SECTION –CXXV
(Tirtha-yatra Parva Continued)
"Lomasa said, 'When the god who had performed
a hundred sacrifices (Indra) beheld the demon Mada of a frightful mien, coming
towards him with open mouth, his intention being to devour him, and looking
like the god of death himself, while his own arms remained paralysed, he
through fear repeatedly licked the corners of his mouth. Then the lord of the
celestials, tortured with fright, spake to Chyavana saying, 'O Bhrigu's son! O
Brahmana! verily I tell thee as truth itself, that from this day forward the
two Aswins will be entitled to the Soma juice. Be merciful to me! My
undertaking can never come to naught. Let this be the rule. And I know, O saint
of the sacerdotal caste! that thy work can never come to nothing. These two
Aswins will have a right to drink the Soma juice, since thou hast made them
entitled to the same. And, O Bhrigu's son, I have done this but to spread the
fame of thy powers, and my object was to give thee an occasion for displaying
thy powers. My other object was that the fame of the father of this Sukanya
here might spread everywhere. Therefore be merciful to me: let it be as thou
wishest.' Being thus addressed by Indra, the wrath of Chyavana of mighty soul
was quickly appeased, and he set free the demolisher of hostile cities (Indra).
And the powerful saint, O king! distributed Mada (literally intoxication), and
put it piece-meal in drinks, in women, in gambling, and in field sports, even
this same Mada who had been created repeatedly before. Having thus cast down
the demon Mada and gratified Indra with a Soma draught and assisted king
Saryati in worshipping all the gods together with the two Aswins and also
spread his fame for power over all the worlds, the best of those endued with
speech passed his days happily in the wood, in the company of Sukanya, his
loving wife. This is his lake, shining, O king! and resounding with the voice
of birds. Here must thou, together with thy uterine brothers, offer libations
of water to thy forefathers and the gods. And, O ruler of earth! O scion of
Bharata's race! having visited it and Sikataksha also, thou shalt repair to the
Saindhava wood, and behold a number of small artificial rivers. And O great
king, O scion of Bharata's race! thou shalt touch the waters of all the holy
lakes and reciting the hymns of the god Sthanu (Siva), meet with success in
every undertaking. For this is the junction, O most praiseworthy of men, of the
two ages of the world, viz., Dwapara and Treta. It is a time, O Kunti's son!
capable of destroying all the sins of a person. Here do thou perform ablutions,
for the spot is able to remove all the sins of an individual. Yonder is the
Archika hill, a dwelling place for men of cultured minds. Fruits of all the
seasons grow here at all times and the streams run for ever. It is an excellent
place fit for the celestials. And there are the holy cairns of diverse forms,
set up by the celestials. O Yudhishthira! this is the bathing spot belonging to
the Moon. And the saints are in attendance here on all sides round--they are
the dwellers of the wood and the Valakhilyas, and the Pavakas, who subsist on
air only. These are three peaks and three springs. Thou mayst walk round them
all, one by one: then thou mayst wash thyself at pleasure. Santanu, O king! and
Sunaka the sovereign of men, and both Nara and Narayana have attained everlasting
regions from this place. Here did the gods constantly lie down, as also the
forefathers, together with the mighty saints. In this Archika hill, they all
carried on austerities. Sacrifice to them, O Yudhishthira! Here did they, also
the saints, eat rice cooked in milk, O protector of men! And here is the Yamuna
of an exhaustless spring. Krishna here engaged himself in a life of penances, O
Pandu's son. O thou that draggest the dead bodies of thy foes! the twin
brothers, and Bhimasena and Krishnâ and all of us will accompany thee to this
spot. O lord of men, this is the holy spring that belongeth to Indra. Here the
creative and the dispensing deity, and Varuna also rose upwards, and here too
they dwelt, O king! observing forbearance, and possessed of the highest faith.
This excellent and propitious hill is fit for persons of a kindly and candid
disposition. This is that celebrated Yamuna, O king! frequented by hosts of
mighty saints, the scene of diverse religious rites, holy, and destructive of
the dread of sin. Here did Mandhata himself, of a mighty bow, perform
sacrificial rites for the gods; and so did Somaka, O Kunti's son! who was the
son of Sahadeva, and a most excellent maker of gifts.
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