Padma Purana — Svarga Khanda — Chapter 16

PdP 3 16.1

ऋषिरुवाच- पृच्छंति ते महात्मानो नारदं हि महाजनाः युधिष्ठिरपराः सर्वे ऋषयश्च तपोधनाः १ आख्याहि भगवंस्तथ्यं कावेरीसंगमे महत् लोकानां च हितार्थाय अस्माकं च विवृद्धये २ सदा पापरता ये तु नरा दुष्कृतिकारिणः मुच्यंते सर्वपापेभ्यो गच्छंति परमं पदम् एतदिच्छामि विज्ञातुं भगवन्वक्तुमर्हसि ३ नारद उवाच- शृणुध्वं सहिताः सर्वे युधिष्ठिरपुरोगमाः अत्र कृत्वा महायज्ञं कुबेरः सत्यविक्रमः इदं तीर्थमनुप्राप्य साम्राज्यादधिकोऽभवत् ४ सिद्धिं प्राप्तो महाराज तन्मे निगदतः शृणु कावेरी नर्मदां यत्र संगता लोकविश्रुताम् ५ तत्र स्नात्वा शुचिर्भूत्वा कुबेरः सत्यविक्रमः तपस्तप्यति यक्षेंद्रो दिव्यं वर्षशतं महत् ६ तस्य तुष्टो महादेवः प्रदद्याद्वरमुत्तमम् भो भो यक्ष महासत्व वरं ब्रूहि यथेप्सितम् ब्रूहि कार्यं यथेष्टं तु यद्वा मनसि वर्त्तते ७ कुबेर उवाच- यदि तुष्टोसि देवेश यदि देयो वरो मम आदिकृच्चैव सर्वेषां यक्षाणामधिपो भवेत् ८ कुबेरस्य वचः श्रुत्वा तुष्टो देवो महेश्वरः एवमस्तु ततश्चोक्त्वा तत्रैवांतरधीयत ९ सोऽपि लब्धवरो यक्षः शीघ्रं यक्षकुलं गतः पूजितः सर्वयक्षेंद्रैरभिषिक्तस्तु पार्थिवः १० कावेरीसंगमं तत्र सर्वपापप्रणाशनम् ये नरा नाभिजानंति वंचितास्ते न संशयः ११ तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन तत्र स्नायीत मानवः कावेरी च महापुण्या नर्मदा च महानदी १२ तत्र स्नात्वा तु राजेंद्र अर्चयेद्वृषभध्वजम् अश्वमेधफलं प्राप्य रुद्रलोके महीयते १३ अग्निप्रवेशं यः कुर्याद्यश्च कुर्य्यादनाशनम् अनिवर्तिका गतिस्तस्य यथा मे शंकरोऽब्रवीत् १४ सेव्यमानो वरस्त्रीभिर्मोदते दिवि रुद्रवत् षष्टिवर्षसहस्राणि षष्टिकोट्यस्तथापरे १५ मोदते रुद्रलोकस्थो यत्र यत्रैव गच्छति पुण्यक्षयात्परिभ्रष्टो राजा भवति धार्मिकः १६ भोगवान्धर्मशीलश्च महांश्चैव कुलोद्भवः तत्र पीत्वा जलं सम्यक्चांद्रायणफलं लभेत् १७ स्वर्गं गच्छंति ते मर्त्या ये पिबंति जलं शुभम् गंगायमुनयोर्मध्ये यत्फलं यांति मानवाः १८ कावेरीसंगमे स्नात्वा तत्फलं तस्य जायते एवं तु तस्य राजेंद्र कावेरीसंगमं महत् पत्रेश्वरेति विख्यातं सर्वपापहरं परम् १९

ṛṣiruvāca- pṛcchaṃti te mahātmāno nāradaṃ hi mahājanāḥ yudhiṣṭhiraparāḥ sarve ṛṣayaśca tapodhanāḥ 1 ākhyāhi bhagavaṃstathyaṃ kāverīsaṃgame mahat lokānāṃ ca hitārthāya asmākaṃ ca vivṛddhaye 2 sadā pāparatā ye tu narā duṣkṛtikāriṇaḥ mucyaṃte sarvapāpebhyo gacchaṃti paramaṃ padam etadicchāmi vijñātuṃ bhagavanvaktumarhasi 3 nārada uvāca- śṛṇudhvaṃ sahitāḥ sarve yudhiṣṭhirapurogamāḥ atra kṛtvā mahāyajñaṃ kuberaḥ satyavikramaḥ idaṃ tīrthamanuprāpya sāmrājyādadhiko'bhavat 4 siddhiṃ prāpto mahārāja tanme nigadataḥ śṛṇu kāverī narmadāṃ yatra saṃgatā lokaviśrutām 5 tatra snātvā śucirbhūtvā kuberaḥ satyavikramaḥ tapastapyati yakṣeṃdro divyaṃ varṣaśataṃ mahat 6 tasya tuṣṭo mahādevaḥ pradadyādvaramuttamam bho bho yakṣa mahāsatva varaṃ brūhi yathepsitam brūhi kāryaṃ yatheṣṭaṃ tu yadvā manasi varttate 7 kubera uvāca- yadi tuṣṭosi deveśa yadi deyo varo mama ādikṛccaiva sarveṣāṃ yakṣāṇāmadhipo bhavet 8 kuberasya vacaḥ śrutvā tuṣṭo devo maheśvaraḥ evamastu tataścoktvā tatraivāṃtaradhīyata 9 so'pi labdhavaro yakṣaḥ śīghraṃ yakṣakulaṃ gataḥ pūjitaḥ sarvayakṣeṃdrairabhiṣiktastu pārthivaḥ 10 kāverīsaṃgamaṃ tatra sarvapāpapraṇāśanam ye narā nābhijānaṃti vaṃcitāste na saṃśayaḥ 11 tasmātsarvaprayatnena tatra snāyīta mānavaḥ kāverī ca mahāpuṇyā narmadā ca mahānadī 12 tatra snātvā tu rājeṃdra arcayedvṛṣabhadhvajam aśvamedhaphalaṃ prāpya rudraloke mahīyate 13 agnipraveśaṃ yaḥ kuryādyaśca kuryyādanāśanam anivartikā gatistasya yathā me śaṃkaro'bravīt 14 sevyamāno varastrībhirmodate divi rudravat ṣaṣṭivarṣasahasrāṇi ṣaṣṭikoṭyastathāpare 15 modate rudralokastho yatra yatraiva gacchati puṇyakṣayātparibhraṣṭo rājā bhavati dhārmikaḥ 16 bhogavāndharmaśīlaśca mahāṃścaiva kulodbhavaḥ tatra pītvā jalaṃ samyakcāṃdrāyaṇaphalaṃ labhet 17 svargaṃ gacchaṃti te martyā ye pibaṃti jalaṃ śubham gaṃgāyamunayormadhye yatphalaṃ yāṃti mānavāḥ 18 kāverīsaṃgame snātvā tatphalaṃ tasya jāyate evaṃ tu tasya rājeṃdra kāverīsaṃgamaṃ mahat patreśvareti vikhyātaṃ sarvapāpaharaṃ param 19

The seer said: Those great-souled ones, the great folk, ask Nārada — all of them, with Yudhiṣṭhira and the rest, and the seers whose wealth is austerity. (1) Tell us truly, lord, the greatness at the confluence of the Kāverī, for the welfare of the worlds and for our increase. (2) Those men who are always devoted to sin, doers of evil deeds, are released from all sins and go to the highest state — this I wish to know; lord, you should speak it. (3) Nārada said: Listen, all of you together, led by Yudhiṣṭhira. Having performed a great sacrifice here, Kubera of true valour, on reaching this tīrtha, became more than an emperor. (4) He attained perfection, great king; hear that from me as I recount it — where the Kāverī, renowned in the world, joined the Narmadā. (5) Having bathed there and become pure, Kubera of true valour, the lord of yakṣas, practised austerity for a great hundred divine years. (6) Mahādeva, pleased with him, would grant the highest boon: "Ho, ho, yakṣa of great being, ask a boon as you desire; speak your purpose just as you wish, or whatever is in your mind." (7) Kubera said: If you are pleased, lord of gods, if a boon is to be given to me, may (I) become the first-made and the overlord of all yakṣas. (8) Hearing Kubera's words, the god Maheśvara was pleased, and having said "So be it," he vanished right there. (9) And that yakṣa, having obtained the boon, went quickly to the family of yakṣas; he was honoured by all the lords of yakṣas and consecrated as king. (10) The Kāverī confluence there destroys all sins; those men who do not know it are cheated — there is no doubt. (11) Therefore with every effort let a man bathe there: the Kāverī is greatly meritorious, and the Narmadā is a great river. (12) Having bathed there, O lord of kings, let one worship him whose banner is the bull; having gained the fruit of a horse-sacrifice, he is honoured in the world of Rudra. (13) He who enters the fire, and he who fasts (to death) — his going is without return, as Śaṃkara told me. (14) Attended by excellent women he rejoices in heaven like Rudra, for sixty thousand years and sixty crores more. (15) Dwelling in Rudra's world he rejoices wherever he goes; fallen (thence) through the exhaustion of his merit, he becomes a righteous king, (16) enjoying pleasures, of virtuous conduct, great and of noble birth. Drinking the water there he would rightly obtain the fruit of the cāndrāyaṇa (vow). (17) Those mortals who drink that auspicious water go to heaven. Whatever fruit men attain (by going) between the Gaṅgā and the Yamunā, (18) that fruit accrues to him who bathes at the Kāverī confluence. Such, O lord of kings, is that great Kāverī confluence, known as Patreśvara, supreme, remover of all sins. (19)

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition