History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c74.t4.23

v5.c74.t4.23

As in Banaras, so here also there are five important tīrthas,¹⁵⁸¹ viz. the pool of Mārkaṇḍeya, the Vaṭa tree (identified with Kṛṣṇa), Balarāma, the sea and Indradyumna pool A few words may be said here about each. The story of Mārkaṇḍeya is narrated in Brahmapurāṇa, chapters 52-56 and in Nṛsiṁha-purāṇa 10.21 ff (briefly). In chap. 56. 72-73 Viṣṇu asks Mārkaṇḍeya to build a temple of Śiva to the north of Jagannātha and to construct a sacred pool which thenceforward was to become known as 'Mārkaṇḍeya's pool'. The Brahmapurāṇa provides that the pilgrim should bathe in Mārkaṇḍeya's pool, dip his head thrice, utter a mantra (chap. 57. 3-4), then he should perform *tarpaṇa*, go to the temple of Śiva (called Mārkaṇḍeyeśvara) and worship him with the Mūlamantra¹⁵⁸² viz. 'Om namaḥ Śivāya', then with another mantra called Aghora and a Paurāṇic mantra. The pilgrim should, after a bath in Mārkaṇḍeya's pool and visit to the temple of Śiva, repair to the sacred Vaṭa, circum-ambulate it thrice, worship it with the mantra ¹⁵⁸³ noted below. It may be noted that the Brahmapurāṇa 157 17 expressly states that the Vaṭa is Viṣṇu Himself in that form (nygrodhākṛtikaṃ Viṣṇum praṇipatya). The Vaṭa is also styled Kalpavṛkṣa (Brahma 57. 12, 60. 18). The pilgrim should bow to Garuḍa standing in front of Kṛṣṇa and then worship Kṛṣṇa, Saṅkarṣaṇa and Subhadrā with mantras. The mantras for Saṅkarṣaṇa are verses 22–23 of Brahmapurāṇa chap. 57 and that for Subhadrā is chap. 57. 58 ¹⁵⁸⁴ The mantra to be used in the worship of Kṛṣṇa is either of 12 syllables (oṃ namo bhagavate Vāsudevāya) or of eight syllables (oṃ namo Nārāyaṇāya). Brahmapurāṇa chap. 57 verses 42–51 specify the various rewards of seeing Kṛṣṇa with devotion and wind up by promising mokṣa ¹⁵⁸⁵ A bath in the sea at Purī is always commendable, but particularly on the Full Moon day (Brahma 60. 10). Brahma chap. 62 deals at length with the bath in the sea (the whole of it except one verse being quoted by Tīr. C. pp. 126–128). The Indradyumna pool has been mentioned above (pp. 694–95). The pilgrim has to bathe in the Indradyumna pool, perform *tarpaṇa* for gods, sages and *pitṛs* and offer *piṇḍas* to his ancestors (chap 63. 2–5).