The sage Nārada, in the manner of one preserving the sacred balance of worlds, narrated to the sons of Pandu the discourse once delivered by the sage Pulastya to Bhīṣma, wherein were contained the glories of pilgrimages and the immeasurable worth of the tirthas. His intent was not merely to recount old tales but to guard the divine energy, valour, and fortune of the Pandavas for the preservation of earth’s harmony in the time to come. He began by speaking of Rāma, the son of Jamadagni, who, wielding the celestial axe bestowed by the Lord, swept the earth of its proud kshatriya clans. From their blood he formed five sacred pools, known to men as Samantha Pañchaka, and there performed oblations to his ancestors. Pleased with his devotion, they appeared before him and granted his wish that the sin of slaughter might be washed away and the fallen heroes attain higher worlds. Thus, sanctified by the blessings of his forefathers, those pools became divine beyond measure; a bath in them was said to yield the merit of the Ashvamedha.
Among those five, the pond called Kāyaśodhana cleanses body and mind of all impurities, renewing life in every limb and thought. At the place known as Lokodhara, where once Lord Viṣṇu manifested, the bather’s progeny shall flourish in health and fortune. In Śrītīrtha, the very birth of one is said to bring worldly grace and abundance. In Kapila Tīrtha, the ritual bath equals the gift of a thousand red and black cows. He who fasts and worships the Sun while bathing there gains entrance to Sūryaloka; he who enters Gobhāvana Tīrtha inherits countless herds; and he who bathes in Saṃkhinī becomes pleasing in form and stature. In Yakṣiṇī Tīrtha, if one prays to the divine doorkeeper Tarandaka and takes the sacred dip in the Sarasvatī, he earns the merit of the Agniṣṭoma sacrifice. In Mātrutīrtha, the bather is blessed with virtuous offspring; in Brahmāvarta and Śaravana, all inner and outer ills fall away.
The holy cluster called Svavillomapaham contains eleven tīrthas where breathing discipline, joined with bathing purges unknown sins, especially for the twice-born. The place where the hunter’s arrow struck the deer that became men is Manusha Tīrtha; there, one’s immersion redeems all sin and awakens divine nature. Eastward of it flows the river Āpaga; if one there offers food to forefathers after ritual rites, it equals feeding a crore Brahmins and draws their eternal blessing. Visits to Brahmodumbara, Sapta Ṛṣi Kunda, and Kedar bestow a seat in Brahmaloka. In Kapila Kedar, the waters dissolve sins into nothingness, bringing the soul to serene freedom from desire. In Śivakṣetra Sāraka, bathing and worship on Kṛṣṇa Chaturdaśī fulfill every prayer. At Ilāspada, where lie three crore wells, offerings to ancestors equal the merit of the Vājapeya sacrifice; and in Kimdāna and Kimjāpya Tīrthas, oblations bring endless virtue.
The holy Ambajana, founded by Nārada himself, grants passage to divine realms to those who bathe and honor their forebears on the bright tenth day. In the river Vaitaraṇī, the bath and worship of Śiva release all sin and bring peace. In Phalakivana, where the gods performed their long sacrifices, the dip equals the merit of Atirātra and Agniṣṭoma. The sage Vyāsa, blending the sanctity of many sacred spots, formed the Tīrtha Miśraka, where one bath equals all tīrthas combined. In Vyāsavana, Manojava, and Madhuvatī, charity of a thousand cows is equaled by the sacred immersion. In the confluence of Kausikī and Vṛṣadhvatī, ancestral sins are washed away; and in Kindatha, sesame-offerings to forefathers clear all debts of lineage.
In Ahassu and Sudina, the bath ensures ascent to Sūryaloka; in Mṛgadhūma by the Gaṅgā, the worship of Śiva brings the merit of Aśvamedha. In Vāmanam, the devotee attains Viṣṇuloka; in Pavana Kṣetra, the entire family line is purified. In Śrikuñja and the Sarasvatī, the Agniṣṭoma’s reward is gained. At Naimiṣa Kuñja of Kurukṣetra, the sages began their journey, declaring that one’s holy bath there satisfies the world of seers and frees one’s race from their spiritual debt. In Brahmatīrtha, a bather among men becomes a learned Brahmin, and a Brahmin who bathes ascends to Brahmaloka.
In ancient days, Devarṣi Maṅkana, sonless and devout, while holding a blade of kuśa grass, was wounded by it, and from his hand flowed a green sap like life’s essence. Believing himself the sustainer of the world’s vegetation, he entered an ecstasy of dance. His every step shook the earth; each swing of his arm stirred the heavens; whirl upon whirl sent tempests through the skies, unsettling all beings and the harmony of the elements. The terrified sages invoked Śiva, who, assuming a hermit’s form, appeared before Maṅkana and asked the reason for his dance. The sage replied that the flow of vegetative essence through him had filled him with supreme joy. Then Śiva struck his own thumb with his middle finger, from which issued the sacred ash—purest of all divine substances—and bade Maṅkana behold. Seeing this, the sage was humbled, realizing the truth, and worshipped Śiva with Vedic hymns. The Lord, pleased, promised that his penance would ever increase and bring peace to the worlds, and then vanished. That spot became known as Sapta Sarasvata, and those who bathe there gain the virtue of steadfast integrity.
Brahmā and other deities once bathed and performed rites at Ousanam, Kapālamocha, Viśvāmitra, and Kārttikeya Tīrthas, which lead the pure in heart to Satyaloka. The sacred Pruthuḍaka, praised in the Vedas and visited by Indra, Vyāsa, and many seers, is held as the foremost of pilgrim shrines; one who dies there departs free of all sin. In the meeting of Gaṅgā and Sarasvatī, a bath erases the sin of Brahmahatyā. Sage Dārbhī built the Ardhakīla Tīrtha, where the waters refine the crude mind into wisdom and raise the wise to perfect union. The countless tīrthas of Śata and Sahasra yield a hundred thousandfold more merit than any common holy place.
At Tyājasa, where the gods anointed Kārttikeya commander of the celestial hosts, a bath and worship of Viṣṇu and Śiva, especially in Kurutīrtha and Swargadvāra to the north, lead the soul to paradise. Bathing in and circling the sacred Swastipura grants the reward of gifting a thousand cows. The waters of Gaṅgāmāḍuva bring the blessing of the ever-burning household fire. Within this region lie three crore kṣetras; a single immersion here equals all their sanctity combined.
In Vasiṣṭhāśrama of Badarīvana, a fast of three nights on jujube fruit absolves every sin of former birth. A one-night vigil and bath in Ekarātra lead to Satyaloka. In Ādityāśrama, worship of the Sun brings one to his radiant abode; in Kanyāśrama of Dadhīci Kṣetra, three nights of fasting yield the fruit of heaven. At the famed Sannihita Kṣetra, visited by gods, sages, and serpents each month, a bath during a solar eclipse equals the Aśvamedha. Where Yama performed his rites, a bather becomes the very embodiment of righteousness. Those who dip in the sacred ponds Jñānapāvana and Saugandhika are freed of ancestral sin.
From the mound of Sarasvatī flows the stream Devaśrava; offerings there equal the Aśvamedha. In Sugandha, Śatakumbha, Pañcāyakṣa, and Triśūlaghāta, the very course of one’s destiny may be altered from darkness to light. Once the goddess Pārvatī lived on leaves alone for a thousand years and was called Śākambarī; a single day of similar austerity brings the merit of twelve years’ practice. Those who worship Śiva in Suparṇa ascend to Kailāsa. In Dhūmāvatī, Rathāvarta, and Dhārā, bathing removes grief of every kind.
Thus Nārada continued to unfold the secret virtues of the sacred waters, the fruits of penance, and the sanctity of offerings. The Pāṇḍavas and the assembled seers listened with unswerving attention, knowing that to miss even a single word of that divine revelation was to lose the treasure of lifetimes.
