Arrival of Shree Hari in Siddhpur.
Arrival of Shree Hari in Siddhpur.
Shri Hari’s celebration of festival and his making of donations.
He bathed there in Bindu Lake according to rituals and asked devotees under His shelter to give donations to the Brahmins. 1.
Gold, silver, pearls, clothes as well as ornaments, horses and copper utensils were given as gifts to the Brahmins. 2.
He offered Brahmins their favourite pure delicacies, and also appeased other food seekers there. 3.
In the month of Madhav (April) on full moon day, he held a great festival wherein men and women gathered in large numbers. 4.
Having finished their rituals pertaining to that holy place, they all assembled on the banks of river Sarasvati surrounded the Lord. 5.
Brahmins, warriors, traders and Shudras, ascetics as well as commoners among them, as also the sages who had gathered there, were intently looking at Him. 6.
Knowing about irreligious activities thriving disguised in holy places of religion, He being desirous of eradicating those, said thus to them all, O king. 7.
Narayan Muni on the greatness of the holy place Siddhapad.
Shri Narayan Muni said:-
‘O men and the sages, listen to me attentively. I will tell what is good for those of you who desire to go on pilgrimage’. 8.
This place is considered to be the best among holy places. This is the same Bindu Lake where sage Kardam had observed penance. 9.
Sage Kardam born of Brahma’s mind worshipped the consort of Kamala (Vishnu) by observing austerities. 10.
Being pleased at him, the lord appeared to bestow boon upon him. He saw there the emaciated figure of that patriarch (Prajapati) rendered thus by observing hard penance. 11.
Seeing him in that condition, tears came falling down from the eyes of Lord Vishnu, which accumulated to form this famous Bindu lake. 12.
In this same place, great sage Kapil was born to Kardam of his wife Devahuti, who taught his mother, Sankhyayoga. 13.
It is here that, Devahuti accomplished the final goal of her life, O men, which gave the name Siddhapad (the seat of accomplishment) this place. 14.
Narayan Muni on recipients of fruits of pilgrimage.
Whichever holy place on this earth you may visit, you will prize the fruits of the local rituals by following them religiously. Not otherwise. 15. Non-believer, sinful, atheist, one who is full of doubts and a skeptic are the five kinds of men who shall not obtain the fruit of their pilgrimage. 16. There is nothing unattained by one who has conquered his passion, anger and greed and enters a holy place. 17. One whose hands have not done anything wrong, whose legs have not treaded unholy paths, whose tongue has not been a slave to the tastes and other senses, whose organs are not overtaken by physical pleasures, whose mind is engaged in good thoughts and whose penance and learning are pure and noble, he is sure to have the fruits of pilgrimage. 18. One who is without wrath, pure-minded, truth speaking, steadfast and one who treats other creatures as his own self, he will derive the fruits of pilgrimage. 19.
Narayan Muni on do’s and don’ts pertinent to holy places.
There are certain things to be done in holy places, like observing fast, getting tonsured, offering oblations to one’s deceased ancestors, offering food to Brahmins and sages and donating money according to one’s ability. 20.
There, men can get themselves tonsured except those observing vows, the celibates, they whose parents are alive and one who is to have periodical tonsures (mendicants or anchorites) and ascetics. 21.
Women, whose husbands are alive and also those who are to visit that place again within the next ten months should not get tonsured. 22.
Those Brahmins regularly residing in holy fords should be honoured and offered food. They should not be censured in any respect. 23.
The prominent deity of the place should be worshipped ably with raiment, ornaments and offerings of fruit, utensils and money. 24.
If one is poor, he may offer his services like sweeping, cleaning the temple (or bringing water etc.) and he may also serve the saintly men there. 25.
One who does thus will surely be rewarded, as would one be rewarded for performing a great worship, doing a grand charity or giving oblations to his deceased ancestors. 26.
O men, the good deed done by men in holy places, will multiply into thousands, thus producing for them multiple fruits undoubtedly. 27.
Precautions to be taken at the place of pilgrimage.
Even little meritorious deeds done in holy places, will render growing merits. In the same way, misdeeds committed there will pile up their sins. 28.
The sins committed elsewhere too will get washed away in holy places, but the sins that are done in a holy place will become as hard as mortar made out of diamond. 29.
There is neither purification nor expiation for the sins committed in a holy place. Hence O devotees, here one should stay restrained. 30.
There are two kinds of restraints to be observed by a pilgrim as told by learned Brahmins. One is physical (like observing fast etc.) which is called ‘human’ and another is mental called ‘Daiv’ – divine – which results in purification of mind. A pilgrim should carefully follow both. 31.
He, who is greedy, malignant, cruel, hypocrite and given to sensual pleasures will remain a sinner and impure even after taking bath in every holy water. 32.
A man cannot be pure or clean just by cleansing the bodily dirt. Only when the mental impurities are taken out will one be pure from within. 33.
The mental fetish for sensual pleasure is the real dirt or impurity. Conversely, purity is great dispassion about the same. 34.
Men who commit sin in sacred places become evil spirits and women become female goblins like Shakini and Dakini. 35.
These evil powers look for incompleteness in the pilgrims day and night, however small the blemish be, and haunt them through such opening. 36.
On account of that, men desire for women, and women seek men. Thenceforth they indulge in making money and in violence. 37.
Thus great hazards lurk in holy fords. Only my sin-fearing followers bound by restraints should stay here. 38.
Notwithstanding that it is a holy place, wise men’s merits wither away by glancing at or touching or jokingly chatting with women. 39.
Similarly, the positive merits of women also decline by their glancing at men. Hence men and women should wield control over their senses. 40.
Anger should always be subdued, in particular in holy places. Otherwise all the merit of men will be burnt to ashes. 41.
Unless there is crisis, Brahmins are not ordained to accepting gifts, particularly in holy places, for accepting gifts would snatch away the spirit of penance. 42.
Never, and more so while on pilgrimage, one should not speak lies, and should think of cruelty perpetuated on all creatures as sin. 43.
The days are to be passed here by following one’s daily religious duties, alongside reminiscing and worshipping Vishnu, and listening and singing in praise of him. Donation for good causes should be done to the extent possible. 44.
Only those men who choose to follow this code rigidly on their pilgrimage, they are bound to earn the fruits of their endeavour, not others. 45.
Suvrat said:-
O king, thus instructed by Shri Hari, all the people taking His words as they were, quickly put into practice as well with devotion. 46.
The knower of rites Shri Hari, having finished concerned rituals of the place along with groups of devotees, the lord of sages headed for Vishanagar, delighting throngs of people on the way. 47.
Thus ends the Fortieth chapter entitled ‘Teaching on rites of holy place by Shri Hari, in Siddhapur’ in the second Prakarana of Satsangijivan, the life story of Lord Narayan, also titled as ‘Dharmashastra’ (the rules of the code of conduct). 40
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