Puskara, the Holiest of Holy Places

1. O you knowing what is right, O you illustrious one, I am fully pleased with you due to this your civility, restraint and truthfulness.

2. You who have such piety have emancipated your forefathers. Therefore, O son, you (are able to) see me; and O descendant of Manu, you are fit to be a sacrificer.

3. My affection for you increases; tell me today what I should do for you. O you sinless and best among men, I shall give you what you will ask for.

4-7. O you who know the essence of the Vedas and the Vedangas, O you who are adored by all the worlds, I (think my desire) is satisfied in that I have seen you the lord. O best among the pious ones, if I deserve to be favoured by you then I shall ask you about a doubt (lurking) in my mind. Please remove it. I desire, O revered sir, to hear (your explanation) about the doubt that I have about the piety of each of the holy places. You should tell me separately (about each holy place). O best brahmana, O brahmanic sage, O you abode of penance, tell me what fruit he, who goes round the earth, obtains. Vasishtha said:

8-12. I shall tell you who are devoted to me among the sages. O dear one, listen with a concentrated mind, the fruit (that one) gets by (visiting) holy places. He whose hands, feet and mind are well-restrained, and has learning, penance, and glory gets the fruit of (visiting) a sacred place. He who keeps himself away from accepting (things from others), is contented, controlled and pure, and free from pride, obtains the fruit of (a visit to) a sacred place. He who is sinless, who goes without food, does not accept food, has his senses controlled, and who is free from all blemishes obtains the fruit of (a visit to) a sacred place. O lord of kings, he, who never gets angry, who is given to truthfulness, who is of a firm vow, who looks upon (other) beings like himself, obtains the fruit of (a visit to) a holy place.

13-15. The sages have prescribed (certain) sacrifices even among (i.e. for) gods in due order. They have correctly and fully told about their fruit. O king, those sacrifices are not within the reach of the poor; (since) sacrifices require many implements and extensive preparations. They are within the reach of kings, or sometimes of rich people. They cannot (be performed) by groups of poor people independently (since they have) no means.

16-19. O king, listen to the rite which is within the reach even of poor people and which resembles (i.e. gives) the pious fruits of sacrifices. O best among the righteous, this, i.e. visiting the holy places, is pious and is the great secret of the sages, and is superior even to (performing) sacrifices. A man, who visits a holy place without fasting for three nights, without giving gold and cows (to a brahmana) is born poor. A man does not obtain that fruit by performing sacrifices like Agnistoma, where large gifts are given, which he obtains by a visit to a holy place.

20-35. A man would become like a god by reaching Puskara tirtha which is a well-known holy place of the heaven, that (has come) to the earth and that is well-known. O king, there are ten thousand crores of holy places, which live by Puskara at all the three times of the day, O you descendant of the solar dynasty. O lord, Adityas, Vasus, Rudras, Sadhyas with hosts of Maruts, also gandharvas and celestial nymphs are present there. There, O great king, gods, demons and brahmanic sages have practised penance and have secured divine contact due to great religious merit, O brahmanas, and got what they desired. O wise ones, the Puskaras purify all the sins. They are valued in heaven. O glorious one, the grandsire, very much pleased and liked by gods and demons always lived at this holy place. O illustrious one, gods with sages going before them, have attained great accomplishment, and become endowed with great religious merit. The wise say that he who, engaged in honouring his forefathers and gods, bathes there, gets merit which is tenfold of (i.e. got by performing) a horse-sacrifice. If, while resorting to the Puskara forest he feeds just one brahmana, he thereby goes to honoured people living in Brahma's abode. O king, he who, with the palms of his hands joined, remembers Puskaras in the morning and evening, has bathed (i.e. has acquired the merit of having bathed) in all the holy places. All that sin of a woman or a man, (committed) from birth perishes by just going to Puskara. O king, as Madhusudana (i.e. Vishnu) is said to be the first among all the gods, similarly Puskara is said to be the first of the holy places. He, who, being restrained and pure, has lived at Puskara for twelve years, obtains (the fruit of) all sacrifices and goes to Brahma's heaven. One who would practise (the vow of performing) Agnihotra for a hundred years, or would just live on one full moon day of Kartika at Puskara, would have the same (merit). It is difficult to go to Puskara; it is difficult (to practise) penance at Puskara; it is difficult to give gifts at Puskara; it is difficult to stay at Puskara. The three peaks are bright, and also the three streams, and the holy places like Puskara; we do not know the reason for that. One, being restrained, and controlled in food, having lived (i.e. who lives) for twelve years at Puskara, becomes free from all sins and would get the fruit of all sacrifices. CHAPTER TWELVE Visit to Some Holy Places and Its Merit Vasishtha said:

1-8. Turning round and moving to the right, he would approach the way to Jambu. Approaching the path of Jambu, adored by manes, gods and sages, he obtains (the fruit of) Asvamedha and goes to Vishnu's world. A man going (from there) after having stayed there for five or six nights, does not meet with ill luck, but obtains best success. Returning from Jambumarga, he should go to Dulikashrama. He does not meet with indigence and is honoured in heaven. O king, he who engaged in worshipping the forefathers and gods observes a fast for three nights after reaching the hermitage of Agastya, would obtain the fruit of (having performed) an Agnistoma sacrifice. By subsisting on vegetables or fruits he obtains the fruit of youthfulness; after reaching Kanyashrama nourished with glory and revered by people, he is free from his sins the moment he enters it, since, O king, it is a meritorious and the best sacred grove. Being controlled and having limited food, he, after having worshipped his forefathers and deities, gets the fruit of a sacrifice full of (i.e. that satisfies) all desires. Having turned to the right, he would then go to Yayatipatana.

9-11. There he obtains the fruit of a horse sacrifice. Being restrained and having controlled his diet, from here he should go to Mahakala. After having bathed in Kotitirtha he would obtain the fruit of a horse sacrifice. Then, O you righteous one, he should go to the holy place, the abode of the lord of Uma (i.e. Parvati). It is known as Bhadravata, and is well known in the three worlds. Having approached Shiva there he would obtain the fruit of (a present of) a thousand cows.

12-13. O best man, by Mahadeva's (i.e. Shiva's) grace he would obtain the leadership which is fruitful and without a rivaL Having reached Narmada, well-known in the three worlds, and having offered oblations to his forefathers and gods (there) he would obtain the fruit of an Agnistoma sacrifice.

1-3. O Narada, I desire to hear again about the best, wellknown holy place called Narmada, that rends the mountains of sins, which Vasishtha described to Dilfpa. (O Narada,) describe it to me. O best brahmana, also (tell me about) the greatness of Narmada as described by Vasishtha. O Narada, tell me how this very pious river, known as Narmada, is famous everywhere. Narada said:

4-5. Narmada is the best of rivers; she destroys all sins; she would liberate all beings — immobile and mobile. I have heard the greatness of Narmada as told by Visistha. O great king, know (i.e. listen to) it; I (shall) tell you the whole (of it).

6-14. Ganga is holy at Kanakhala; SarasvatI at Kuruksetra; (but) Narmada is holy everywhere — whether in a village or a forest. The water of SarasvatI purifies (a man) within three days; that of Yamuna within seven days; that of Ganga instantly; but that of Narmada just by looking at it. In the western part of l Kalinga country on the Amarakantaka mountain Narmada is " beautiful, charming and holy in the three worlds. O great king, the sages, with penance as their wealth, having practised penance here, along with gods, demons and gandharvas, have attained great prosperity. O great king, a man, following a vow and with; his senses controlled, having bathed there and having fasted for a night would liberate a hundred families. If a man, after having bathed at Janesvara duly offered a ball of rice (to his dead ances. tors), they remain pleased till the universal destruction. All around the mountain is settled Rudrakoti. There is no doubt that the entire Rudrakoti would be pleased with him who bathes there with sandal, flowers and unctions. At the western end of the mountain the great lord himself (resides). Being chaste and controlling his senses, a man should bathe there, be purified and should perform the rite (in honour) of the dead ancestors as enjoined in the sacred texts.

15-20a. There only he should gratify his divine manes with water with Sheshamum seeds. O Pandava, his family upto the seventh descendant stays in heaven. Crowded by the host of celestial nymphs, surrounded by celestial women, smeared with divine sandal (-paste), and adorned with divine ornaments, he is honoured in the heaven for sixty thousand years. Then having fallen from heaven, he is born in a large family. He is born rich, disposed to making presents and righteous. He again remembers that holy place, (and) again goes to (i.e. visits) it. Having liberated a hundred (members of) his family, he goes to Rudra's heaven. The best river is said (to be flowing over) a hundred yojanas in her later (course). O best king, her breadth is two yojanas.

20b-22. Round the mountain Amarakantaka there are sixty crores and sixty thousand holy places. Being chaste and pure, having conquered his anger and senses, and turned away from all (kinds of) harm, and engaged in the well-being of all creatures, thus being full of good conduct, he should go round the deities.

23-25a. O king, listen attentively to the fruit of his religious merit. O Pandava, he would live for a hundred thousand years in heaven crowded with the hosts of celestial nymphs and waited upon by celestial women. Smeared with divine sandal (-paste), and decorated with divine ornaments, he sports in the world of gods and rejoices with deities.

25b-28a. Then the powerful one, having fallen from heaven, becomes a king. He obtains a house decorated with many gems, with pillars decked with gems, divine diamonds and lapis lazuli. It has divine paintings, endowed with male and female servants; and its gate is disturbed (i.e. is noisy) with the trumpetings of elephants and neighings of horses, as is the gate of Indra's house.

28b-34a. He, the lord of great kings, glorious and dear to all women, having lived in the house, having sports and enjoyments, would live for a hundred years without (suffering from) any disease. He who dies, or enters fire or water or fasts at Amarakantaka, would have such enjoyments. His course has no return, as is that of a mountain into the sky. When the man has a fall, he becomes the lord of men. In each of his houses thousand of maidens and women wait (upon him), and wait for his directions. Born with divine enjoyments he sports for eternal time. Like the man on the Amarakantaka mountain, none else is born on the earth upto the ocean, O best of men.

34b-44. To the west of the mountain the holy place (that exists) should be known as Kotitlrtha. There is Rudra known as Kalesvara, well-known in the worlds. By offering balls (of rice) to him and by offering the Sandhya-prayers, the manes become satisfied for ten years. To the south of Narmada, there is a great river Kapila. She is covered with sarala and arjuna trees. She is not far away. She is very holy, auspicious and is known in the three worlds. O Yudhisthira, there is a full (group of) a hundred crores of holy places. O king, it is so reported in the Puranas. All this has a crorefold merit. The trees on her bank that fall due to lapse of time, get the best course due to being connected with her water. The other one, O glorious one, is holy and removes poignant pain. A man, by bathing there on her bank becomes free from poignant pain in a moment. All hosts of gods with kinnaras and great serpents, yaksas, demons, gandharvas and sages rich in penance have all gathered there on the Amarakantaka mountain. All those and the sages also resorted to Narmada, (and) the holy (river) named Visalya that destroys all sins was produced by them. O king, a man, being chaste, and with his senses controlled, who, after fasting for a night, bathes there, would liberate a hundred (members of) his family.

45-49. O best king, Visalya is said to be reddish and is (thus) declared in the Puranas by the lord with a desire for the good of the worlds. O king, having bathed there, a man would obtain the fruit of a hundred horse sacrifices. O lord of men, he who observes a fast at that holy place, goes, with all his sins purified, to Indra's heaven. O lord of kings, I have heard in (i.e. learnt from) the Purana that a man bathing anywhere in Narmada obtains the fruit of a horse sacrifice. Those who live on the northern bank, stay in Indra's heaven. O Yudhisthira, as Shankara (himself) told me, the gifts (given at the bank of) and bath taken in SarasvatI, Ganga and Narmada are equal in fruit.

50-54. He, who casts his life on the Amarakantaka mountain, is honoured for a full hundred crores of years in Indra's heaven. The water in (i.e. of) Narmada is holy and is adorned with foam and ripples. It is pure, worth adoration. (A man bathing there) is free from all sins. Narmada is all-holy; she removes the sin due to the murder of a brahmana; by fasting (on her bank) for a day and night a man is absolved of (the sin of) killing a brahmana. Thus, O son of Pandu, Narmada is pleasing and holy. This great river purifies (all) in the three worlds at the very holy Vatesvara and in the penance grove of Gangadvara. At all these places those that are afflicted and have fulfilled their vows (are liberated). At the confluence of Narmada the merit is said to be tenfold.

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