Chapter 21 - Vīhageśvara, Narmadeśvara, Aśvatīrtha, Pitāmaha, Sāvitrītīrtha, Mānasa etc.

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Nārada said:

1. O lord of kings, from there he should go to the excellent (holy place called) Vihageśvara.

2. O lord of kings, by seeing it, he is free from all sins. Thence, O lord of kings, he should go to the excellent (holy place called) Narmadeśvara. O king, having bathed there he is honoured in heaven.

3. From there a man should go to Aśvatīrtha and should bathe there. He becomes prosperous, handsome and happy.

4-5. Thence he should go to (the holy place called) Pitāmaha, formerly fashioned by Brahma. A man having bathed there should devoutly offer oblations to his dead ancestors. He should offer water mixed with sesamum and darbha. By the efficacy of that sacred place, everything becomes inexhaustible.

6-7. He, who, on reaching Sāvitrītīrtha, would bathe (there), is, after having shaken off all his sins, honoured in Brahmā’s heaven. Just there is a beautiful and extremely auspicious sacred place. O king, having bathed there, a man is honoured in the world of manes.

8. Thence, O lord of kings, he should go to the excellent holy place (called) Mānasa. O king, having bathed there, a man is honoured in Rudra’s world.

9-10. Thence, O lord of kings, he should go to the excellent Kratutīrtha. It is well-known in all worlds and destroys all sins. O king, having bathed there, he would obtain all the desired objects like beasts, sons, wealth which he prays for.

11. Thence, O lord of kings, he should go to the well-known holy place called Tridaśadyoti.

12-13. There those daughters of sages of good vows practised penance (with the desire): ‘May the immutable lord, the master, be our husband.’ Mahādeva i.e. Hara, the highest lord, taking up a fierce form, of a deformed face and loathsome, came to that sacred place. There the maidens, O great king, (practised penance) for a boon.

14-15a. He who would go to Kanyāṛddhi, gives a daughter (i.e. gets the merit of giving a daughter in marriage). There O great king, is a well-known sacred place (named) Daśakanyā. Having bathed there he should worship the lord. (Thereby) he is free from all sins.

15b-16a. Thence, O lord of kings, he should go to the sacred place known as Svargabindu. Having bathed there, O king, a man never meets with misfortune.

16b-17a. From there he should go to Apsareśa, and should bathe there. Remaining in the world of Nāgas he sports and rejoices with celestial nymphs.

17b-31. Thence, O lord of kings, he should go to the excellent (sacred place called) Narakatīrtha. Having bathed there, he should go to Bhārabhūta. Having reached this holy place, which is a manifestation of Śiva, and having worshipped Virūpākṣa (i.e. Śiva) there, he is honoured in Rudra’s heaven. The magnanimous man, bathing at the holy place Bhārabhūta, gets the position of Śiva, wherever he may be dead. The wise say that worshipping Śiva during the month of Kārtika is hundred times more meritorious than a horse sacrifice. He should fashion a hundred lamps, and should give them (to a brāhmaṇa) after filling them with ghee. He goes in aeroplanes resembling the thunderbolt (in strength) to the place where Śaṅkara stays. He, who would present a bull resembling a conch, or a kunda-flower, or the moon, goes to Rudra’s world in a car to which bulls are yoked. O king, he who would give a vessel and also sweetened milk mixed with honey, and various eatables, and (he) who would feed (brāhmaṇas) according to his capacity, would, O lord of kings, have all that increased a crore-fold by the efficacy of that sacred place. Having sprinkled the water over (the image of Śiva) and having worshipped Śiva, he would not meet with misfortune by the efficacy of that sacred place. He, who, having reached this holy place, would cast his life, goes, with his soul absolved of all sins, to (the place) where Śiva (dwells). O king, he who enters water (i.e. bathes) at that holy place, goes to Rudra’s heaven in a car to which swans are yoked. As long as the moon, the sun, the Himālayas, the great ocean, or the waters of the Ganges (will remain), he is honoured in heaven. O king, he who would observe a fast at that sacred place, is not required to live in the womb (i.e. is not reborn), O lord of kings. Thence, O lord of kings, he should go to the excellent Aṭavītīrtha. O king, a man having bathed there, would obtain half of Indra’s seat.

32-34. Thence he should go to Śṛṅgatīrtha which destroys all sins. By merely bathing there he gets the position of Śiva. The confluence of Eraṇḍi and Narmadā is well-known. The holy place there is meritorious and destroys all sins. Being engaged in fasting and always intent upon (reaching) Brahman, he, having bathed there, is free from (the sin of) the murder of a brāhmaṇa, O lord of kings.

35-42. Thence, O lord of kings, he should go to the confluence of Narmadā and the ocean (i.e. where Narmadā flows into the sea). It is well-known as Jamadagni; and Viṣṇu is settled there. Having performed many sacrifices there, Indra became the lord of gods. Having bathed there at the confluence of Narmadā and the ocean, O king, a man gets threefold fruit of a horse-sacrifice. The intimate union with the western ocean is (just) the opening of the gate to salvation. There gods with gandharvas, and sages, siddhas and cāraṇas, worship Vimaleśvara, the lord of gods, thrice (a day). With his soul free from all sins, he is honoured in Rudra’s world. There was never a great sacred place like Vimaleśvara, nor will there be any great holy place like Vimaleśvara. Those who after fasting there, see Vimaleśvara, have their souls freed from all sins, and go to Rudra’s heaven.

43-44. Then O lord of kings, a man should go to the Keśinītīrtha. He, intent on observing a fast, restrained and with his diet controlled, and fasting for a night is absolved (of the sin) of the murder of a brāhmaṇa by the efficacy of that holy place. (For him) who would see Sāgareśvara, the best holy place, or would remain within a distance of a yojana from it, Śiva is settled, in the eddy. There is no doubt that when it is seen, all the holy places are seen. He, being free from all sins, goes there where Rudra dwells.

45-52. Ten crores of holy places exist within the distance between the confluence of Narmadā and Amarakaṇṭaka. O lord of kings, the walking about from the holy place—the pilgrimage, was resorted to by a crore of sages. The pilgrimages were undertaken by men who maintained the sacred fire, who were the divine portions and who had mastered all knowledge. Therefore, all the holy places give him a holy bath, who would devoutly recite and listen to it daily; and Narmada would always be pleased with him. Rudra would be pleased with him, and so also the great sage Mārkaṇḍeya. A barren woman gets sons; an unfortunate woman (i.e. one who is disliked by her husband) becomes fortunate. A groom obtains a virgin; whosoever desires what, obtains it. No doubt should be raised about it. A brāhmaṇa gets (the knowledge of) the Vedas; a kṣatriya would be victorious; a vaiśya obtains grains, and a śūdra obtains felicity. A fool would obtain knowledge. A man who would recite this three times a day would not see (i.e. go to) hell and would not go to (i.e. get) an ignominous birth.