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 rites, 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 manes 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."