Vaisampayana said, "Beholding the Pandavas afflicted with anxiety and
depressed in spirits, Dhaumya, who resembled Vrihaspati, spake thus,
comforting them, 'O bull of the Bharata race, O sinless one, listen to
me as I mention certain sacred asylums and regions and _tirthas_ and
mountains that are approved of by Brahmanas. O king, listen to me as I
speak, thyself with the daughter of Drupada and thy brothers, wilt, O
lord of men, be relieved from grief. And, O son of Pandu, by hearing
only of these places, thou wilt acquire merit. And by visiting them thou
wilt obtain merit a hundred times greater, O best of men! First, O king,
I will, so far as I recollect, speak of the beautiful eastern country,
much regarded, O Yudhishthira, by royal Rishis. In that direction, O
Bharata is a place called Naimisha which is regarded by the celestials.
There in that region are several sacred tirthas belonging to the gods.
There also is the sacred and beautiful Gomati which is adored by
celestial Rishis and there also is the sacrificial region of the gods
and the sacrificial stake of Surya. In that quarter also is that best of
hills called Gaya, which is sacred and much regarded by royal ascetics.
There on that hill, is the auspicious lake called Brahmasara which is
adored by celestial Rishis. It is for this that the ancients say that
one should wish for many sons, so that even one among them may visit
Gaya, celebrate the horse-sacrifice or give away a _nila_ bull, and
thereby deliver ten generations of his race up and down. There, O
monarch, is a great river, and spot called Gayasira. In Gayasira is a
banian, which is called by the Brahmanas the _Eternal_ banian, for the
food that is offered there to the Pitris becometh eternal, O exalted
one! The great river that floweth by the place is known by the name of
Phalgu, and its waters are all sacred. And, O bull among the Bharatas,
there also, in that place, is the Kausiki, whose basin abounds in
various fruit and roots, and where Viswamitra endued with wealth of
asceticism acquired Brahmanahood. Towards that direction also is the
sacred Ganga, on whose banks Bhagiratha celebrated many sacrifices with
profuse gifts (to Brahmanas). They say that in the country of Panchala,
there is a wood called Utpala, where Viswamitra of Kusika's race had
performed sacrifices with his son, and where beholding the relics of
Viswamitra's superhuman power, Rama, the son of Jamadagni, recited the
praises of his ancestry. At Kamyaka, Kusika's son had quaffed the _Soma_
juice with Indra. Then abandoning the Kshatriya order, he began to say,
_I am a Brahmana_. In that quarter, O hero is the sacred confluence of
Ganga and Yamuna which is celebrated over the world. Holy and
sin-destroying, that _tirtha_ is much regarded by the Rishis. It is
there that the soul of all things, the Grandsire, had, in olden days,
performed his sacrifice, and it is for this, O chief of the Bharata
race, that the place hath come to be called Prayaga. In this direction,
O foremost of kings, lieth the excellent asylum of Agastya, O monarch,
and the forest called Tapasa, decked by many ascetics. And there also is
the great _tirtha_ called Hiranyavinda on the Kalanjara hills, and that
best of mountains called Agastya, which is beautiful, sacred and
auspicious. In that quarter, O descendant of the Kuru race, is the
mountain called Mahendra, sacred to the illustrious Rama of the Bhrigu
race. There, O son of Kunti, the Grandsire performed sacrifices of yore.
There, O Yudhishthira, the sacred Bhagiratha entereth a lake and there
also, O king, is that sacred river known by the name of the
merit-bestowing Brahmasara, whose banks are inhabited by persons whose
sins have been washed away, and whose sight alone produceth merit. In
that direction also lieth the high-souled Matanga's excellent asylum,
called Kedara which is sacred and auspicious and celebrated over the
world. And there also is the mountain called Kundoda, which is so
delightful and abounding in fruits and roots and waters, and where the
king of the Nishadhas (Nala) had slaked his thirst and rested for a
while. In that quarter also is the delightful Deva-vana which is graced
by ascetics. There also are the rivers Vahuda and Nanda on the
mountain's crest. O mighty king, I have described unto thee all the
_tirthas_ and sacred spots in the Eastern quarter. Do thou now hear of
the sacred _tirthas_, and rivers and mountains and holy spots in the
other three quarters!'"