Uttara-khaṇḍa · Chapter 144
Sourceमहादेव उवाच। ब्रह्मवल्ली महत्तीर्थं ततो गच्छेत्सुरेश्वरि । तस्य तीर्थस्य स्वरूपं साक्षाच्छृणु सुरोत्तम १। यत्र साभ्रमती तोयं ब्रह्मवल्ल्यंभसा सह । युज्यते ब्रह्मतीर्थं तत्प्रयागेन समं स्मृतम् २। तत्र पिंडप्रदानेन तृप्तिर्द्वादशवार्षिकी । पितॄणां जायते नूनं ब्रह्मणो वचनं यथा ३। गयाश्राद्धसमंपुण्यंब्रह्मवल्ल्यांविशेषतः । यत्रज्ञात्वाप्रकुर्वंतिपितरस्तृप्तिमाप्नुयुः ४। गोदानंभूमिदानंचअन्नदानंतथैवच । एतद्दानसमं पुण्यं ब्रह्मवल्ल्यां विशेषतः ५। अत्रैव सनकाद्यास्तु स्नात्वा च विधिपूर्वकम् । परंब्रह्मपदध्यानाद्विष्णुलोकमवाप्नुयुः ६। पुष्करे चैव गंगायां क्षेत्रे चामरकंटके । तत्र गत्वा तु देवेशि यत्फलं लभते नरः ७। तत्फलं समवाप्नोति ब्रह्मवल्ल्यां विशेषतः । चंद्र सूर्योपरागे च दानं ये ददते नराः ८। तत्फलं समवाप्नोति ब्रह्मावल्ल्यां सुरेश्वरि । दिव्यरूपधरास्ते च शंखचक्रगदाधराः ९। तेऽपि स्वर्गे हि गच्छंति स्नानं कृत्वा सुरेश्वरि । धृत्वा तुलसिजां मालां नारायणमनुस्मरन् । वैकुंठं दिव्यमानंदं याति वै पदमव्ययम् १०। इति ब्रह्मवल्लीतीर्थमाहात्म्यम् । वृषतीर्थं ततो गच्छेत्खंडतीर्थेऽतिविश्रुतम् । तत्र स्नात्वा दिवं गावो गोलोकं च पुराश्रिताः ११। खंडरूपेण धर्मेण या गावो लोकमातरः । शापाद्भ्रष्टावितास्तेन खंडतीर्थमथोच्यते १२। पार्वत्युवाच। शापो हि लोकमातॄणां गवां कस्य पुराऽभवत् । कथं लोकात्परिभ्रष्टाः कथं धर्मेण रक्षिताः १३। महादेव उवाच। पुरा वृषेण गोलोके क्रीडता सह मातृभिः । मुक्तं तथा शकृन्मूत्रं पतितं हरमूर्द्धनि १४। ततस्तासां ददौ शापं तेन दोषेण वै हरः । नष्टसंज्ञा स्वलोकाच्च गावो यास्यथ मेदिनीम् १५। गावः शप्ता भगवता संप्रसाद्य पुनर्हरम् । प्राप्स्यामहे पुनर्लोकं इति देवं ययाचिरे १६। यदा साभ्रमती तीर्थे ब्रह्मवल्ली समीपतः । खंडसंज्ञह्रदे स्नात्वा स्वर्गं वै प्राप्स्यथ ध्रुवम् १७। ततस्तस्मिन्ह्रदे स्नात्वा गावो गोपतिना सह । स्वर्गं गता शुद्धतमा महादेवसमीपतः १८। गोह्रदे तु नरः स्नात्वा कृत्वा वै पितृतर्पणम् । गवां लोकमवाप्नोति दाहप्रलयवर्जितम् १९। तत्र स्थित्वा निराहारो गोपिंडं च ददाति वै । स नरः सुखमेधेत यावदिंद्राश्चतुर्दश २०। गवांकोटिप्रदानेन यत्फलं प्राप्यते ध्रुवम् । तत्फलं समवाप्नोति खंडतीर्थे न संशयः २१। गृहीत्वा वृषमूत्रं च तीर्थं यः पिबते नरः । तत्क्षणादेव शुद्धिः स्यात्खंडतीर्थे न संशयः २२। खंडतीर्थात्परं तीर्थं न भूतं न भविष्यति । ये गच्छंति सुरश्रेष्ठ ते नराः पुण्यभागिनः २३। तत्र गत्वा सुरश्रेष्ठे गवां पूजनमाचरेत् । वृषभं च ततः पूज्य स्नानं कृत्वा समाहितः २४। पूजनाद्वै न संदेहो गोलोके तु वसेच्चिरम् । तत्र गत्वा विशेषेण सौवर्णी गां ददंति ये २५। ते नरा भुंजते सौख्यं यावदिंद्राश्चतुर्दश । दशधेनुं ततः कृत्वा यो ददाति द्विजातये २६। खंडतीर्थे सुरश्रेष्ठे तदनंतफलं स्मृतम् । तत्र गत्वा तु कर्त्तव्यं पिप्पलारोपणं बुधैः २७। तत्कृते सति देवेशि पितृलोकं स गच्छति । पंच वामलकीर्दिव्या ये कुर्वंति प्ररोपणम् २८। इहलोके सुखं भुक्त्वा हरिलोकं व्रजंति ते २९। इति श्रीपाद्मेमहापुराणे पंचपंचाशत्साहस्र्यां संहितायामुत्तरखंडे उमामहेश्वरसंवादे खंडतीर्थंनाम चतुश्चत्वारिंशदधिकशततमोऽध्यायः १४४।
mahādeva uvāca| brahmavallī mahattīrthaṃ tato gacchetsureśvari | tasya tīrthasya svarūpaṃ sākṣācchṛṇu surottama 1| yatra sābhramatī toyaṃ brahmavallyaṃbhasā saha | yujyate brahmatīrthaṃ tatprayāgena samaṃ smṛtam 2| tatra piṃḍapradānena tṛptirdvādaśavārṣikī | pitṝṇāṃ jāyate nūnaṃ brahmaṇo vacanaṃ yathā 3| gayāśrāddhasamaṃpuṇyaṃbrahmavallyāṃviśeṣataḥ | yatrajñātvāprakurvaṃtipitarastṛptimāpnuyuḥ 4| godānaṃbhūmidānaṃcaannadānaṃtathaivaca | etaddānasamaṃ puṇyaṃ brahmavallyāṃ viśeṣataḥ 5| atraiva sanakādyāstu snātvā ca vidhipūrvakam | paraṃbrahmapadadhyānādviṣṇulokamavāpnuyuḥ 6| puṣkare caiva gaṃgāyāṃ kṣetre cāmarakaṃṭake | tatra gatvā tu deveśi yatphalaṃ labhate naraḥ 7| tatphalaṃ samavāpnoti brahmavallyāṃ viśeṣataḥ | caṃdra sūryoparāge ca dānaṃ ye dadate narāḥ 8| tatphalaṃ samavāpnoti brahmāvallyāṃ sureśvari | divyarūpadharāste ca śaṃkhacakragadādharāḥ 9| te'pi svarge hi gacchaṃti snānaṃ kṛtvā sureśvari | dhṛtvā tulasijāṃ mālāṃ nārāyaṇamanusmaran | vaikuṃṭhaṃ divyamānaṃdaṃ yāti vai padamavyayam 10| iti brahmavallītīrthamāhātmyam | vṛṣatīrthaṃ tato gacchetkhaṃḍatīrthe'tiviśrutam | tatra snātvā divaṃ gāvo golokaṃ ca purāśritāḥ 11| khaṃḍarūpeṇa dharmeṇa yā gāvo lokamātaraḥ | śāpādbhraṣṭāvitāstena khaṃḍatīrthamathocyate 12| pārvatyuvāca| śāpo hi lokamātṝṇāṃ gavāṃ kasya purā'bhavat | kathaṃ lokātparibhraṣṭāḥ kathaṃ dharmeṇa rakṣitāḥ 13| mahādeva uvāca| purā vṛṣeṇa goloke krīḍatā saha mātṛbhiḥ | muktaṃ tathā śakṛnmūtraṃ patitaṃ haramūrddhani 14| tatastāsāṃ dadau śāpaṃ tena doṣeṇa vai haraḥ | naṣṭasaṃjñā svalokācca gāvo yāsyatha medinīm 15| gāvaḥ śaptā bhagavatā saṃprasādya punarharam | prāpsyāmahe punarlokaṃ iti devaṃ yayācire 16| yadā sābhramatī tīrthe brahmavallī samīpataḥ | khaṃḍasaṃjñahrade snātvā svargaṃ vai prāpsyatha dhruvam 17| tatastasminhrade snātvā gāvo gopatinā saha | svargaṃ gatā śuddhatamā mahādevasamīpataḥ 18| gohrade tu naraḥ snātvā kṛtvā vai pitṛtarpaṇam | gavāṃ lokamavāpnoti dāhapralayavarjitam 19| tatra sthitvā nirāhāro gopiṃḍaṃ ca dadāti vai | sa naraḥ sukhamedheta yāvadiṃdrāścaturdaśa 20| gavāṃkoṭipradānena yatphalaṃ prāpyate dhruvam | tatphalaṃ samavāpnoti khaṃḍatīrthe na saṃśayaḥ 21| gṛhītvā vṛṣamūtraṃ ca tīrthaṃ yaḥ pibate naraḥ | tatkṣaṇādeva śuddhiḥ syātkhaṃḍatīrthe na saṃśayaḥ 22| khaṃḍatīrthātparaṃ tīrthaṃ na bhūtaṃ na bhaviṣyati | ye gacchaṃti suraśreṣṭha te narāḥ puṇyabhāginaḥ 23| tatra gatvā suraśreṣṭhe gavāṃ pūjanamācaret | vṛṣabhaṃ ca tataḥ pūjya snānaṃ kṛtvā samāhitaḥ 24| pūjanādvai na saṃdeho goloke tu vasecciram | tatra gatvā viśeṣeṇa sauvarṇī gāṃ dadaṃti ye 25| te narā bhuṃjate saukhyaṃ yāvadiṃdrāścaturdaśa | daśadhenuṃ tataḥ kṛtvā yo dadāti dvijātaye 26| khaṃḍatīrthe suraśreṣṭhe tadanaṃtaphalaṃ smṛtam | tatra gatvā tu karttavyaṃ pippalāropaṇaṃ budhaiḥ 27| tatkṛte sati deveśi pitṛlokaṃ sa gacchati | paṃca vāmalakīrdivyā ye kurvaṃti praropaṇam 28| ihaloke sukhaṃ bhuktvā harilokaṃ vrajaṃti te 29| iti śrīpādmemahāpurāṇe paṃcapaṃcāśatsāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāmuttarakhaṃḍe umāmaheśvarasaṃvāde khaṃḍatīrthaṃnāma catuścatvāriṃśadadhikaśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ 144|
English translation
Mahādeva said :
1-10. O chief goddess, a man should then go to the great holy place (called) Brahmavallī. O best goddess, listen to the actual nature of that holy place. That Brahmatīrtha where the water of Sābhramatī joins the water of Brahmavallī, is said to be equal to Prayāga . By offering piṇḍas there the dead ancestors are gratified for twelve years—as this is the statement of Brahmā . Knowing that the religious merit due to a śrāddha offered there is equal to that of a śrāddha at Gayā , men offer it, and the dead ancestors would (thereby) be pleased. A gift particularly at Brahmavallī has religious merit equal to that due to the gift of a cow, of land or of food also. Here only Sanaka and others having bathed according to the precept, obtained Viṣṇu ’s world by meditating upon the position of the highest Brahman . O chief goddess, a man obtains particularly that fruit at Brahmavallī which he obtains by going to Puṣkara , (bank of) Gaṅgā , and the holy place Amarakaṇṭaka . Men obtain that fruit at Brahmavallī which (they get when) they give gifts at the lunar or solar eclipse, O chief goddess. Those who have divine forms and hold conches, discs and maces, also go to heaven on bathing (here), O chief goddess. A man, holding a rosary made of Tulasī (-wood), and remembering Viṣṇu, goes to the divine Vaikuṇṭha , the highest position (full of) bliss.
Thus is the greatness of Brahmavallī- tīrtha .
11-12. From there a man should go to Vṛṣatīrtha well-known as Khaṇḍatīrtha. Having formerly bathed there the cows went to Goloka . The cows, the mothers of the world, that had fallen due to a curse were protected by Dharma in the form of Khaṇḍa ; therefore it is called Khaṇḍatīrtha.
Pārvatī said :
13. Who formerly gave a curse to the cows, the mothers of the world? How did they fall from (their) world? How were they protected by Dharma?
Mahādeva said :
14-29. Formerly Vṛṣa , playing with the mothers in Goloka, discharged feces and urine. That fell on the head of Hara . So, due to their fault Hara gave a curse: “O cows, losing your intellect, you will go to the earth.” The cows cursed by the lord, again went to Hara, and requested the god: “May we obtain (i.e. go back to) our world.” “When you will bathe in the pool called Khaṇḍa near Brahmavallī at the holy place on (the bank of) Sābhramatī, you will certainly obtain heaven.” Then the cows having bathed with the lord of cows in the pool, (became) most pure (and) went to heaven near Mahādeva . A man having bathed in Gohrada, and having offered oblations to his dead ancestors, obtains Goloka free from heat and destruction The man, who, living there without food, offers piṇḍas to cows, would obtain happiness as long as the fourteen Indras (rule). There is no doubt that a man obtains that fruit at Khaṇḍatīrtha which he certainly gets by the gift of a crore of cows. Taking a bull’s urine, one who drinks the holy water gets purified at that moment only. There is no doubt about it. There was not and there will not be a holy place superior to Khaṇḍatīrtha. Those men, O best goddess, who go there, are meritorious. Having gone there, a man should worship cows, O best goddess. Then having bathed and being composed he should worship Vṛṣabha . Undoubtedly by worshipping him he would live in Goloka for a long time. Those men who, having gone there, particularly offer a golden (image of a) cow enjoy happiness as long as the fourteen Indras (rule). A man, who having fashioned (golden images of) ten cows gives them to a brāhmaṇa at Khaṇḍatīrtha—that is said (to give) infinite fruit, O best goddess. Having gone there the wise should plant a pippala tree. Having done so, O chief goddess, he goes to the world of the dead ancestors. Those who plant five āmalakī trees, enjoy happiness in this world and go to Viṣṇu’s world.
Complete chapter-aligned witnesses. Sanskrit Wikisource page 14687, revision 336568 (2022-04-24T15:55:10Z). English is N. A. Deshpande’s complete translation, controlled against its chapter page at https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-padma-purana/d/doc365723.html and the ten-volume archival witness. The witnesses are aligned at chapter level; no unsupported verse-by-verse equivalence is asserted.