A Brief Account of the Tirtha's Glory

Verse 1 (skanda.3.80.1)

व्यास उवाच । गोवत्सान्नैर्ऋते भागे दृश्यते लोहयष्टिका स्वयंभुलिंगरूपेण रुद्रस्तत्र स्थितः स्वयम् श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । मोक्षतीर्थे सरस्वत्या नभस्ये चंद्रसंक्षये विप्रान्संपूज्य विधिवत्तेभ्यो दत्त्वा च दक्षिणाम्

vyāsa uvāca govatsān nairṛte bhāge dṛśyate lohayaṣṭikā svayaṁbhuliṅgarūpeṇa rudras tatra sthitaḥ svayam śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca mokṣatīrthe sarasvatyā nabhasye candrasaṁkṣaye viprān saṁpūjya vidhivat tebhyo dattvā ca dakṣiṇām

Vyasa said: To the south-west of Govatsa is seen the tirtha called Lohayaṣṭikā, where Rudra himself abides in the form of a self-manifest liṅga. Shri Markandeya said: At the Moksha-tirtha of Saraswati, in the month of Bhādrapada (Nabhasya), at the waning of the moon, having duly worshipped the brahmins and given them sacrificial fees —

Verse 2 (skanda.3.80.2)

एकविंशतिवारांस्तु भक्त्या पिंडस्य यत्फलम् गयायां प्राप्यते पुंसां ध्रुवं तदिह तर्प्पणात्

ekaviṁśativārāṁs tu bhaktyā piṇḍasya yat phalam gayāyāṁ prāpyate puṁsāṁ dhruvaṁ tad iha tarpaṇāt

the fruit that men obtain from offering the piṇḍa twenty-one times with devotion at Gaya is certainly obtained here through a single tarpaṇa.

Verse 3 (skanda.3.80.3)

लोहयष्ट्यां कृते श्राद्धे नभस्ये चंद्रसंक्षये प्रेतयोनिविनिर्मुक्ताः क्रीडंति पितरो दिवि

lohayaṣṭyāṁ kṛte śrāddhe nabhasye candrasaṁkṣaye pretayoniviṛnirmuktāḥ krīḍanti pitaro divi

When the shraddha is performed at Lohayaṣṭikā in the month of Nabhasya at the moon's waning, the ancestors, freed from the ghostly (preta) condition, sport joyfully in heaven.

Verse 4 (skanda.3.80.4)

अपि नः संकुले भूयाद्यो वै दद्यात्तिलोदकम् पिंडं वाप्युदकं वापि प्रेतपक्षे विधूदये

api naḥ saṁkule bhūyād yo vai dadyāt tilodakam piṇḍaṁ vāpy udakaṁ vāpi pretapakṣe vidhūdaye

Whoever offers sesame-water, or a piṇḍa, or even plain water, during the ancestor-fortnight at the rising of the new moon — may he too be counted among our own kin.

Verse 5 (skanda.3.80.5)

लोहयष्ट्याममावस्यां कार्यं भाद्रपदे जनैः श्राद्धं वै मुनयः प्राहुः पितरो यदि वल्लभाः

lohayaṣṭyām amāvasyāṁ kāryaṁ bhādrapade janaiḥ śrāddhaṁ vai munayaḥ prāhuḥ pitaro yadi vallabhāḥ

The sages declare that people should perform the shraddha rite at Lohayaṣṭikā on the new-moon day of Bhādrapada — if their ancestors are dear to them.

Verse 6 (skanda.3.80.6)

क्षीरेण तु तिलैः श्वेतैः स्नात्वा सारस्वते जले पितॄंस्तर्पयते यस्तु तृप्तास्तत्पितरो ध्रुवम्

kṣīreṇa tu tilaiḥ śvetaiḥ snātvā sārasvate jale pitṝṁs tarpayate yas tu tṛptās tatpitaro dhruvam

Whoever bathes in the water of the Saraswati and offers tarpaṇa to his ancestors with milk and white sesame — his ancestors are certainly satisfied.

Verse 7 (skanda.3.80.7)

तत्र श्राद्धानि कुर्वीत सक्तुभिः पयसा सह अमावास्यादिनं प्राप्य पितॄणां मोक्षमिच्छकैः

tatra śrāddhāni kurvīta saktubhiḥ payasā saha amāvāsyādinaṁ prāpya pitṝṇāṁ mokṣam icchakaiḥ

Those desiring the liberation of their ancestors should perform the shraddha rites there with roasted-barley-flour and milk, upon the arrival of the new-moon day.

Verse 8 (skanda.3.80.8)

रुद्रतीर्थे ततो धेनुं दद्याद्वस्त्रादिभूषिताम् विष्णुतीर्थे हिरण्यं च प्रदद्यान्मोक्षमिच्छुकः

rudratīrthe tato dhenuṁ dadyād vastrādibhūṣitām viṣṇutīrthe hiraṇyaṁ ca pradadyān mokṣam icchukaḥ

Then, at the Rudra-tirtha, one should give a cow adorned with cloth and ornaments; and at the Vishnu-tirtha, one desiring liberation should give gold.

Verse 9 (skanda.3.80.9)

गयायां पितृरूपेण स्वयमेव जनार्दनः तं ध्यात्वा पुंडरीकाक्षं मुच्यते च ऋणत्रयात्

gayāyāṁ pitṛrūpeṇa svayam eva janārdanaḥ taṁ dhyātvā puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ mucyate ca ṛṇatrayāt

At Gaya, Janardana himself takes the very form of the ancestors; meditating upon that lotus-eyed one, a man is freed from the three debts.

Verse 10 (skanda.3.80.10)

प्रार्थयेत्तत्र गत्वा तं देवदेवं जनार्दनम् आगतोऽस्मि गयां देव पितृभ्यः पिंडदित्सया एष पिंडो मया दत्तस्तव हस्ते जनार्दन

prārthayet tatra gatvā taṁ devadevaṁ janārdanam āgato 'smi gayāṁ deva pitṛbhyaḥ piṇḍaditsayā eṣa piṇḍo mayā dattas tava haste janārdana

Going there, one should pray to that god of gods, Janardana: "O Lord, I have come to Gaya desiring to give the piṇḍa to my ancestors; this piṇḍa I place, O Janārdana, in your very hand —"

Verse 11 (skanda.3.80.11)

परलोकगतेभ्यश्च त्वं हि दाता भविष्यसि अनेनैव च मंत्रेण तत्र दद्याद्धरेः करे

paralokagatebhyaś ca tvaṁ hi dātā bhaviṣyasi anenaiva ca mantreṇa tatra dadyād dhareḥ kare

"— you yourself shall be the one who delivers it to those who have passed to the other world." With this very mantra, one should offer it there into Hari's hand.

Verse 12 (skanda.3.80.12)

चंद्रे क्षीणे चतुर्दश्यां नभस्ये पिंडमाहरेत् पितॄणामक्षया तृप्तिर्भविष्यति न संशयः

candre kṣīṇe caturdaśyāṁ nabhasye piṇḍam āharet pitṝṇām akṣayā tṛptir bhaviṣyati na saṁśayaḥ

On the fourteenth day of the waning moon, in the month of Nabhasya, one should offer the piṇḍa; the ancestors will undoubtedly attain imperishable satisfaction.

Verse 13 (skanda.3.80.13)

एकविंशतिवारांश्च गयायां पिंडपातनैः भक्त्या तृप्तिमवाप्नोति लोहयष्ट्यां पितृतर्प्पणे

ekaviṁśativārāṁś ca gayāyāṁ piṇḍapātanaiḥ bhaktyā tṛptim avāpnoti lohayaṣṭyāṁ pitṛtarpaṇe

The satisfaction one obtains from offering the piṇḍa twenty-one times at Gaya is obtained through devoted ancestor-tarpaṇa at Lohayaṣṭikā.

Verse 14 (skanda.3.80.14)

वारिदस्तृप्तिमाप्नोति सुखमक्षय्यमत्र हि फलप्रदः सुतान्भक्तानारोग्यमभयप्रदः

vāridas tṛptim āpnoti sukham akṣayyam atra hi phalapradaḥ sutān bhaktān ārogyam abhayapradaḥ

Here the giver of water attains satisfaction and imperishable happiness; this tirtha bestows fruit, grants sons and health to its devotees, and gives freedom from fear.

Verse 15 (skanda.3.80.15)

वित्तं न्यायार्जितं दत्तं स्वल्पं तत्र महाफलम् स्नानेनापि हि तत्तीर्थे रुद्रस्यानुचरो भवेत् इति श्रीस्कांदे महापुराणे एकाशीतिसाहस्र्यां संहितायां तृतीये ब्रह्मखण्डे पूर्वभागे धर्मारण्यमाहात्म्ये संक्षेपतस्तीर्थमाहात्म्यवर्णनं नामाष्टविंशोऽध्यायः

vittaṁ nyāyārjitaṁ dattaṁ svalpaṁ tatra mahāphalam snānenāpi hi tattīrthe rudrasyānucaro bhavet iti śrīskānde mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṁ saṁhitāyāṁ tṛtīye brahmakhaṇḍe pūrvabhāge dharmāraṇyamāhātmye saṁkṣepatas tīrthamāhātmyavarṇanaṁ nāmāṣṭaviṁśo 'dhyāyaḥ

Even a small sum, righteously earned and given there, yields great fruit; by mere bathing at that tirtha, one becomes an attendant of Rudra. Thus ends the twenty-eighth chapter, called "A Brief Account of the Tirtha's Glory," within the Glory of Dharmaranya, in the earlier portion of the third Brahma Khanda, in the Skanda Mahapurana's Samhita of eighty-one thousand verses.