There, O king, is the celebrated tirtha called Yakshini. O king, repairing to that tirtha and bathing there, one obtaineth fruition of all his desires. O bull of the Bharata race, that tirtha is regarded as the gate of Kurukshetra. The pilgrim should with concentrated soul, walk round it. Equal unto the Pushkaras, it was created by the high-souled Rama, the son of Jamadagni. Bathing there and worshipping the Pitris and the gods, one obtaineth, O king, the merit of the horse-sacrifice and becometh successful in everything. The pilgrim should next repair with concentrated soul to the Rama-hrada. There, O king, the heroic Rama of resplendent energy, exterminating the Kshatriyas by his might, dug five lakes and filled them, O tiger among men, with the blood of his victims, as heard by us. And having filled those lakes with Kshatriya blood, Rama offered oblations of blood to his sires and grandsires. Gratified (with the oblations) those Rishis then addressed Rama and said, ‘
O Rama, O Rama, O thou of great good fortune, we have been gratified with thee, O thou of the Bhrigu race, for this thy regard for the Pitris, and thy prowess, O exalted one! Blessed be thou and ask thou the boon thou choosest. What is that thou desirest, O thou of great splendour!’ Thus addressed (by them), Rama, that foremost of smiters, said with joined hands these words unto the Pitris, stationed in the firmament, ‘If ye have been gratified with me, if I have deserved your favour, I desire this favour of the Pitris, viz., that I may have pleasure again in ascetic austerities. Let me also, through your power, be freed from the sin I have committed by exterminating, from wrath, the Kshatriya race. Let also my lakes become tirthas celebrated over the world. The Pitris, hearing these blessed words of Rama, were highly gratified, and filled with joy they answered him saying, ‘Let thy asceticism increase in consequence of thy regard for the Pitris. Thou hast exterminated the Kshatriyas from wrath. Freed art thou already from that sin, for they have perished as a consequence of their own misdeeds. Without doubt, these lakes of thine will become tirthas. And if one, bathing in these lakes, offereth oblations of the water thereof to the Pitris, the latter gratified with him will grant him desire, difficult of fulfilment in the world as also eternal heaven.’ O king, having granted him these boons, the Pitris joyfully saluted Rama of the Bhrigu race and disappeared there and then. It was thus that the lakes of the illustrious Rama of the Bhrigu race became sacred. Leading a Brahmacharya mode of life and observing sacred vows, one should bathe in the lakes of Rama.
Bathing therein and worshipping Rama, one obtaineth, O king, the merit of gift of gold in abundance. Proceeding next, O son of the Kuru race, to Vansamulaka, a pilgrim by bathing there, raiseth, O king, his own race. O best of the Bharatas, arriving next at the tirtha called Kayasodhana, and bathing there, one purifieth, without doubt, his body, and proceeded with purified body to the blessed region of unrivalled excellence. One should next repair, O virtuous one, to that tirtha, celebrated over the three worlds, called Lokoddara, where formerly Vishnu of great prowess had created the worlds. Arriving at that tirtha which is adored by the three worlds one earneth, O king, by bathing there, numerous worlds for himself. Repairing next with subdued soul to the tirtha called Sree, one acquires, by bathing there and worshipping the Pitris and the gods, high prosperity. Leading a Brahmacharya mode of life and with concentrated soul, one should proceed next to the tirtha called Kapila. Bathing there and worshipping one’s own Pitris and the gods, a man earneth the fruit of the gift of a thousand Kapila kine. Repairing next to the tirtha called Surya and bathing there with subdued soul and worshipping the Pitris and the gods, fasting all the while, one obtaineth the fruit of the Agnishtoma sacrifice and goeth (finally) to the region of the Sun. The pilgrim by proceeding next to Gobhavana and bathing there obtaineth the merit of the gift of a thousand kine. O son of the Kuru race, a pilgrim by repairing then to the tirtha called Shankhini and bathing in the Devi-tirtha that is there, obtaineth high prowess.
O king, one should then proceed to the tirtha called Tarandaka situated in the Saraswati and belonging to the illustrious chief of the Yakshas who is one of the gate-keepers (of Kuvera). O king, bathing there one obtaineth the fruit of the Agnishtoma sacrifice. O virtuous king, one should next repair to the tirtha called Brahmavarta. Bathing in Brahmavarta, one ascendeth to the abode of Brahma. O king, one should then repair to the excellent tirtha called Sutirtha. There the Pitris are ever present along with the gods. One should bathe there and worship the Pitris and the gods. By so doing, one obtaineth the merit of the horse-sacrifice and goeth (finally) into the region of the Pitris. It is for this, O virtuous one, that Sutirtha situate in Amvumati is regarded as so excellent. And, O thou best of the Bharata race, having bathed in the tirtha of Kasiswara, one becometh freed from all diseases and is adored in the abode of Brahma.
There, in that tirtha, is another called Matri. One that bathes in Matri tirtha hath a large progeny and obtaineth, O king, great prosperity. One should next proceed with subdued sense and regulated diet to the tirtha called Shitavana. And, O great king, it hath been seen that one merit of that tirtha which rarely belongs to any other, is that one only going thither obtaineth holiness. By casting off his hair in that tirtha one acquireth, O Bharata, great sanctity. There, in that tirtha, is another called Shwavillomapaha, where, O tiger among men, and chief of the Bharata race, learned Brahmanas that go to tirthas obtain great satisfaction by a dip into its waters. Good Brahmanas, O king, by casting off their hair in that tirtha acquire holiness by Pranayama and finally attain to a high state. There, O king, in that tirtha is also another called Dasaswamedhika. Bathing there, O tiger among men, one attains to a high state. One should next proceed, O king, to the celebrated tirtha called Manusha where, O king, a number of black antelopes afflicted by the hunter’s arrows, plunging into its waters, were transformed into human beings. Bathing in that tirtha, leading a Brahmacharya mode of life and with concentrated soul, a man becomes freed from all his sins and is adored in heaven. Distant by a krosa, O king, to the east of Manusha there is a river celebrated by the name of Apaga that is restored to by the Siddhas. The man that offereth there the syamaka grain in honour of the gods and the Pitris acquireth great religious merit. And if one Brahmana is fed there, it becomes equivalent to feeding ten millions of Brahmanas. Having bathed in that tirtha and worshipped the gods and the Pitris and resided there for one night, a man obtaineth the merit of the Agnishtoma sacrifice. One should then repair, O king, to that excellent region of Brahma which, O Bharata, is known on earth by the name of Brahmodumvara.
Bathing in the tank of the seven Rishis that is there, O bull among men, with pure mind and subdued soul, as also in the tirtha called Kedara of the high-souled Kapila, and beholding Brahma who is there, one’s soul being purified from all sins, one goeth to the abode of Brahma. Proceeding next to the inaccessible tirtha called Kedara of Kapila, and burning one’s sins there by ascetic penances, one acquireth the power of disappearance at will. One should next proceed, O king, to the celebrated tirtha called Saraka, and beholding Mahadeva there on the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight, one obtaineth all his wishes and goeth also into heaven. O son of the Kuru race, in Saraka and Rudrakoti as also in the well and the lakes that are there, thirty millions of tirthas are present. There in that tirtha, O chief of the Bharatas, is another called Ilaspada. Bathing there and worshipping the gods and the Pitris, one never sinketh into hell but obtaineth the fruit of the Vajapeya sacrifice. Repairing next to Kindana and Kinjapya, one acquireth, O Bharata, the merit of giving away in measureless abundance and the infinite recitation of prayers. Repairing next to the tirtha called Kalasi and bathing there devoutly and with the senses under control, a man obtaineth the fruit of the Agnishtoma sacrifice. To the east of Saraka, O chief of the Kurus, there is an auspicious tirtha known by the name of Anajanma, of the high-souled Narada. He that bathes there, O Bharata, obtaineth, after death, at the command of Narada various unrivalled regions. One should next proceed, on the tenth day of the lighted fortnight, to the tirtha called Pundarika. Bathing there, O king, one obtaineth the merit of the Pundarika sacrifice. One should next proceed to the tirtha called Tripishtapa that is known over the three worlds.
