Kalinditirtha: Efficacy of Yamuna

Narada said:

1-18. O lord of kings, then a man should go to the excellent (holy place called) Kalinditirtha. O king, having bathed there one does not meet with misfortune. O best among men, one obtains that fruit (by bathing) in Yamuna which he gets (by bathing) at Puskara, Kuruksetra, Brahmavartta, Prithudaka, Avimukta, Suvarnakhya. Those in whose heart there is a great attachment for heavenly pleasures or who desire (long) life, good health, wealth, handsomeness, youth and virtues, should not give up the water of Yamuna. (These things can be had) especially by a bath in Yamuna, O best one. Those who are afraid of hell etc. and those who have a dread of poverty, should with all efforts take a bath in Yamuna. O Yudhisthira, except the water of Yamuna there is nothing else for (i.e., which is capable of) washing the mud of poverty, sins, misfortune. Deeds done without faith give half (i.e., a partial) fruit. But a bath in Yamuna gives the entire fruit. O king, he who with or without a desire bathes in the water of Yamuna, does not see (i.e., experience) miseries here (i.e., in this world) or in the next world. As the moon wanes and waxes in the two fortnights, in the same way by bathing in Yamuna sin perishes and religious merit increases. As in the ocean various gems are easily obtained, so (long) life, wealth, wife, riches are possible for (i.e. are obtained by) him. As the desire-yielding cow gives the desired object, or as the desireyielding gem gives whatever is thought of, in the same way a bath in Yamuna gives all (the objects of) desire. In Krtayuga penance was great knowledge; in Tretayuga sacrifice (was important); in Dvaparayuga and Kaliyuga giving (gifts) is (fruitful). (But) Yamuna is always auspicious. O king, for all the castes and for all the stages of life a bath in (the water) of Yamuna indeed showers piety in streams. In this country (called) Bharata, especially (named) as the land of religious rites, the life of men not bathing in Yamuna is said to be fruitless. As on the new moon day there is no affluence in the orb of the moon in the sky, in the same way no act shines (i.e., is effective) without a bath in Yamuna. Had or Kesava (i.e., Vishnu) is not so much pleased by means of vows, gifts or penance as he is pleased by means of just a bath in Yamuna. There is no lustre like that of the sun. In the same way there is nothing like a bath in Yamuna. Equally potent are the sacrificial rites. For pleasing Vasudeva, for removing all sins and for obtaining (i.e., going to) heaven men should bathe in Yamuna.

19-25. What is the use of protecting the very well nourished and strong body which is unstable without having a bath in Yamuna? The body is a column of bones, a union of sinews, filled with flesh and blood, put together with skin and having a foul smell, full of urine and feces, pervaded with old age, grief and misery, a weak abode of diseases, the source of attachment, transitory, and the resort of all blemishes, having the affliction of the sin of other's obligations (paropakdrapdpdrtiparadrohal), deceiving others, and jealous of others; (it is) greedy, wicked, cruel, ungrateful and momentary also. It is pityless, difficult to be arrested, wicked and defiled by the disorder of the three humours of the body.1 (It is) impure, tormenting, foul-smelling, and deluded by the three kinds of miseries.3 It is by nature engaged in impiety; it is full of a hundred thirsts (i.e., desires); it remains at the door of hell in the form of passion, anger and great greed. It is full of worms, ordure, ashes etc., useful in the ' end (parindmagundvahaml). Such a body is useless without a bath in Yamuna.

26-33. Those who are without a bath in Yamuna are born to die only like the bubbles on water or mock eggs among birds. A brahmana not devoted to Vishnu is doomed; a sraddha without ' the (offering of) pindas is worthless; a ksatriya not friendly with a brahmana is miserable; a family without good practices is > condemned. Good conduct is doomed with (i.e., due to) hypo-crisy. Penance is worthless due to anger. Unstable knowledge is worthless. Sacred knowledge is doomed due to negligence. A ' woman is ruined due to her devotion to (someone) else (but her husband). A celibate is ruined by a woman. A sacrifice is worthless when the fire is not blazing. Devotion with deceit is worthless. A maiden having a dependent is doomed. Cooking for oneself (alone) is worthless. Dependence on shudra's food is useless. The wealth of a miser is doomed. Learning without study is useless. Contradictory advice is lost. A sacred place (used for) livelihood is tormenting. A vow (used for) livelihood is tormenting. A vow (used for) living is worthless. False words are worthless; so also those that are full of slander. A deliberation going to six ears (i.e., to a third person) is doomed. Muttering (the names of a deity) without concentration is worthless. Giving gifts to a brahmana who is not learned is worthless. Atheists are doomed. All that is done for (obtaining) the other world without faith is worthless.

1. Dosatraya: Disorder of the three humours of the body, viz. wind, bile, and phlegm.

2. Tapatraya: The three kind of miseries which human beings have to suffer in this world, viz. Adhyatmika (caused by the mind), Adhibhautika (caused by animals), and Adhidaivika (caused by fate).

34-46. O king, as the life of the poor people is worthless in this world, in the same way their life is useless without a bath in Kalindl. All minor and major sins are reduced to ashes by taking a bath in Yamuna, O king. When a man has gone to Yamuna, all sins tremble. Best men, if they bathe in the water of Yamuna, shine like fires. As the moon is free from clouds, they are free from all sins. As fire burns the sacred fuel, in the same way a bath there would burn soft or harsh, small or big sin committed by speech, mind or physical acts. O best king, the sin committed through negligence or deliberately or unknowingly would perish just on bathing in Yamuna. The sinless ones go to heaven, and the greatest sinners become pure. No doubt should be raised about the bath in the water of Yamuna. O king, all are entitled to bathing here and to devotion to Vishnu. Goddess Yamuna always destroys the sins of all. This alone is a great hymn; this is a great penance. The excellent bath in Yamuna is a great expiation. Men have a mind to bathe in Kalindl (i.e., Yamuna) due to the practice in other (i.e., previous) existencies as, O king, cleverness in mataphysical knowledge is due to a life-long practice. The bath in Yamuna is efficacious in washing the smearing of the mud of the worldly existence. It is (most) purifying among the purifiers and is excellent. O king, those who have bathed there (i.e., in Yamuna) which gives (i.e., satisfies) all desires, enjoy auspicious pleasures resembling the planets like the sun and the moon. Yamuna, when in contact with (i.e., flowing by) Mathura is said to be giving salvation. Kalindi (i.e., Yamuna) increases (a man's) religious merit.

47-51. At other places Yamuna is holy and removes great sins, (but) in contact with Mathura the deity (i.e., Yamuna) gives (creates in one's mind) devotion for Vishnu. If a man full of devotion bathes in Kalindi, he lives near Vishnu for a crore of thousand kalpas. (Even) aman devoid of knowledge indeed attains salvation. His manes are pleased; and being pleased they live in heaven for hundreds of kalpas. O king, for men who drink the holy water of Yamuna what is the use of taking a thousand collections of the five products of a cow? What is also the use of resorting to a crore of thousands of sacred places? Giving (gifts) and (performing) a sacrifice there would become a crorefold effective.

 

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