Mahābhārata

M. N. Dutt: Yudhishthira said Tell me, o grandfather of that which is considered as the foremost of all Tirthas. Indeed, you should expound to me what that Tirtha is which conduces to the greatest purity.

M. N. Dutt: Bhishma said Forsooth, all Tirthas are possessed of merit. Listen, however, with attention to me as I tell you what the Tirtha, the cleanser, is of men gifted with wisdom.

M. N. Dutt: Following eternal Truth one should bathe in the Tirtha called Manasa, which is unfathomable, stainless, and pure, and which has Truth for its waters and the understanding for its lake.

M. N. Dutt: The fruits, in the form of cleansing, that one gains by bathing in the Tirtha, are freedom from cupidity, sincerity, truthfulness, mildness, mercy, abstention from injuring any creature, selfcontrol, and tranquillity.

M. N. Dutt: Those men who are freed from attachments, who are shorn of pride, who are above all pairs of opposites, who have no wives and children and houses and gardens, etc., who are gifted with purity, and who live upon the alms given to them by others, are considered as Tirthas.

M. N. Dutt: He who knows the truths of all things and who is freed from the idea of mineness, is said to be the highest Tirtha. In finding out the marks of purity, your gaze should ever be directed towards these qualities.

M. N. Dutt: Those persons from whose souls the qualities of goodness, darkness, and ignorance have been washed off, they who, not caring for purity and impurity, pursue the ends they have proposed to themselves, they who have renounced everything, they who are possessed of omniscience and gifted with universal sight, and they who are of pure conduct, are considered as Tirthas possessing the purifying power.

M. N. Dutt: That man whose limbs only are wet with water is not considered as one that is washed. He, on the other hand, is considered as washed who has washed himself by selfdenial. Even such a person is said to be pure both internally and externally.

M. N. Dutt: They who never busy themselves with what is past, they who feel no attachment for present acquisitions, indeed, they who are free from desire, are said to be possessed of the highest purity.

M. N. Dutt: Knowledge is said to form the especial purity of the body. So also freedom from desire, and cheerfulness of mind.

M. N. Dutt: Purity of conduct forms the purity of the mind. The purity that one acquires by ablutions in sacred waters is considered as inferior. Indeed that purity which originates from knowledge, is considered as the best.

M. N. Dutt: Those ablutions which one performs with a burning mind in the waters of the knowledge of Brahma in the Tirtha called Manasa, are the true ablutions for truth knowing persons.

M. N. Dutt: That man who is endued with true purity of conduct and who is always given to the preservation of a proper attitude to wards all, indeed, he who is gifted with attributes and merit, is considered as truly pure.

M. N. Dutt: These that I have mentioned have been said to be the Tirthas of the body. Listen to me as I tell you what those sacred Tirthas are that are situate on the Earth also.

M. N. Dutt: As special attributes of the body have been said to be sacred, so there are particulars spots on Earth as well, and particular waters, which are considered sacred.

M. N. Dutt: By reciting the names of the Tirthas, by performing ablutions there, and by offering oblations to the departed Manes in those places, one's sins are dissipated. Those men whose sins are thus dissipated, succeed in acquiring the celestial region, when they leave this world.

M. N. Dutt: On account of their association with pious persons through the special efficacy of the earth itself, of those spots and of particular waters, there are certain portions of the Earth that have come to be considered as sacred.

M. N. Dutt: The mental Tirthas are separate and distinct from those of the Earth. That person who bathes in both acquires success forthwith.

M. N. Dutt: As strength without exertion, or exertion without strength can never perform anything, singly, and as these, when combined, can do all things, so one that becomes gifted with the purity that is contributed by the Tirthas in the body as also by that which is contributed by the Tirthas on the Earth, becomes truly pure and acquires success. That purity which is derived from both sources is the best.

M. N. Dutt: Yudhishthira said You should, O grandfather, tell me what is the highest, the most beneficial, and the most certain fruit of all sorts of fasts in this world.

M. N. Dutt: Bhishma said Listen, O king, to what was recited by the selfcreate himself and by doing which a person, forsooth, acquires the highest happiness.

M. N. Dutt: That man who fasts on the twelfth day of the moon in the month called Margashira and adores Krishna as Keshava for the whole day and night, acquires the merits of the Horse sacrifice and becomes purged off of all his sins.

M. N. Dutt: He who, similarly, fasts on the twelfth day of the moon in the month of Pausha and adores Krishna as Narayana, for the whole day and night, acquires the merits of the Vajapeya sacrifice and the highest success.

M. N. Dutt: He who fasts on the twelfth day of the moon in the month of Magha and adores Krishna, as Madhava, for the whole day and night, acquires the merits of the Rajasuya sacrifice, and rescues his own family.

M. N. Dutt: He who fasts on the twelfth day of the moon in the month of Phalguna and adores Krishna as Govinda, for the whole day and night, acquires the merit of the Atiratra sacrifice and goes to the region of soma.

M. N. Dutt: He who fasts on the twelfth day of the moon in the month of Chaitra and adores Krishna as Vishnu, for the whole day and night acquires the merit of the Pundarika sacrifice and proceeds to the region of the celestials.

M. N. Dutt: By observing a similar fast on the twelfth day of the month of Vaishakha and adoring Krishna as the destroyer of Madhur for the whole day and night one acquires the merits of the Agnishtoma sacrifice and proceeds to the region of soma.

M. N. Dutt: By observing a fast on the twelfth lunar day in the month of Jaishtha and adoring Krishna as him who had covered the universe with three steps of his, one acquires the merits of the Gomedha sacrifice and sports with the Apsaras in great happiness.

M. N. Dutt: By observing a fast on the twelfth day of the moon in the month of Ashada and adoring Krishna as the Dwarf, one acquires the merits of the Naramedha sacrifice and sports in happiness with the Apsaras.

M. N. Dutt: By observing a fast for the twelfth lunar day of the month of Shravana and adoring Krishna for day and night as Shrecdhara, one acquires the merits of the sacrifice called Panchayajna and acquires a beautiful car in the celestial region where on he sports in joy.

M. N. Dutt: By observing a fast on the twelfth day of the moon in the month of Bhadrapada and adoring Krishna as Hrishikesha for the whole day and night, one acquires the merits of the sautramani sacrifice and becomes purged off of all sins.

M. N. Dutt: By observing a fast for the twelfth day of the moon in the month of Ashvin and adoring Krishna as Padmanabha, onc acquires forsooth, the merits of that sacrifice in which a thousand kine are given away.

M. N. Dutt: By observing a fast for the twelfth day of the moon in the month of Kartika and adoring Krishna as Damodara, one acquires forsooth, the combined merits of all the sacrifices.

M. N. Dutt: He who, in this way worship Krishna for a whole year as Pundarikaksha, acquires the power of recollecting the incidents of his pristine births and acquires much wealth in gold.

M. N. Dutt: Likewise he who adores Krishna every day as Upendra, acquires oneness with him. After Krishna has been adored thus, one should, at the conclusion of his vow, feed a number of Brahmanas or make gifts of clarified butter to them. The illustrious Vishnu, that ancient Being, has himself said that there is no fast which possesses superior merits.

M. N. Dutt: Likewise he who adores Krishna every day as Upendra, acquires oneness with him. After Krishna has been adored thus, one should, at the conclusion of his vow, feed a number of Brahmanas or make gifts of clarified butter to them. The illustrious Vishnu, that ancient Being, has himself said that there is no fast which possesses superior merits.

M. N. Dutt: Vaishampayana said Approaching Bhishma venerable in years viz., Bhishma, who was then lying on his bed of arrows, the highly wise Yudhishthira put the following questions.

M. N. Dutt: Yudhishthira said How, O grandfather does one acquire beauty of form and prosperity and sweetness of disposition? How, indeed, does one acquire religious meril and wealth and pleasure? How does one win happiness?

M. N. Dutt: Bhishma said In the month of Margashira, when the inoon comes in conjunction with the asterism called Mula, when his two feet are united with that very asterism, O king, when Rohini is in his calf, when his knee-joints are in Ashvini, and his thighs are in the two Ashadas when Phalguni makes his anus, and Krittika his waist, when his navel is in Bhadrapada, his ocular region in Revati, and his back on the Dhanishthas, when Anuradha makes his belly, when with his two arms he reaches the Vishakhas, when his two hands are indicated by Hasta, when Punarvasu, O king, makes his fingers, Ashlesha his nails when Jyeshtha makes his neck when Shravana makes his ears, and Pushya his mouth when Svati is said to make his teeth and lips, when Shatabhisha is his smile and Magha his nose, when Mrigashiras is known to be in his eye, and Chitra in his forehead, when his head is in Bharani, when Ardra forms his hair, o king, the vow called Chandravrata should be taken in hand. Upon the termination of that vow, gifts of clarified butter should be made 10 Brahmanas conversant with the Vedas.

M. N. Dutt: As the fruit of that vow one acquires prosperity, personal beauty and that good luck which brings about knowledge. Indeed, onc becomes on account of such a vow, as full of attribute as the full Moon hiinself.