Uttara-khaṇḍa · Chapter 137
Sourceमहादेव उवाच। अथ नंदिप्रदेशात्तु यथा साभ्रमती नदी । समायाता विकीर्णं च वनं विप्रर्षिसेवितम् १। बहुधा जलवेगेन पर्वतानां च रोधसः । सप्तधा प्रविभक्ता च दक्षिणोदधिगामिनी २। आद्या साभ्रमती पुण्या द्वितीया सेटिका तधा । तृतीया वल्किनी पुण्या चतुर्थी च हिरण्मयी ३। सर्वपापहरा प्रोक्ता हस्तिमत्यथ पंचमी । वेत्रवती सा च षष्ठी वृत्रेण निर्मिता पुरा ४। इयं सा परमा देवी वृत्रकूपाद्विनिःसृता । वेत्रवती ततो जाता महापापप्रणाशिनी ५। भद्रामुखी शुभप्राया सप्तमी लोकपावनी । एतैस्तु सप्तभिर्देवि तांस्तान्जनपदांस्तथा ६। पवित्रीकृत्य चैकेन सप्तस्रोता प्रतिष्ठिता । विकीर्णतीर्थे यः श्राद्धं पितॄनुद्दिश्य दास्यति ७। गयापिंडप्रदानस्य फलं यत्तद्भविष्यति । अवकीर्णा च्युता ये च लुप्तपिंडोदकक्रियाः ८। ते विकीर्णे प्रमुच्यंते दत्तपिंडोदकक्रियाः । तत्र श्राद्धं तु यः कुर्याद्गाणपत्यं भवेद्ध्रुवम् ९। तस्मात्त्रयीविधानेन श्रद्धया श्राद्धमाचरेत् । अस्मिंस्तीर्थे विशेषेण सप्तनद्युदये द्विजाः १०। स्नानं कुरुत विप्रेंद्रा ऋषिलोकमभीप्सवः । इत्युक्तं कश्यपेनाथ द्विजान्प्रति विशेषतः ११। यदि चेत्क्रियते स्नानं सर्वदुःखापहं सदा । तीर्थानां प्रवरं तीर्थं क्षेत्राणामुत्तमोत्तमम् १२। तीर्थमेतद्विकीर्णं च शुभदं रोगदोषहृत् । कुर्वंत्यत्र विशेषेण ये स्नानं सर्वदा कलौ १३। ते नराः पुण्यभाजो हि जायंते नात्र संशयः । गयातीर्थसमं तीर्थं विकीर्णं पावनं परम् । पितॄणां पुण्यदं नित्यं लोकानां दुःखनाशनम् १४। इति विकीर्णतीर्थम् । तीर्थादस्मात्परं तीर्थं श्वेतोद्भवमनुत्तमम् । यत्र श्वेता नदी जाता मत्पृष्ठोदरभस्मना १५। विश्रुता त्रिषु लोकेषु सर्वपापप्रणाशिनी । हरांगभस्मसंयोगात्जाता देवैस्तु मानिता १६। तस्यां स्नातः शुचिर्दांतस्त्रिरात्रमुषितः पुमान् । महाकालेश्वरं दृष्ट्वा रुद्रलोके महीयते १७। पिंडं पितृभ्यो यो दद्यात्तस्यास्तीरे कुशैस्तिलैः । सुतृप्ताः पितरस्तस्य भवंतीति न संशयः १८। श्वेतगंगामहापुण्या दुःखदारिद्र्यमोचनी । यत्र स्नानेन भो देवि परं सुखमवाप्यते १९। तस्या वै संगमे पुण्ये नित्यं तिष्ठामि पार्वति । येऽत्र दानं प्रकुर्वंति स्नानं च तत्र सुंदरि २०। तदनंतफलं तस्य भवेद्वै नात्र संशयः । तत्र भूतेश्वरो देवः संगमे वसते ध्रुवम् २१। तत्र धूपं च दीपं च पुष्पमारार्तिकं तथा । ये कुर्वंति नरश्रेष्ठास्ते नराः पुण्यरूपिणः २२। बिल्वदलं समादाय यो ददाति शिवोपरि । वांच्छितं लभते नित्यं श्वेतायां शिवसंनिधौ २३। इति श्रीपाद्मे महापुराणे पंचपंचात्साहस्र्यां संहितायामुत्तरखंडे। उमामहेश्वरसंवादे श्वेतातीर्थंनाम सप्तत्रिंशाधिकशततमोऽध्यायः १३७।
mahādeva uvāca| atha naṃdipradeśāttu yathā sābhramatī nadī | samāyātā vikīrṇaṃ ca vanaṃ viprarṣisevitam 1| bahudhā jalavegena parvatānāṃ ca rodhasaḥ | saptadhā pravibhaktā ca dakṣiṇodadhigāminī 2| ādyā sābhramatī puṇyā dvitīyā seṭikā tadhā | tṛtīyā valkinī puṇyā caturthī ca hiraṇmayī 3| sarvapāpaharā proktā hastimatyatha paṃcamī | vetravatī sā ca ṣaṣṭhī vṛtreṇa nirmitā purā 4| iyaṃ sā paramā devī vṛtrakūpādviniḥsṛtā | vetravatī tato jātā mahāpāpapraṇāśinī 5| bhadrāmukhī śubhaprāyā saptamī lokapāvanī | etaistu saptabhirdevi tāṃstānjanapadāṃstathā 6| pavitrīkṛtya caikena saptasrotā pratiṣṭhitā | vikīrṇatīrthe yaḥ śrāddhaṃ pitṝnuddiśya dāsyati 7| gayāpiṃḍapradānasya phalaṃ yattadbhaviṣyati | avakīrṇā cyutā ye ca luptapiṃḍodakakriyāḥ 8| te vikīrṇe pramucyaṃte dattapiṃḍodakakriyāḥ | tatra śrāddhaṃ tu yaḥ kuryādgāṇapatyaṃ bhaveddhruvam 9| tasmāttrayīvidhānena śraddhayā śrāddhamācaret | asmiṃstīrthe viśeṣeṇa saptanadyudaye dvijāḥ 10| snānaṃ kuruta vipreṃdrā ṛṣilokamabhīpsavaḥ | ityuktaṃ kaśyapenātha dvijānprati viśeṣataḥ 11| yadi cetkriyate snānaṃ sarvaduḥkhāpahaṃ sadā | tīrthānāṃ pravaraṃ tīrthaṃ kṣetrāṇāmuttamottamam 12| tīrthametadvikīrṇaṃ ca śubhadaṃ rogadoṣahṛt | kurvaṃtyatra viśeṣeṇa ye snānaṃ sarvadā kalau 13| te narāḥ puṇyabhājo hi jāyaṃte nātra saṃśayaḥ | gayātīrthasamaṃ tīrthaṃ vikīrṇaṃ pāvanaṃ param | pitṝṇāṃ puṇyadaṃ nityaṃ lokānāṃ duḥkhanāśanam 14| iti vikīrṇatīrtham | tīrthādasmātparaṃ tīrthaṃ śvetodbhavamanuttamam | yatra śvetā nadī jātā matpṛṣṭhodarabhasmanā 15| viśrutā triṣu lokeṣu sarvapāpapraṇāśinī | harāṃgabhasmasaṃyogātjātā devaistu mānitā 16| tasyāṃ snātaḥ śucirdāṃtastrirātramuṣitaḥ pumān | mahākāleśvaraṃ dṛṣṭvā rudraloke mahīyate 17| piṃḍaṃ pitṛbhyo yo dadyāttasyāstīre kuśaistilaiḥ | sutṛptāḥ pitarastasya bhavaṃtīti na saṃśayaḥ 18| śvetagaṃgāmahāpuṇyā duḥkhadāridryamocanī | yatra snānena bho devi paraṃ sukhamavāpyate 19| tasyā vai saṃgame puṇye nityaṃ tiṣṭhāmi pārvati | ye'tra dānaṃ prakurvaṃti snānaṃ ca tatra suṃdari 20| tadanaṃtaphalaṃ tasya bhavedvai nātra saṃśayaḥ | tatra bhūteśvaro devaḥ saṃgame vasate dhruvam 21| tatra dhūpaṃ ca dīpaṃ ca puṣpamārārtikaṃ tathā | ye kurvaṃti naraśreṣṭhāste narāḥ puṇyarūpiṇaḥ 22| bilvadalaṃ samādāya yo dadāti śivopari | vāṃcchitaṃ labhate nityaṃ śvetāyāṃ śivasaṃnidhau 23| iti śrīpādme mahāpurāṇe paṃcapaṃcātsāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāmuttarakhaṃḍe| umāmaheśvarasaṃvāde śvetātīrthaṃnāma saptatriṃśādhikaśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ 137|
English translation
Mahādeva said :
1-14. The river Sābhramatī, (flowing) from the region of Nandi ( tīrtha ), came to the Vikīrṇa forest resorted to by brāhmaṇas and sages. Due to the great speed of her water and the resistance of the mountains she was divided into seven (streams) and flowed toward the southern sea. The first (stream) is the auspicious Sābhramatī. The second one is Setikā . The third auspicious one is Valkinī, and the fourth Hiraṇmayī. The fifth one, Hastimatī, is said to remove all sins. The sixth one, Vetravatī , was formerly fashioned by Vṛtra . This highly divine one moved (i.e. flowed) out from the pool of Vṛtra. So she became (i.e. came to be known as) Vetravatī, destroying great sins. The seventh one, Bhadramukhī purifying the world, is rich in auspiciousness. She, purifying those regions with these seven streams, has proceeded with the seven streams. He who offers a śrāddha at Vikīrṇa-tīrtha to the dead ancestors, gets that fruit which will be (i.e. is) the fruit of a bath at Gayā . Those who have violated their vows, who are fallen, who missed the piṇḍas with oblations of water, get freed when piṇḍas and water are offered to them at Vikīrṇa. He who would offer a śrāddha there, would certainly be one of Śiva ’s attendants. Therefore, one should devoutly offer a śrāddha there as is laid down in the three Vedas . “O brāhmaṇas, especially take a bath at this (place of) rise of the seven rivers, O best brāhmaṇas, longing for the world of sages.” Kaśyapa especially spoke thus to brāhmaṇas. If a bath is taken here, it always removes all griefs. This holy place (Vikīrṇa) is best among holy places, is best among the best. This holy place Vikīrṇa gives auspiciousness and removes diseases and blemishes. Those men who especially always bathe here in the Kali age, become meritorious. There is no doubt about it. Vikīrṇatīrtha is very purifying like Gayā-tīrtha . It always gives religious merit to the dead ancestors, and destroys people’s misery. Thus Vikīrṇa-tīrtha is described.
15-23. A holy place superior to this, and an excellent one, is called Śvetodbhava, wherefrom the river Śvetā has sprung up due to the ash (applied) to my back and belly. She, the destroyer of all sins, is well-known in the three worlds. She has been produced due to the contact with the ash applied to Śiva’s body; and is honoured by gods. A man who has bathed in it, has become pure and controlled, has lived there for three nights, is honoured in Rudra ’s world after seeing Mahākāleśvara. There is no doubt that the dead ancestors of him who offers (them) a piṇḍa with darbhas and sesamum-seeds on her bank, are very much gratified. Śvetagaṅgā is very auspicious, and frees one from misery and poverty by bathing in which, O goddess, great happiness is obtained. O Pārvatī I always stay at its confluence. The bath which men take here, and the gifts they give, would undoubtedly be for them infinitely fruitful. On the confluence at that place god Bhūteśvara certainly lives. Those best men who offer incense, lamp, flowers and wave lights are meritorious. He who, getting a bilva -leaf, offers it on (the Phallus of) Śiva, always obtains the desired object in the vicinity of Śiva on (the bank of) Śvetā.
Complete chapter-aligned witnesses. Sanskrit Wikisource page 44879, revision 334392 (2022-04-02T23:43:42Z). English is N. A. Deshpande’s complete translation, controlled against its chapter page at https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-padma-purana/d/doc365716.html and the ten-volume archival witness. The witnesses are aligned at chapter level; no unsupported verse-by-verse equivalence is asserted.