(Tirtha-yatra Parva continued)
“Vaisampayana said, ‘Then, O Janamejaya, the son of Pandu started from
the river Kausiki and repaired in succession to all the sacred shrines.
And, O protector of men, he came to the sea where the river Ganga falls
into it; and there in the centre of five hundred rivers, he performed the
holy ceremony of a plunge. Then, O ruler of the earth, accompanied by his
brothers, the valiant prince proceeded by the shore of the sea towards
the land where the Kalinga tribes dwell.”
“Lomasa said, ‘There is the land, O Kunti’s son, where the Kalinga tribes
dwell. Through it passeth the river Vaitarani, on the banks whereof even
the god of virtue performed religious river, having first placed himself
under the protection of the celestials. Verily, this is the northern
bank, inhabited by saints, suitable for the performance of religious
rites beautified by a hill, and frequented by persons of the regenerate
caste. This spot (in holiness) rivals the path whereby a virtuous man,
fit for going to heaven, repairs to the region inhabited by gods. And
verily at this spot in former times, other saints likewise worshipped the
immortals by the performance of religious rites. And at the very spot it
was that the god Rudra, O king of kings, seized the sacrificial beast and
exclaimed, ‘This is my share!’ O chief of the descendants of Bharata,
then when the beast was carried away by Siva, the gods spake to him
saying, ‘Cast not a covetous glance at the property of others,
disregarding all the righteous rules.’ Then they addressed words of
glorification of a pleasing kind to the god Rudra. And they satisfied him
by offering a sacrifice, and paid him suitable honours. Thereupon he gave
up the beast, and went by the path trodden by the gods. Thereupon what
happened to Rudra, learn from me, O Yudhishthira! Influenced by the dread
of Rudra, the gods set apart for evermore, the best allotment out of all
shares, such as was fresh and not stale (to be appropriated by the god).
Whosoever performs his ablutions at this spot, while reciting this
ancient story, beholds with his mortal eyes the path that leads to the
region of the gods.’
“Vaisampayana said, ‘Then all the sons of Pandu and likewise the daughter
of Drupada--all of whom were the favoured of Fate--descended to the river
Vaitarani, and made libations to the names of their fathers.’
“Yudhishthira said, ‘O Lomasa, how great must be the force of a pious
deed! Having taken my bath at this spot in a proper form, I seem to touch
no more the region inhabited by mortal men! O saint of a virtuous life, I
am beholding all the regions. And this is the noise of the magnanimous
dwellers of the wood, who are reciting their audible prayers.’
“Lomasa said, ‘O Yudhishthira, the place whence this noise comes and
reaches thy ears is at the distance of three hundred thousand yojanas, to
be sure. O lord of men, rest thou quiet and utter no word. O king, this
is the divine forest of the Self-existent One, which hath now come to our
view. There, O king, Viswakarma of a dreaded name performed religious
rites. On the mighty occasion of that sacrifice, the Self-existent One
made a gift of this entire earth with all its hilly and forest tracts, to
Kasyapa, by way of gratuity, for ministering as a priest. And then, O
Kuru’s son, as soon as that goddess Earth was giving away, she became sad
at heart, and wrathfully spake the following words to that great lord,
the ruler of the worlds, ‘O mighty god, it is unworthy of thee to give me
away to an ordinary mortal. And this act of gift on thy part will come to
nothing; (for) here am I going to descend into the bottom of the nether
world.’ Then when the blessed saint Kasyapa beheld the goddess Earth,
despondent and sad, he, O protector of men, performed a propitiatory act
calculated to appease her wrath. And then, O Pandu’s son, the Earth was
pleased with his pious deed. And she uprose again from within the waters,
and showed herself in the form of a sacred altar. This, O king, is the
spot which distinctly manifests the form of an altar. O great monarch,
ascend over it, and thou wilt gain valour and strength. And, O king, this
is the very altar which reaches as far as the sea, and rests itself upon
its bosom. May good luck be thine, do thou mount hereupon, and of thyself
cross the sea. And while thou this day mountest upon it, I shall
administer the ceremony for averting all evil from thee; for this altar
here, as soon as it gets a mortal’s touch, at once enters into the sea.
Salutation to the god who protects the universe! Salutation to thee that
art beyond the universe! O Lord of gods, vouchsafe thy presence in this
sea. O Pandu’s son, thou must recite the following words of truth, and
while so reciting, thou must quickly ascend this altar, ‘The god of fire,
and the sun, and the organ of generation, and water, and goddess and the
seed of Vishnu, and the navel of nectar. The god of fire is the organ
that generated the (ocean); the earth is thy body; Vishnu deposited the
seed that caused thy being and thou art the navel of nectar.’ Thus, O
Pandu’s son, the words of truth must be audibly recited, and while so
reciting, one must plunge into the lord of rivers. O most praiseworthy of
Kunti’s son, otherwise this lord of waters of divine birth, this best
storehouse of the waters (of the earth), should not be touched, O son of
Kunti, even with the end of a sacred grass.’
“Vaisampayana said, ‘Then when the ceremony for averting evil had been
completed in his behalf, the magnanimous Yudhishthira went into the sea,
and having performed all that the saint had bid, repaired to the skirts
of the Mahendra hill, and spent the night at that spot.’”