The Great Epic of the Bhārata dynasty 3.85.83

3.85.83

na vedavacanāditi | lokavedaviruddhasya haṭhamaraṇasyāpavādo'yam ahiṃsāvidheriva paśvālambhavidhiriti prāñcaḥ | vastutastu vārāṇasīmaraṇavadyādṛcchikamaraṇaviṣaya evāyaṃ grantho na haṭhamaraṇapratipādakaḥ ‘sitāsite sarite yatra saṅgate tatrāplutāso divamutpatanti | ye vai tanvaṃ visṛjanti dhīrāstejanāso amṛtatvaṃ bhajante | brahmajñānena mucyante prayāgamaraṇena ca' ityādi śrutayaḥ smṛtayaśca tādṛśā eva | haṭhamaraṇe 'jale vāpi sthale vāpi śastreṇodbadhya vā punaḥ | narakaṃ te prayāntyāśu ātmānaṃ ghātayanti ye' iti doṣasmaraṇāt | na cāsyaivāpavādaḥ prayāgamaraṇavidhiriti vācyam | tasya haṭhamaraṇaparatvāsiddheḥ | siddhau vā acikitsyarogādidoṣavatāṃ bhṛgupatanādināpi maraṇe prāpte'pi prayāgamaraṇaniyamavidhirayaṃ bhaviṣyati na ca kāmyo'yaṃ maraṇavidhirnityasya maraṇaniṣedhavidherbādhakaḥ | kāmyatvācca nāyamullaṅghane pratyavāyāvaha iti vācyam | ukte'rthe bādhakābhāve'pi vākyasya haṭhamaraṇaparatvamapūrvavidhyarthatvaṃ ca kalpayato gauravāpatteḥ | abhyupagame vā brāhmaṇavyatiriktaviṣaya evāyaṃ vidhiḥ | bhṛgvādipatanena maraṇamanyatra brāhmaṇāditi smṛteḥ | yuktaṃ tu śuddhaśabalabrahmajñānayoriva kāśīprayāgamaraṇayoḥ sadyomuktikramamuktiparatvam | tathā hi tīrthamāhātmyopasaṃhāre ‘yatra gaṅgā mahārāja sa deśastattapovanam | siddhikṣetraṃ ca vijñeyaṃ gaṅgātīrasamāśritam' iti gaṅgāyāstadāśritasya siddhikṣetrasya ca vijñeyatvoktyā tayoreva mahattaratvaṃ darśitaṃ tatra yamunayā saṅgatāyā eva gaṅgāyā atra grahaṇaṃ prayāgapraśaṃsādhikārāt | pratiṣṭhāne pratiṣṭhitā tīrthayātretyupasaṃhārācca | pratiṣṭhāne prayāge siddhikṣetrapadena vārāṇasyeva siddhiśabdasya nirupapadasya muktivācitvāt kāśyāśca muktikṣetratvaprasiddheḥ | tadevamadhyāyacatuṣṭaye'pi bhaṅgyantareṇa sākṣādvā kāśīkīrtanāduktavidhopasaṃhārācca puṣkaragaṅgāprayāgādīnāṃ sevanaṃ kāśīprāptikaramiti | 'anyāni tu pavitrāṇi kāśīprāptikarāṇi hi | kāśīṃ prāpya vimucyante nānyathā kalpakoṭibhiḥ' ityādipūrvodāhṛtapurāṇāntarasaṃvādena siddham ||