desired. And having bestowed upon them these,
that god disappeared in their sight like lightning
in the clouds. And it is for this, O Bharata,
that that tirtha became known by the name of Saptacharu,
and if one offereth Charu there to the seven flamed
deity, he obtaineth merit superior to that of the
gift of a hundred thousand kine, to that of a hundred
Rajasuya sacrifices, as also of a hundred horse-sacrifices.
Leaving Vadava, O king, one should then proceed to
Raudrapada, and beholding Mahadeva there one obtaineth
the merit of the horse-sacrifice. Proceeding
then, with subdued soul and leading a Brahmacharya
mode of life, to Manimat, and residing there for one
night, one acquireth, O king, the merit of the Agnishtoma
sacrifice. One should then go, O king, to Devika
celebrated over the whole world. It was there,
O bull of Bharata race, that, as heard by us, the
Brahmanas first sprang into existence. There
also is the region of the holder of the trident—a
region that is celebrated over the world. Having
bathed in Devika and worshipped Maheswara by offering
him, to the best of one’s might, rice boiled
in milk and butter, a man obtaineth, O bull of the
Bharata race, the merit of a sacrifice that is capable
of filling every desire. There also is another
tirtha of Rudra called Kamakhya, which is much resorted
to by the gods. Bathing there, a man speedily
obtaineth success. By touching also the water
of Yajana. Brahmavaluka, and Pushpamva, one becometh
free from sorrow in after life. The learned have
said that the sacred tirtha of Devika, the resort
of the gods and the Rishis, is five Yojanas in length
and half a Yojana in breadth. One should then,
in due order, proceed, O king, to Dirghasatra.
There the gods with Brahma at their head, the Siddhas,
and the greatest Rishis, with regulated vows and the
recitation and acceptance of the preliminary pledge,
perform the long-extending sacrifice. O king,
by going only to Dirghasatra, O represser of foes,
one obtaineth merit that is superior, O Bharata, to
that of the Rajasuya or the horse-sacrifice. One
should next proceed with subdued senses and regulated
diet to Vinasana, where Saraswati disappearing on
the breast of Meru, re-appeareth at Chamasa, Shivodbheda
and Nagadbheda. Bathing in Chamasadbheda, one
obtaineth the merit of the Agnishtoma sacrifice.
Bathing in Shivodbheda, one acquireth the merit of
the gift of a thousand kine. And bathing in Nagodbheda,
one obtaineth the region of the Nagas. One should
proceed, next, to the inaccessible tirtha of Shasayana,
where the cranes, O Bharata, disappearing in the form
of sasas, re-appear every year in the month of Karttika,
and bathe, O blessed chief of the Bharata race, in
the Sarsawati. Bathing there, O tiger among men,
one blazeth forth like the Moon, and obtaineth, O bull
of the Bharata race, the merit of the gift of a thousand
kine. One should next proceed, O thou of the
Kuru race, to Kumarakoti, with subdued senses, and
bathing there, worship the gods and the Puris.