Chapter Thirteen Śrī Prabhāsa-sarasvatī-bodha-pippala-gomatī-sindhu-saṇga-māhātmya The Glories of Prabhāsa-tīrtha, the Sarasvatī River, Bodha-pippala, and the Place Where the Gomatī River Meets the Ocean

yat puṇyaṁ labhate rājan snānato dānato naraḥ tasmāc chata-guṇaṁ puṇyaṁ prabhāse ca dine dine godāvaryām—in the Godāvarī; gurau—when Jupiter; siṁhe—in Leo; hara-kśetre—at Haridwar; ca—and; kumbhage—in Aquarius; ravigrahe—eclipse of the sun; kurukśetre—at Kurukśetra; kāśyām—in Vārāṇasī; candragrahe—eclipse of the moon; tathā—so; yat—which; puṇyam—piety; labhate—attains; rājan—O king; snānataḥ—by bathing; dānataḥ—by giving charity; naraḥ—a person; tasmāt—than that; śata—a hundred times; guṇam—multiplied; puṇyam—piety; prabhāse—at Prabhāsa; ca—and; dine—day; dine—after day. By bathing and giving charity at Prabhāsa-tīrtha one attains a pious result a hundred times greater than the result attained by bathing and giving charity at the Godāvarī river when Jupiter is in Leo, at Haridwar when Jupiter is in Aquarius, at Kurukśetra during a solar eclipse, or at Vārāṇasī during a lunar eclipse.

yat puṇyaṁ labhate rājan snānato dānato naraḥ tasmāc chata-guṇaṁ puṇyaṁ prabhāse ca dine dine godāvaryām—in the Godāvarī; gurau—when Jupiter; siṁhe—in Leo; hara-kśetre—at Haridwar; ca—and; kumbhage—in Aquarius; ravigrahe—eclipse of the sun; kurukśetre—at Kurukśetra; kāśyām—in Vārāṇasī; candragrahe—eclipse of the moon; tathā—so; yat—which; puṇyam—piety; labhate—attains; rājan—O king; snānataḥ—by bathing; dānataḥ—by giving charity; naraḥ—a person; tasmāt—than that; śata—a hundred times; guṇam—multiplied; puṇyam—piety; prabhāse—at Prabhāsa; ca—and; dine—day; dine—after day. By bathing and giving charity at Prabhāsa-tīrtha one attains a pious result a hundred times greater than the result attained by bathing and giving charity at the Godāvarī river when Jupiter is in Leo, at Haridwar when Jupiter is in Aquarius, at Kurukśetra during a solar eclipse, or at Vārāṇasī during a lunar eclipse.

By bathing at Prabhāsa-tīrtha, the moon-god became free of the disease he obtained by Dakśa's curse, although he did show his phases again afterward.

O king, in that place the Sarasvatī river flows in a western course. A sinner who bathes in the Sarasvatī there attains a spiritual body.

On the shore of the Sarasvatī is a place named Bodha-pippala, where Lord Kṛśṇa gave the beautiful Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to Uddhava.

ślokārdhaṁ śloka-pādaṁ vā maunī niyata-mānasaḥ tasya pāṇau bhaved rājan vaiśṇavaṁ paramaṁ padam tam—to that; natvā—bowing; abhyarcya—worshiping; vidhivat—properly; spṛśṭvā—touching; śrī-bodha-pippalam—Bodha-pippala; śṛṇoti—hears; yaḥ—one who; bhāgavatam—Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; purāṇam—Purāṇa; brahma-saṁhitam—scripture; ślokārdham—half a stanza; śloka-pādam—a single line of a stanza; vā—or; maunī—silent; niyata-mānasaḥ—controlling his mind; tasya—of him; pāṇau—in the hand; bhavet—is; rājan—O king; vaiśṇavam—of Lord Viśṇu; paramam—supreme; padam—abode. A person who is silent, controls his mind, visits, properly worships, and touches sacred Bodha-pippala, and hears the sacred Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Purāṇa, or even only half a stanza of it, or even only a single line of a stanza, in Bodha-pippala, finds the supreme abode of Lord Viśṇu is placed in his hand.

ślokārdhaṁ śloka-pādaṁ vā maunī niyata-mānasaḥ tasya pāṇau bhaved rājan vaiśṇavaṁ paramaṁ padam tam—to that; natvā—bowing; abhyarcya—worshiping; vidhivat—properly; spṛśṭvā—touching; śrī-bodha-pippalam—Bodha-pippala; śṛṇoti—hears; yaḥ—one who; bhāgavatam—Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; purāṇam—Purāṇa; brahma-saṁhitam—scripture; ślokārdham—half a stanza; śloka-pādam—a single line of a stanza; vā—or; maunī—silent; niyata-mānasaḥ—controlling his mind; tasya—of him; pāṇau—in the hand; bhavet—is; rājan—O king; vaiśṇavam—of Lord Viśṇu; paramam—supreme; padam—abode. A person who is silent, controls his mind, visits, properly worships, and touches sacred Bodha-pippala, and hears the sacred Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Purāṇa, or even only half a stanza of it, or even only a single line of a stanza, in Bodha-pippala, finds the supreme abode of Lord Viśṇu is placed in his hand.

A person who on the full-moon day of the month of Bhādra (August-September) gives a gift of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam resting on a golden throne attains the supreme destination.

In this world they who have never heard Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam have wasted their lives.

They who have not heard Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, worshiped the ancient Supreme Personality of Godhead, or fed the brāhmaṇas, have wasted their lives.

A person who bathes in Dvārakā at the auspicious place where the Gomatī flows into the ocean, a place that is the king of holy places, attains the sacred supreme abode of Vaikuṇṭha.

The pious result obtained by bathing at the place where the Gomatī flows into the ocean is a thousand times greater than the pious result obtained at the place where the Gaṇgā flows into the ocean.

The wise tell an ancient story about this holy place. Simply by hearing it one becomes free from the sufferings brought by many sins.

In Hastināpura there was a great, generous, respectful, and very wealthy merchant.

He greedy, passionate, bewildered, fond of visiting prostitutes, expert at speaking amorous flattery, and addicted to gambling.

He was a lier and a rogue. He always acted badly. He never gave charity to the brāhmaṇas, pitās, or demigods.

When from afar he was aware of discussions about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he quickly ran far away. He did not serve his parents. He gave no money to his children.

This wicked, evil-hearted, and very wealthy person left his wife. By again and again visiting prostitutes he lost half his wealth.

The half that remained was stolen by thieves. By performing pious deeds one becomes wealthy, and by performing sins one loses all his wealth.

In this way he became penniless. Because he was addicted to visiting prostitutes, that rogue became a thief in the beautiful city of Hastināpura.

When he was caught stealing, the great king Śantanu had him bound with ropes and exiled from the country.

Living in the forest, he became a hunter. Then there was a great drought and for twelve thousand years there was no rain.

Oppressed by the lack of food, he went to the west. In a forest there a lion clawed him to death.

Then the Yamaūtas came, bound him with ropes, and, whipping him as they went, marched him, his face bowed, on the path to Yamarāja.

With its beak a great vulture suddenly bit off a part of his arm and flew into the sky, devouring it as it went.

The hungry vultures that had no meat pursued the vulture that had some. They attacked, scratching with their claws, and there was a great commotion.

Not letting the meat drop from its beak, the vulture flew to the west. Then another vulture, its equal in strength, attacked with its sharp beak.

teśāṁ pāśān svayaṁ chittvā bhūtvā devaś catur-bhujaḥ paśyatāṁ yamadūtānāṁ vimānam adhiruhya saḥ virājayan diśaḥ sarvāḥ paraṁ dhāma harer yayau tan-mukhāt—from its mouth; prapatan—fell; māṁsam—meat; gomatī-sindhu-saṇgame—into the place where the Gomatī flows into the ocean; tīrtha—of the holy place; plute—into the water; tasya—of him; māṁse—the flesh; vaiśyaḥ—the vaisya; ayam—he; pātakī\—sinner; mahān—great; teśām—of them; pāśān—the ropes; svayam—himself; chittvā—cutting; bhūtvā—becoming; devaḥ—a divine person; catur-bhujaḥ—with four arms; paśyatām—looking on; yamadūtānām—as the yamadūtas; vimānam—an airplane; adhiruhya—climbing; saḥ—he; virājayan—illuminating; diśaḥ—the directions; sarvāḥ—all; param—the suprem; dhāma—abode; hareḥ—of Lord Hari; yayau—went. Then the meat dropped from the first vulture's mouth and fell into the water at the place where the Gomatī flows into the ocean. Because of this, the sinful merchant became at once purified. He himself cut the ropes binding him and, as the Yamadūtas looked on, he became an effulgent four-armed resident of the spirituasl world. Entering a spiritual airplane, and illuminating all the directions as he went, he traveled to the spiritual abode of the Personality of Godhead.

teśāṁ pāśān svayaṁ chittvā bhūtvā devaś catur-bhujaḥ paśyatāṁ yamadūtānāṁ vimānam adhiruhya saḥ virājayan diśaḥ sarvāḥ paraṁ dhāma harer yayau tan-mukhāt—from its mouth; prapatan—fell; māṁsam—meat; gomatī-sindhu-saṇgame—into the place where the Gomatī flows into the ocean; tīrtha—of the holy place; plute—into the water; tasya—of him; māṁse—the flesh; vaiśyaḥ—the vaisya; ayam—he; pātakī\—sinner; mahān—great; teśām—of them; pāśān—the ropes; svayam—himself; chittvā—cutting; bhūtvā—becoming; devaḥ—a divine person; catur-bhujaḥ—with four arms; paśyatām—looking on; yamadūtānām—as the yamadūtas; vimānam—an airplane; adhiruhya—climbing; saḥ—he; virājayan—illuminating; diśaḥ—the directions; sarvāḥ—all; param—the suprem; dhāma—abode; hareḥ—of Lord Hari; yayau—went. Then the meat dropped from the first vulture's mouth and fell into the water at the place where the Gomatī flows into the ocean. Because of this, the sinful merchant became at once purified. He himself cut the ropes binding him and, as the Yamadūtas looked on, he became an effulgent four-armed resident of the spirituasl world. Entering a spiritual airplane, and illuminating all the directions as he went, he traveled to the spiritual abode of the Personality of Godhead.

teśāṁ pāśān svayaṁ chittvā bhūtvā devaś catur-bhujaḥ paśyatāṁ yamadūtānāṁ vimānam adhiruhya saḥ virājayan diśaḥ sarvāḥ paraṁ dhāma harer yayau tan-mukhāt—from its mouth; prapatan—fell; māṁsam—meat; gomatī-sindhu-saṇgame—into the place where the Gomatī flows into the ocean; tīrtha—of the holy place; plute—into the water; tasya—of him; māṁse—the flesh; vaiśyaḥ—the vaisya; ayam—he; pātakī\—sinner; mahān—great; teśām—of them; pāśān—the ropes; svayam—himself; chittvā—cutting; bhūtvā—becoming; devaḥ—a divine person; catur-bhujaḥ—with four arms; paśyatām—looking on; yamadūtānām—as the yamadūtas; vimānam—an airplane; adhiruhya—climbing; saḥ—he; virājayan—illuminating; diśaḥ—the directions; sarvāḥ—all; param—the suprem; dhāma—abode; hareḥ—of Lord Hari; yayau—went. Then the meat dropped from the first vulture's mouth and fell into the water at the place where the Gomatī flows into the ocean. Because of this, the sinful merchant became at once purified. He himself cut the ropes binding him and, as the Yamadūtas looked on, he became an effulgent four-armed resident of the spirituasl world. Entering a spiritual airplane, and illuminating all the directions as he went, he traveled to the spiritual abode of the Personality of Godhead.

A person who hears this story describing the glories of the holy place where the Gomatī flows into the ocean becomes free of all sins and goes to the realm of Lord Viśṇu.