Skandapurana 2.4.4.4.2

2.4.4.4.2

yanmayā dūṣitaṃ toyaṃ śārīramalasaṃcayaiḥ .. 15 ..
taddoṣaparihārārthaṃ yakṣmaṇaṃ tarpayāmyaham ..
vastraniṣpīḍanaṃ kṛtvā kuryācca tilakādikam .... 16 ..
.. sūta uvāca .. ..
śṛṇudhvamṛṣayaḥ sarve kārtikasnānajaṃ phalam ..
aruṇaṃ prati sūryeṇa yaduktaṃ ca savistaram .. 17 ..
.. aruṇa uvāca .. ..
kasmiṃstīrthe viśeṣeṇa phalaṃ kārtikasaṃbhavam ..
kṣetre vā etadā''khyāhi bhagavansnānayogataḥ .. 18 ..
.. sūrya uvāca ..
yatra kutrā'pi kartavyaṃ jale snānaṃ tu kārtikaṃ ..
uṣṇodakena kartavyaṃ snānaṃ kutrā'pi kārtike .. 19 ..
tato daśaguṇaṃ puṇyaṃ śītatoyanimajjanāt ..
tataḥ śataguṇaṃ puṇyaṃ bahiḥ kūpodake kṛtam.. 2.4.4.20 ..
kūpātsahasraguṇitaṃ phalaṃ vāpīniṣekataḥ ..
tato'yutaguṇaṃ puṇyaṃ taḍāgasnānato bhavet .. 21 ..
tato daśaguṇaṃ puṇyaṃ nirjhareṣu nimajjanāt ..
tato'dhikataraṃ puṇyaṃ nadīsnānasya kārtike .. 22 ..
nadyā daśaguṇaṃ proktaṃ tīrthasnānaṃ khagottama ..
tato daśaguṇaṃ puṇyaṃ nadyoryatra ca saṃgamaḥ ..23..
nadītrayasya saṃyoge puṇyasyāṃ'to na vidyate ..
siṃdhuḥ kṛṣṇā ca veṇī ca yamunā ca sarasvatī .. 24 ..
godāvarī vipāśā ca narmadā tamasā mahī ..
kāverī śarayūḥ śiprā tathā carmaṇvatī nadī .. 25 ..
vitastā vedikā śoṇo vetravatyaparājitā..
gaṃḍakī gomatī pūrṇā brahmaputrā sarovaram .. 26 ..
vāgmatī ca śatadruśca tathā badarikāśramaḥ ..
durlabhāḥ kārtike tvete tīrthānyatha nibodha me .. 27 ..
sarvebhyaśca sthalebhyaśca āryāvartaṃ tu puṇyadam ..
kolhāpurī tataḥ śreṣṭhā tataḥ kāṃcīdvayaṃ smṛtam .. .. 28 ..
anaṃtasenavasatirvarāhakṣetrameva ca ..

'Since the water was defiled by me with accumulations of bodily impurities, (15ab) / for the sake of removing that fault I make an offering to consumption.' / Having wrung out the cloth, one should apply the tilaka mark and the rest. (16) / Sūta said: / Listen, all you seers, to the fruit arising from the Kārtika ritual ablution, / which was spoken in detail by Sūrya to Aruṇa. (17) / Aruṇa said: / At which sacred ford or in which sacred field is the fruit arising in Kārtika / particularly [great] through conjunction with ritual ablution? Tell this, O Lord. (18) / Sūrya said: / Wherever it may be, the ritual ablution of Kārtika should be performed in water; / anywhere in Kārtika, a bath should be taken with hot water [if needed]; (19) / from that, the merit is tenfold through immersion in cold water; / a hundredfold greater than that is the merit obtained in the water of an outdoor well; (20) / the fruit is a thousandfold that of a well from pouring water from a step-well; / tenfold greater than that is the merit that arises from bathing in a pool; (21) / from that, the merit is tenfold through immersion in mountain streams; / far greater than that is the merit of river bathing in Kārtika; (22) / bathing at a sacred ford is said to be tenfold that of a river, O best of birds; / tenfold greater than that is the merit where there is a confluence of two rivers; (23) / at the confluence of three rivers there is no end to the merit. / The Sindhu, Kṛṣṇā, Veṇī, Yamunā, and Sarasvatī, (24) / Godāvarī, Vipāśā, Narmadā, Tamasā, Mahī, / Kāverī, Śarayū, Śiprā, and also the Carmaṇvatī river, (25) / Vitastā, Vedikā, Śoṇa, Vetravatī, Aparājitā, / Gaṇḍakī, Gomatī, Pūrṇā, Brahmaputrā, Sarovara, (26) / Vāgmatī, and Śatadru, and likewise Badarikāśrama— / these sacred fords are difficult to attain in Kārtika; now learn of them from me. (27) / Above all places, Āryāvarta is indeed the giver of merit; / Kolhāpurī is superior to that; after that, the two Kāñcīs are remembered, (28) / the abode of Anantasena, and also the Varāhakṣetra. (29ab)