179 - Expiations for offences

Earth said:

1. O great Lord, by committing offence to you, one becomes guilty even if otherwise not so, and is despised by Vaishnavas.

2. Tell me by what acts of expiation he can get the fruits of his worship.

Varaha said:

3. “People who are sinful in thought, word and deed (commit offences). Eating the tooth-stick, eating the king’s food,

4. Sexual intercourse, touching a dead body, passing motion, passing urine, sight of a woman recently delivered or during her monthly course and touch of such a woman.

5. Obscenity in speech, eating oilcake, wearing red garment, another’s cloth, soiled cloth, or coloured blue with indigo,

6. False compulsions on elders, eating the food of an outcaste, eating prohibited items of food, boiled rice or myrobalan,

7. Keeping good food for oneself, eating the goose or crane, entering the temple wearing sandals,

8. Using prohibited flowers during worship, performing worship without removing the previous day’s flowers or in dim light or darkness,

 9. Drinking liquor, rousing the Lord in darkness, non-prostration before the Lord at the close of worship.

10. These are the thirtythree offences (connected with worship), O Earth. He who is guilty of these will never see Lord Vishnu.

11. The prostration should not be performed from a long distance, because then it will be like the worship by the Rakshasa.

Taking in Panchagavya for one day, two days or three days, bathing along with the dress worn are the expiations in order for the offences commencing with wearing soiled cloth.

12. For the offence of using indigo, rubbing with cowdung is to be done. The offence of wearing cloth dyed with indigo is removed by the rite Prajapatya.

13. The offence to an elder (or preceptor) can be removed by performing Chandrayana twice. If the food of the outcaste is eaten, both Chandrayana and Paraka should be performed.

14. If prohibited food is eaten, Chandrayana, Paraka and Prajapatya should be performed and the gift of cow and food should be made in addition.

15. He who enters the place of worship wearing sandals, gets purified after fasting for five days and taking in Panchagavya.

  16. One-fourth of a Krucchra and fasting for two days will be the atonement for bathing the deity and doing other items of worship without the prescribed flowers. For the offence of performing worship without removing the previous day’s flowers is bath in Panchamruta.

17. For the offence of drinking liquor by the twice-born, the expiation is four Chandrayanas and three Prajapatyas for twelve years.

18. Purification is also obtained by Brahmakurca, gifting of three cows on a single day and by taking in panchamruta.

19. By reciting the hymns of Vishnu also, one gets free from the effect of offences. I have thus told you about this important matter. what else do you wish to know?”

20. Lord Janardana said this again and again, but Earth seemed to be falling into a swoon.

21-22. She soon recovered and said: “Knowing about the offences starting from the sight of the recently delivered woman and the numerous expiations to be done by people, I was really lost in sorrow and stupor.

23. Is there any means by which you get propitiated in the same manner as by these rites of expiation?”

Varaha said: 

24. Bathing after due fasting in the Shankara tirtha in Ganga in the middle ofthe year, removes the effect of offences similarly in Mathura.

25. He who resorts to these two tirthas gets rid of the effect of offences he has done in a thousand lives.

26. The sins disappear by bathing there, by drinking the water there, by carrying it, by speaking about it or thinking about it, also by hearing. about it and seeing it.

Earth said:

27. Both Mathura and Sankara are dear to you. Of these two, tell me which is the greater.

Varaha said:

28. Among the tirthas of the world extending upto the ocean, Kubjamraka is considered the most important by my devotees.

29. The Saukaratirtha is a crore times more efficacious than that.

30. There is Sitaurtha which is sacred to the Vaishnavas on Dvadashi day in the month of Margashirsha. In Puranas this is known as Gangasagara.

31. Even more important is the Mathura region which is half a parardha more efficacious than Sitatirtha.

32. Whatever sin remains even after visiting tirthas like Kubjamraka, disappears quickly on reaching Mathura.

33. The name Vishranti (rest) is significant because the pilgrimage comes to a close there.

34. The best place for those who seek release is Mathura.

35. Release is obtained without Sankhya or Yoga in Kubjamraka, Saukara and in Mathura in particular. The same effect as the one obtained by a Brahmin practising yoga is obtained by dying in Mathura.

36. I have thus told you the truth in essence. There is no tirtha greater than Mathura and no god greater than Keshava.