Khaḍgatīrtha
Khaḍgatīrtha · khaḍga-tīrtha, “the tīrtha of the sword”
Khaḍgatīrtha, “the tīrtha of the sword”, lies on the northern bank of the Gautamī (the Godāvarī). It takes its name from the sword of jñāna (spiritual knowledge) with which the brāhmaṇa Pailūsha, son of Kavasha, cut through anger, greed and every bond, and gained moksha (release) on the bank of the Gaṅgā. It is also called Jñānatīrtha, Kavasha and Pailūsha. Brahmā tells Nārada its account in the Gautamī Māhātmya of the Brahma Purāṇa. Snāna (holy bathing) and dāna here give moksha, the tīrtha bestows every cherished desire, and the great ṛshis name six thousand other tīrthas here.
Pailūsha and the sword of jñāna
There was a brāhmaṇa well known as Pailūsha, the son of Kavasha. Burdened with a large family, he ran here and there seeking wealth, but gained nothing, and he grew detached from worldly things. Brahmā says that when fate (daiva) is wholly adverse and one’s own effort (paurusha) bears no fruit, nothing supports a learned man but vairāgya, freedom from attachment.
Pailūsha sighed again and again and thought: “I have no wealth from my fathers, and many to maintain, yet the self is proud and cannot bear the strain.” Once he found service, but it did not give him enough, and he said: “Service is forbidden to a brāhmaṇa; what is not forbidden is out of my reach; tapas is very hard; and greed drags me by force towards wrong acts. O Tṛshṇā (Craving), it was out of ignorance that you worked against me. So I bow to you, and take my leave.” Having considered how he might cut every bond, he went to his father.
“Dear father,” he said, “tell me the means by which I may calm anger and greed, and cross the ocean of saṃsāra, which cannot be crossed, with the sword of jñāna.” Kavasha answered: “One should seek jñāna from Īśvara: so says the śruti. So propitiate him, and you will gain jñāna from Īśvara.” Saying “So be it,” Pailūsha worshipped Īśvara for the sake of jñāna, and Bhagavān Īśāna, delighted, granted him jñāna.
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 69
The five enemies
Then Pailūsha spoke these words of wisdom, which grant moksha to the seeker. Each enemy is cut by the sword of jñāna:
- Krodha (anger) is the first enemy. Even when it harms no one else, it burns one’s own body. Calming it by jñāna, one gains supreme bliss (paramānanda).
- Lobha (greed) is of many kinds. It deceives, it binds and it causes pāpa. Slaying it with the sword of jñāna, a man becomes happy.
- Saṅga (attachment to the objects of the senses) is a great evil even for the devas, so says the śruti. It is a great enemy of the ātmā, though the ātmā is by nature free of all contact. Destroying it with the sword of jñāna, one attains oneness with Śiva.
- Saṃśaya (doubt) destroys dharma and wealth (artha). Destroying it, one gains the highest of one’s cherished desires.
- Āśā (hope, expectation) takes hold of a person like a spirit that possesses him, and burns up all happiness. Destroying it, one attains the state of the freed (mukta).
Having gained jñāna, Pailūsha went to the bank of the Gaṅgā. By jñāna he cast off delusion (moha), and he attained moksha.
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 69
Names and phala
From then on the tīrtha has been remembered as Khaḍgatīrtha, and it is also known as Jñānatīrtha, Kavasha and Pailūsha.
- Snāna and dāna at Khaḍgatīrtha give moksha.
- The tīrtha bestows every cherished desire.
- The great ṛshis speak of this tīrtha and six thousand other tīrthas here. They wholly dispel all pāpas and every sorrow, and grant what is desired.
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 69
Sources
- Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 69