51 - The Greatness of Käšhi (concluded)

Vasu said: -

1. Now I shall narrate to you the excellent glory of the Gañgä as it flows through Varanasi. It yields worldly pleasure as well as Liberation from Samsära after death.

2. Whatever meritorious deed is performed in Avimukta shall attain everlasting benefit. No sinner, after going to Avimukta, falls into the hell.

3-4a. O auspicious lady, the sin that is committed at Avimukta shall remain adamantine.¹ All the salvation-yielding Tirthas in the three worlds, all of them entirely resort to the Gañgà which flows towards the north at Kàšhi.

4b-6a. He who takes bath, at Dašhäšhvamedha and visits Shiva, Višhvešhvara (Lord of the universe) shall immediately become free from sins and is liberated from worldly ties. Everywhere the Gañgâ is holy and dispeller of the sin of murder of a Brâhmana. Especially it is so at Varanasi where (the Gañgâ) flows towards the north.

6b-7a. Merely by taking bath at the confluence of Varanâ, Asi and Jâhnavi, a man is liberated from all sins.

7b-8a. By taking the holy dip in the Gañgâ that flows towards the north at Kâšhï, in the months of Kârttika as well as Mâgha, men are liberated from Mahàpätakas (great sins) and other evils.

8b-9. O highly blessed lady, the well-known Tirthas in all the worlds come always to the Jähnavî at Käšhi at the time of Parvans (holy occasions) alongwith the holy shrines.

10-11a. It is to wipe off their own sins originating from their contact with persons defiled by the defects of great sins, that they go everyday to the Gañgâ that flows towards the north at Käšhi. The waters of Gañgä are conducive to liberation from all sorts of sins.

11b-13a. O gentle lady, salvation may or may not be obtained in the course of a hundred births by an intelligent devotee who is engaged in holy rites in other holy centres. But here, by the death in the Gañgä at Käšhî, salvation is attained in the course of a single birth by a man whose Atman is not turned round (to the good path?).

13b-14. O beautiful lady, a deep pool named Dharmanada is famous there itself. Dharma (piety) stands embodied there and destroys great sins. The dust thereof purges all sins. It is auspicious and it consists of all Tirthas.

15-16. The river Dhütapàpä shall dispel multitudes of great sins like the tree on its banks. The following five rivers have been glorified: - viz: Kirana, Dhütapapä, Sarasvatï of the holy waters, Gañga and Yamuná. Hence, the holy centre Pañchanada¹ (spot of five rivers) has become well-known in all the three worlds.

1. V V. 15-40 describe the glory of Pañcha-nada. It is so-called as there is a confluence of five rivers viz. the Kiranä, Dhüta-Päpâ, Sarasvati, Gañgä and Yamunä. And Pañchagangä ghät at Varanasi is regarded as the place of this confluence. Actually there is only the Gañgâ at the Ghat, the existence of other four rivers is a matter of faith. Dharma-nada, Dhüta Päpaka, Bindu-saras and Pañcha-nada are the names of the same holy centre chronologically in Kruta, Tretä, Dväpara and Kali ages. Cf. Sk. P. IV. 59.115-1 17. VV. 101-113 of the same chapter give interesting stories regarding the names of tributaries (to the Gañgä) viz. Dhüta-Päpä, Kiranä.

17-18a. He who plunges into that holy river does not take up the physical body consisting of five elements (i.e. is liberated). Merely by taking bath in this confluence of five rivers, that dispels all sins, a man pierces through the bower of cosmic egg and goes to the Brahman and realises salvation.

18b-19a. Certainly, one attains in a single day by a holy dip in the Pañchanada at Kâšhï, the same benefit as is obtained by means of an elaborate bath and ablution at Prayaga throughout the month of Mägha.

19b-20a. By taking the holy dip in the Tîrtha of Pañchanada, by performing the rite of Tarpana for the Pitris and by worshipping Vishnu, the lord of Lakshmï, one never takes rebirth.

20b-21a. The satisfaction of the Pitris lasts for as many years as the number of gingelly seeds offered to the Pitris in the course of the water-libation in the holy Tirtha of Pañchanada.

21 b-22a. The ancestors of those by whom the Shräddha rite has been performed in the splendid Tirtha of Pañchanada with great faith, shall be liberated, though they may have been born in different wombs.

22b-24a. In the world of Yama this song is being sung by the groups of Pitris. “After seeing the greatness of Pañchanada in regard to the performance of Šhrãddha rites, some-one belonging to our family may perform Šhräddha whereby we may be able to go to the Pañchanada Tïrtha at Käšhî and be liberated”.

24b-26a. If any wealth is given as gift in the holy centre of Pañchanada, the merit that accrues to one does not dwindle even after Kalpas pass away. Even a barren lady will certainly give birth to a son if she takes her holy dip in the deep pool of the Pañchanada for a whole year and worships Mañgalà Gauri.

26b-27a. By performing holy ablution of the goddess well-known in all quarters (Dik-Šhruta) with the. holy waters of the Pañchanada filtered by means of the cloth, one attains great benefit.

27b-28a. A drop of the water of the Pañchanada was weighed against pots of Pañchämruta hundred and eight in number and was found to be superior to it.

28b-29a. By drinking a drop of the waters of Pañchanada with great faith, one attains that purity which is said to be acquired when Pañcha-gavya is drunk.

29b-32. By taking the holy dip in the waters of the Pañchanada, one attains hundred times the benefit acquired by Räjasüya and Ašhvamedha sacrifices. The Râjasüya and Ašhvamedha sacrifices may be the means for attaining heaven, but through the waters of Pañchanada liberation is attained from Dvandva (mutually opposing pairs e.g. Pleasure-Pain) that covers up even the Brahman (i.e. Avidyã). Even the ablution with the waters of heavenly river is not so much approved of by good men as that of the Pañchanada. It is the

Bestower of boons not obtained from others. By taking the holy dip for once in the Pañchanada in the month of Kärttika, one derives the same benefit as is obtained by performing penance in the Kruta age for a hundred years.

33-36. In the bath through the waters of the Pañchanada, one gets more benefit than is obtained through the holy rites of Ishtäpürta performed in the course of whole life elsewhere. There is no other Tirtha on the whole of the Earth, like Dhütapäpa since, through a single bath therein, the entire sin accumulated in the course of three births perishes. In the Kruta age Dharmanada is the holy Tirtha, in the Tretâ, it is Dhütapäpä; in the Dväpara it is Bindutïrtha and in the Kali it is Pañchanada. By making the gift of gold of the weight of a Guñjä-berry in the Bindutïrtha, no man shall ever become indigent. He is never devoid of happiness.

37-38a. By giving anything, whether it is a cow, a plot of land, gingelly seeds, gold, a horse, clothes, cooked rice, position or ornament, in the Bindutirtha, one shall attain an ever lasting benefit.

38b-39a. By offering a single Ähuti in accordance with the injunctions in a well-kindled fire in the holy Tïrtha of Dharmanada, one shall attain the benefit of a crore of Homas.

39b-40. No one is competent to describe adequately the endless greatness of the Pañchanada Tirtha that is the abode of all splendour of the fòur-fold aims of life. Thus, O gentle lady, the excellent greatness of Käšhï has been recounted to you.

41-42. It bestows happiness. It bestows salvation on men. It is destructive of sins. Even a Brähmana-slayer, a drink-addict, a thief of gold, a defiler of the preceptor’s bed or a person guilty of principal and subsidiary sins shall attain purity on hearing the greatness of Avimukta.

43. A Brähmana shall become a great scholar of the Vedas; a shall be victorious in battle; a Vaišhya shall be the lord of wealth and a Šhüdra shall be an associate of the devotees of Vishnu.

44-46. O blessed lady, by listening to this, by reading this frequently, one attains all those benefits that are mentioned in the case of all Yajñas (sacrifices) and all the merits in the case of all Tirthas. He who seeks learning shall obtain learning. He who seeks wealth shall obtain wealth. He who seeks wife shall get a wife and he who seeks son shall obtain a son. The greatness of Avimukta has been recounted to you by me,

47-48. This must be imparted to a devotee of Vishnu or to one engaged in devotion to Shiva or to a devotee of the mother of the universe or to one who serves the sun and Vighnešhvara. By giving this to a person rendering service to his preceptor, one shall attain the benefit of the holy dip in a Tirtha. By giving this to a rogue, a person who censures, a person who hates Brâhmanas, cows, and Devas, a person who is malicious towards the elderly persons or a person who is jealous of them, one may attain death.