Twenty-two Thousand Tīrthas (Gautamī)
Dvāviṃśati-sahasra Tīrtha · dvāviṃśati-sahasra-tīrtha, “the twenty-two thousand tīrthas”
The twenty-two thousand tīrthas lie on the southern bank of the Gaṅgā, the Gautamī, where King Hariścandra of the Ikshvāku line completed his naramedha without killing the brāhmaṇa boy Śunaḥśepa. Brahmā tells Nārada the account in the Gautamī Māhātmya of the Brahma Purāṇa. Hariścandra gained his son Rohita by the grace of Varuṇa on the bank of the Gautamī, promising to offer the boy to Varuṇa; he put off the yajña again and again, and Rohita fled to the forest. Rohita bought Śunaḥśepa from his father Ajīgarta, but Hariścandra would not offer a brāhmaṇa. A voice from the sky sent the king to the Gautamī, Viśvāmitra pleaded for the boy, and the devas declared the yajña complete without his death. Where all this happened arose many famous tīrthas, Hariścandra, Śunaḥśepa, Viśvāmitra, Rohita and others, twenty-two thousand in all. A bath and dāna there give the fruit of a naramedha, and hearing this account with bhakti gives a son to one who has none.
The tīrthas Brahmā names
Brahmā says: “Listen to the names of some tīrthas I am going to recount now.” He names fifteen:
- Viśvāmitra
- Hariścandra
- Śunaḥśepa
- Rohita
- Vāruṇa
- Brāhma
- Āgneya
- Aindra
- Aindava
- Aiśvara
- Maitra
- Vaishṇava
- Yāmya
- Āśvina
- Auśana
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 34
Hariścandra’s wish for a son
There was a king of the Ikshvāku vaṃśa named Hariścandra. The ṛshis Nārada and Parvata came to his palace, and he received them with great ātithya (hospitality). He asked them: “The whole world suffers for the sake of a son. What does one gain from a son, whether he is wise or foolish, excellent or middling?”
The two ṛshis answered that one answer could be given, or a hundred, or a thousand, and all would be good. Still, they said: to a man without a son the next world is closed, and this world gives him no happiness either. A man who bathes at the birth of his son gains the fruit of the closing bath (avabhṛtha) of ten aśvamedhas. Through a son one gains honour and may become the best among the immortals. What the devas gain through amṛta, the brāhmaṇas and the other varṇas gain through a son. A son frees his father and grandfathers from the three debts (ṛṇa-traya).
“Of what use is living on roots and water, or growing the beard, or tapas, without a son? The son leads to svarga and moksha. The son alone is the other world; he is dharma, kāma and artha; he is moksha and the great light, and he carries embodied beings across. Without a son, svarga and moksha are very hard to reach. A dāna given or a yajña performed without a son bears no fruit; life itself without a son seems fruitless. Through a son one is freed from the debt to the pitṛs and redeemed from pāpa. A father who sees the face of a living son rejoices, and gains every enjoyment of the mortal world and of svarga. In the three worlds nothing is as desirable as a son.”
The king was amazed and said: “Tell me how I may gain a son. I will go anywhere and do anything, by effort, by japa of mantras, by yajña or by dāna.” After meditating a short while, the ṛshis said: “Go to the Gautamī. There Varuṇa, master of the waters, fulfils whatever excellent wish one holds in mind. The ṛshis praise him as the giver of everything. When he is pleased he will grant you a son, sooner or later.”
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 34
Varuṇa’s vara and the promise
Hariścandra went to the bank of the Gautamī and performed ārādhana (worship) of Varuṇa. Varuṇa was pleased and said: “O king, I shall grant you a son, for though childless you have kept holy rites. A son will surely be born to you if you will offer him to me in yajña.” Hariścandra said, “I shall offer him.” He prepared the caru (offering of cooked grain) belonging to Varuṇa and gave it to his wife, and a son was born to the king.
As soon as the boy was born Varuṇa came and said: “Offer the son today. Do you remember your promise?” Then the king put him off again and again:
- “A yajña animal becomes fit after ten days. Then I shall perform the yajña.” Varuṇa agreed and went home.
- When the boy passed ten days Varuṇa came again. The king said: “An animal without teeth is unfit. Come when the boy cuts his teeth.” Varuṇa went.
- When the teeth had come and the boy was seven years old, Varuṇa said again, “Perform the yajña.” The king said: “These teeth will fall and others will come. Then I shall perform the yajña.” Varuṇa went.
- When the new teeth had grown, Varuṇa came again. The king said: “A kshatriya is the best yajña animal when he knows dhanurveda, the science of the bow.” Varuṇa went to his own abode.
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 34
Rohita in the forest
When Rohita had mastered the divine astras, the Vedas and the śāstras, and at sixteen had been crowned yuvarāja (heir-apparent), Varuṇa came to the king and Rohita and said: “Offer your son.” The king said “Yes”, and within Varuṇa’s hearing he said to the ṛtvijas and to his eldest son: “Come, my great hero; come, my son. I shall offer you to Varuṇa.” Rohita asked what this meant, and his father told him everything as it had happened.
Even as Varuṇa listened, Rohita said: “I am pure, and I am in haste. First, O great king, I shall perform a yajña to Bhagavān Vishṇu, master of the worlds, with the ṛtvijas and the purohita, with Varuṇa as the yajña animal. Give me leave.” Varuṇa, master of the waters, was filled with great anger. Rohita took up his divine bow, mounted his chariot and went to the forest on the bank of the Gaṅgā, the very place where Hariścandra had worshipped Varuṇa and gained a son. Meanwhile Varuṇa struck King Hariścandra with dropsy.
Five years passed. In the sixth year the prince heard of his father’s illness and thought: “Though I was born to my father, I have become the cause of his suffering. What good has he had from me? What is my duty now?”
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 34
Rohita buys Śunaḥśepa
On the bank of the Gaṅgā Rohita saw holy ṛshis, and among them the excellent ṛshi Ajīgarta, wandering with his wife and three sons, with no means of living. Rohita bowed and asked why he looked so gloomy and lean. Ajīgarta said: “I have no means to support my family, and many to feed. Without food we will die. I have no gold, silver, cows, grain or garments. I have three sons and a wife, and I am the fifth, and no one will buy any one of us for food.”
Rohita said: “O Ajīgarta of great wisdom, what will you take from me? Tell me truly; brāhmaṇas speak the truth.” Ajīgarta said: “Take one of my three sons, or me, or my wife. We shall live by the sale.” Rohita said: “What use is your wife, or you, an old man? Give me a young son, whichever you wish.” Ajīgarta answered: “I will not sell my eldest, Śunaḥpuccha, and the mother will not sell the youngest. I shall sell Śunaḥśepa, the middle one. Tell me what you will give for him.” Rohita said: “A yajña animal of high qualities must be made ready for Varuṇa. Name your price truly.” Ajīgarta asked a thousand cows, grain, gold coins and clothes. Rohita gave him wealth and clothes, went to his father with the ṛshi’s son and said: “Perform the yajña to Varuṇa with this animal, and be free of your illness.”
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 34
Hariścandra refuses
Hariścandra refused. “The Vedas say the king must protect brāhmaṇas, kshatriyas and vaiśyas, and the excellent brāhmaṇas above all, for they lead all the varṇas. They are worthy of honour even from Bhagavān Vishṇu; what am I beside them? Kings who slight and dishonour them see their families destroyed. Brāhmaṇas are one with the tīrthas and one with the devas; they save those about to fall into naraka. If I make one of them a yajña animal, how can I claim to protect the helpless? It is better to die of illness. I will never make a brāhmaṇa the yajña animal. Go happily, dear son, with the brāhmaṇa boy.”
Then a voice from the sky (aśarīrī vāṇī) spoke: “O great king, go to the Gautamī with your ṛtvijas and purohitas, with this brāhmaṇa’s son as the yajña animal, and with Rohita your son. There you must perform the yajña without killing Śunaḥśepa, and there the yajña shall be complete.”
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 34
The naramedha on the Gautamī
Hearing the voice, the king hurried to the Gaṅgā with the ṛshi Viśvāmitra, his purohita Vasishṭha, the ṛshi Vāma and other ṛshis. On reaching the Gautamī Gaṅgā he took dīkshā (initiation) for the naramedha. He made ready the vedi (altar), the maṇḍapa (pavilion), the kuṇḍa (fire pit) and the rest, and set up the yūpa (post) for the animal. When the yajña had begun, Śunaḥśepa was bound to the yūpa with the chanting of mantras.
Seeing him sprinkled with water, Viśvāmitra spoke to the devas, the ṛshis, Hariścandra and above all to Rohita: “Free this Śunaḥśepa, the excellent brāhmaṇa boy. O devas, to whom the offering is made, let not this boy be offered to you in the sacred fire with fat, hair, skin and flesh consecrated by mantras. Let the leading brāhmaṇas be sprinkled with water; let them go to the Gautamī and bathe, and praise the devas one by one with mantras and stotras, and rejoice in auspicious things. Let the ṛshis and the devas who share in the offerings protect this boy.”
The ṛshis said, “So be it”, and the king agreed. Śunaḥśepa went to the Gaṅgā, purifier of the three worlds, bathed, and praised the devas who partake of the offerings. As Viśvāmitra stood listening, the devas, delighted, said: “Let this yajña be complete without killing Śunaḥśepa.” Varuṇa himself said the same to the king. So the king’s naramedha, famed in all the worlds, was completed by the grace of the devas and the ṛshis of the tīrtha.
Viśvāmitra honoured Śunaḥśepa in the midst of the assembly before the devas and made him the eldest of his sons. Those sons of Viśvāmitra who would not accept Śunaḥśepa as the eldest received a śāpa from him; those who accepted him he honoured and blessed with varas.
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 34
The tīrthas and the phala
Brahmā says: “Thus I have told you this account. All these events happened on the southern bank of the Gautamī.” Many famous sacred tīrthas arose there, praised by the devas and others: Hariścandra, Śunaḥśepa, Viśvāmitra, Rohita and others. They are twenty-two thousand tīrthas.
- A bath and the giving of dāna there give the fruit of a naramedha.
- “The greatness of this tīrtha has been told. One who reads it, or causes it to be read, or hears it with bhakti, gains a son if he has none, and other things pleasing to his mind as well.”
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 34
Sources
- Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 34