Kurma Purana · Chapter 1.35

iti śrīkūrmapurāṇe ṣaṭsāhastryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pūrvavibhāge catustriśo 'dhyāyaḥ
mārkaṇḍeya uvāca
kathayiṣyāmi te vatsa tīrthayātrāvidhikramam /
ārṣeṇa tu vidhānena yathā dṛṣṭaṃ yathā śrutam

prayāgatīrthayātrārtho yaḥ prayāti naraḥ kvacit /
balīvardaṃ samārūḍhaḥ śṛṇu tasyāpi yatphalam

narake vasate ghore samāḥ kalpaśatāyutam /
tato nivartate ghoro gavāṃ krodho hi dāruṇaḥ /
salilaṃ ca na gṛhṇanti pitarastasya dehinaḥ

yastu putrāṃstathā bālān snāpayet pāyayet tathā /
yathātmanā tathā sarvān dānaṃ vipreṣu dāpayet

aiśvaryāllobhamohād vā gacched yānena yo naraḥ /
niṣphalaṃ tasya tat tīrthaṃ tasamādyānaṃ vivarjayet

gaṅgāyamunayormadhye yastu kanyāṃ prayacchati /
ārṣeṇa tu vivāhena yathā vibhavavistaram

na sa paśyati taṃ ghoraṃ narakaṃ tena karmaṇā /
uttarān sa kurūn gatvā modate kālamakṣayam

vaṭamūlaṃ samāśritya yastu prāṇān parityajet /
sarvalokānatikramya rudralokaṃ sa gacchati

tatra brahmādayo devā diśaśca sadigīśvarāḥ /
lokapālāśca siddhāśca pitaro lokasaṃmatāḥ

sanatkumārapramukhāstathā brahmarṣayo 'pare /
nāgāḥ supārṇāḥ siddhāśca tathā nityaṃ samāsate /
hariśca bhagavānāste prajāpatipuraskṛtaḥ

gaṅgāyamunayormadhye pṛthivyā jaghanaṃ smṛtam /
prayāgaṃ rājaśārdūla triṣu lokeṣu viśrutam

tatrābhiṣekaṃ yaḥ kuryāt saṃgame saṃśitavrataḥ /
tulyaṃ phalavāpnoti rājasūyāśvamedhayoḥ

na mātṛvacanāt tāta na lokavacanādapi /
matirutkramaṇīyā te prayāgagāmanaṃ prati

daśa tīrtha sahastrāṇi ṣaṣṭikoṭyastathāpare /
teṣāṃ sānnidhyamatraiva tīrthānāṃ kurunandana

yā gatiryogayuktasya sattvasthasya manīṣiṇaḥ /
sā gatistyajataḥ prāṇān gaṅgāyamunasaṃgame

na te jīvanti loke 'smin yatra tatra yudhiṣṭhira /
ye prayāgaṃ na saṃprāptāstriṣu lokeṣu viśrutam

evaṃ dṛṣṭvā tu tat tīrthaṃ prayāgaṃ paramaṃ padam /
mucyate sarvapāpebhyaḥ śaśāṅka iva rāhuṇā

kambalāśvatarau nāgau yamunādakṣiṇe taṭe /
tatra snātvā ca pītvā ca mucyate sarvapātakaiḥ

tatra gatvā naraḥ sthānaṃ mahādevasya dhīmataḥ /
ātmānaṃ tārayet pūrvaṃ daśātītān daśāparān

kṛtvābhiṣekaṃ tu naraḥ so 'śvamedhaphalaṃ labhet /
svargalokamavāpnoti yāvadāhūtasaṃplavam

pūrvapārśve tu gaṅgāyāstrailokyakhyātimān nṛpa /
avacaḥ sarvasāmudraḥ pratiṣṭhānaṃ ca viśrutam

brahmacārī jitakrodhastrirātraṃ yadi tiṣṭhati /
sarvapāpaviśuddhātmā so 'śvamedhaphalaṃ labhet

uttareṇa pratiṣṭhānaṃ bhāgīrathyāstu savyataḥ /
haṃsaprapatanaṃ nāma tīrthaṃ trailokyaviśrutam

aśvamedhaphalaṃ tatra smṛtamātrāt tu jāyate /
yāvaccandraśca sūryaśca tāvat svarge mahīyate

urvaśīpuline ramye vipule haṃsapāṇḍure /
parityajatiyaḥ prāṇān śṛṇu tasyāpi yat phalam

ṣaṣṭivarṣasahastrāṇi ṣaṣṭivarṣaśatāni ca /
āste sa pitṛbhiḥ sārdhaṃ svargaloke narādhipa

athaṃ saṃdhyāvaṭe ramye brahmacārī jitendriyaḥ /
naraḥ śucirupāsīta brahmalokamavāpnuyāt

koṭitīrthaṃ samāśritya yastu prāṇān parityajet /
koṭivarṣasahastrāṇi svargaloke mahīyate

yatra gaṅgā mahābhāgā bahutīrthatapovanā /
siddhakṣetraṃ hi tajjñeyaṃ nātra kāryā vicāraṇā

kṣitau tārayate martyān nāgāṃstārayate 'pyadhaḥ /
divi tārayate devāṃstena tripathagā smṛtā

yāvadasthīni gaṅgāyāṃ tiṣṭhanti puruṣasya tu /
tāvad varṣasahastrāṇi svargaloke mahīyate

tīrthānāṃ paramaṃ tīrthaṃ nadīnāṃ paramā nadī /
mokṣadā sarvabhūtānāṃ mahāpātakināmapi

sarvatra sulabhā gaṅgā triṣu sthāneṣu durlabhā /
gaṅgādvāre prayāge ca gaṅgāsāgarasaṃgame

sarveṣāme bhūtānāṃ pāpopahatacetasām /
gatimanveṣamāṇānāṃ nāsti gaṅgāsamā gatiḥ

pavitrāṇāṃ pavitraṃ ca maṅgalānāṃ ca maṅgalam /
māheśvarāt paribhraṣṭā sarvapāpaharā śubhā

kṛte yuge tu tīrthāni tretāyāṃ puṣkaraṃ param /
dvāpare tu kurukṣetraṃ kalau gaṅgāṃ viśiṣyate

gaṅgāmeva niṣeveta prayāge tu viśeṣataḥ /
nānyat kaliyugodbhūtaṃ malaṃ hantuṃ suduṣkṛtam

akāmo vā sakāmo vā gaṅgāyāṃ yo vipadyate /
sa mṛto jāyate svarge narakaṃ ca na paśyati