and created one crore Rudras, one before every sage. Each one separately thought, ‘I have seen him first.’ O king! Having been satisfied with the terrible energy of the sages and their supreme devotion, Mahadeva granted them a boon. ‘Your dharma will increase from today.’ O tiger among men! A pure man who bathes in Rudrakoti obtains the fruits of a horse sacrifice and rescues his lineage. O Indra among kings! From there, one should go to the confluence of Sarasvati, famous in the world and extremely sacred.103 O Indra among kings! There the gods, the rishis, the siddhas and the charanas,104 with Brahma at the forefront, go on the fourteenth day of shuklapaksha105 in the month of Chaitra and worship Janardana.106 Having bathed there, one obtains a lot of gold, is freed from all one’s sins and one’s soul is purified. One goes to the world of Brahma. O lord of men! On going to Satravasana, one obtains the fruits of one thousand cows.107 It is there that the sages completed their sacrifices.”’

  378(81)

  ‘“Pulastya said, ‘O Indra among kings! One should then go to the applauded Kurukshetra. All those who go there are freed from all their sins. He who always says, “I will go to Kurukshetra, I will live in Kurukshetra,” is freed from sins. O Yudhishthira!108 One should live for a month on the banks of the Sarasvati. O lord of the earth! With Brahma at the forefront, the gods, the sages, the siddhas, the charanas, the gandharvas, the apsaras and the pannagas109 always go to the immensely sacred Brahmakshetra.110 O Yudhishthira!111 Even if one only wishes to go to Kurukshetra in one’s mind, all one’s sins are destroyed and one goes to Brahma’s world. O extender of the Kuru lineage! He who goes to Kurukshetra with devotion, obtains the fruits of a royal sacrifice and a horse sacrifice. O king! Saluting the immensely strong gatekeeper, the yaksha Machakruka,112 one obtains the fruits of one thousand cows.113 O one learned in dharma! O Indra among kings! One then goes to Vishnu’s supreme region. This is known as Satata and Hari is there.114 Bathing there and worshipping Hari, the lord of the three worlds, one obtains a horse sacrifice115 and attains Vishnu’s world. One should then go to the tirtha of Pariplava, famous in the three worlds. A man116 obtains the fruits of agnishtoma and atiratra.117 On going to the tirtha known as Prithivi, one obtains the fruits of a thousand cows.118 O lord of men! Going on to Shalukini and bathing in Dashashvamedhika,119 the visitor of tirthas obtains those fruits.120 On going to the supreme tirtha of nagas known as Sarpadevi,121 one obtains agnishtoma122 and attains the world of nagas. O one learned in dharma! One should then go to the gatekeeper Tarantuka.123 Spending one night there, one obtains the fruits of one thousand cows.124 One should then go to Panchanada,125 controlled and restrained in diet. Having bathed in Kotitirtha, one obtains the fruits of a horse sacrifice.126 Going on to the tirtha known as Ashvins, one is reborn in beautiful form.

  ‘“‘O one learned in dharma! One should then go to the supreme tirtha known as Varaha.127 In earlier times, Vishnu was established there in the form of a boar. O tiger among men! On bathing there, one obtains the fruits of agnishtoma. O Indra among kings! One should then go to Somatirtha in Jayanti.128 Bathing there, a man obtains the fruits of a royal sacrifice. Bathing in Ekahamsa, a man obtains the fruits of a thousand cows.129 O extender of the Kuru lineage! A visitor of tirthas then goes to Kritashoucha. Such a man becomes pure and attains Pundarika.130 Then one goes to the wise Mahadeva at Munjavata.131 Having stayed there for one night, one attains the status of Ganapati.132 O great king! Yakshi, famous in the world, is there. O Indra among kings! Going there, one attains the sacred worlds. O bull among the Bharata lineage! This is famous as the gate to Kurukshetra. The visitor of tirthas should control his soul and circumambulate it. Bathing in the lake there, which was created by the great-souled Jamadagnya Rama,133 one should worship the ancestors and the gods. O king! One then becomes successful in one’s endeavours and obtains a horse sacrifice.134

  ‘“‘O lord of men! O Indra among kings! The visitor of tirthas should then go to Rama’s lakes.135 The radiant and energetic Rama destroyed the kshatriyas through his valour and created five lakes there. O tiger among men! It has been heard that he filled them with blood. Thus did he worship all his fathers and grandfathers. O lord of men! Then the ancestors were plea
sed and told Rama, “O Rama! O immensely fortunate Rama! O Bhargava!136 O lord! We are pleased with your devotion to your ancestors and your valour. O fortunate one! O immensely radiant one! Ask for a boon. What do you wish for?” O Indra among kings! At these words, Rama, supreme among those who can smite, joined his hands in salutation and told his ancestors who were established in the sky, “If you are pleased with me and if I have earned your favour, I wish to obtain a boon from my ancestors that I may again be satisfied through austerities. Overcome with anger, I destroyed the kshatriyas. Through your energy, may I be freed from that sin. Let these lakes become tirthas, famous on earth.” Having heard Rama’s pure words, the ancestors were extremely delighted and happily told Rama, “Especially because of your devotion to your ancestors, let your austerities become greater. The kshatriyas have been destroyed by you out of wrath. But you have been freed from that sin, because it was their deeds that brought them down. There is no doubt that these lakes of yours will become tirthas. One who bathes in these lakes and worships his ancestors, will please his ancestors and they will grant him everything that his mind desires, even if it is the most difficult of objects to obtain on earth, and even the eternal world of heaven.” O king! Having granted this boon, Rama’s pleased ancestors showed their respects to Bhargava and disappeared instantly. It was thus that Rama’s lakes, those of the great-souled Bhargava, become sacred. O Indra among kings! If one leads the life of a brahmachari, pure in vows, and bathes in Rama’s lakes and worships Rama, one obtains a lot of gold.137