Dilīpa and the Māgha Māhātmya

Dilīpa was a king of the solar dynasty (Sūryavaṃśa). In the Uttara Khaṇḍa of the Padma Mahā Purāṇa he is the one whose question begins the Māgha māhātmya (the teaching on the greatness of the month of Māgha). On a tīrtha yātrā (pilgrimage), he met the old ṛshi Hārita. Hārita sent him to Vasishṭha. From Vasishṭha he received the full teaching on bathing at Prayāga in Māgha.

Meeting Hārita

During his tīrtha yātrā, Dilīpa came upon an old ṛshi, Hārita, who sat in an āśrama (hermitage) holding a conch and a discus, the signs of Vishṇu’s devotees. Though Hārita was very old, he carried a quiet authority. Dilīpa told him of his search and his wish to know the means of moksha (liberation). Hārita did not teach him himself. He sent Dilīpa at once to the right teacher, the great ṛshi Vasishṭha, one of the seven mind-born sons of Brahmā and the highest authority on dharma and bhakti. (Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapter 125)

The Māgha teaching begins

At Vasishṭha’s āśrama, Dilīpa’s questions opened the long teaching on the month of Māgha and the tīrtha yātrā to Prayāga, which fills Chapters 125–129. He asked as one who sought moksha and the means to it. Vasishṭha answered by pointing him to the Māgha bath as the highest means of purification that anyone can reach.

From Vasishṭha, Dilīpa received the whole teaching on the Māgha pilgrimage to Prayāga. It includes all the accounts of those weighed down by pāpa who were set free, and how Prayāga purifies. (Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapters 125–126)

How the teaching is told

In Chapters 125–129, Dilīpa is the outer listener in a set of tellings within tellings. Vasishṭha speaks to Dilīpa. Within that, Devadyuti speaks to the spirit of King Citra. Within that, the account of Vasu the Keralite is told. (Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapters 125–129)

Sources

• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapters 125–129