Padma Purana · Chapter 3.41

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca-
bhagavañchrotumicchāmi purākalpe yathāsthitam /
kathaṃ prayāgagamanaṃ narāṇāṃ tatra kīdṛśam

mṛtānāṃ kā gatistatra snātānāṃ caiva kiṃ phalam /
ye vasaṃti prayāge tu brūhi teṣāṃ ca kiṃ phalam /
etanme sarvamākhyāhi paraṃ kautūhalaṃ hi me

mārkaṃḍeya uvāca-
kathayiṣyāmi te vatsa nātheṣṭaṃ yacca yatphalam /
purā ṛṣīṇāṃ viprāṇāṃ kathyamānaṃ mayā śrutam

āprayāgātpratiṣṭhānāddharmakī vāsukī hradāt /
kaṃbalāśvatarau nāgau nāgāśca bahumūlikāḥ

etatprajāpatikṣetraṃ triṣu lokeṣu viśrutam /
atra snātvā divaṃ yāṃti ye mṛtāste'punarbhavāḥ

tatra brahmādayo devā rakṣāṃ kurvaṃti saṃgatāḥ /
anye ca bahavastīrthāḥ sarvapāpapraṇāśanāḥ

na śakyāḥ kathituṃ rājanbahuvarṣaśatairapi /
saṃkṣepeṇa pravakṣyāmi prayāgasya ca kīrttanam

ṣaṣṭirdhanuḥ sahasrāṇi parirakṣaṃti jāhnavīm /
yamunāṃ rakṣati sadā savitā saptavāhanaḥ

prayāgaṃ tu viśeṣeṇa svayaṃ rakṣati vāsavaḥ /
maṃḍalaṃ rakṣati harirdevaiḥ saha susaṃmatam

taṃ vaṭaṃ rakṣate nityaṃ śūlapāṇirmaheśvaraḥ /
sthānaṃ rakṣati vai devaḥ sarvapāpaharaṃ śubham

adharmeṇa vṛto loke naiva gacchati tatpadam /
svalpamalpataraṃ pāpaṃ yadā tasya narādhipa

prayāgasmaramāṇasya sarvamāyāti saṃkṣayam /
darśanāttasya tīrthasya nāmasaṃkīrtanādapi

mṛttikā labhanādvāpi naraḥ pāpādvimucyate /
paṃcakuṃḍāni rājeṃdra yeṣāṃ madhye tu jāhnavī

prayāge tu praviṣṭasya pāpaṃ kṣarati tatkṣaṇāt /
yojanānāṃ sahasreṣu gaṃgāṃ smarati yo naraḥ

api duṣkṛtakarmāsau labhate paramāṃ gatim /
kīrtanānmucyate pāpairdṛṣṭvā bhadrāṇi paśyati

avagāhya ca pītvā ca punātyāsaptamaṃ kulam /
satyavādī jitakrodho ahiṃsāṃ paramāsthitaḥ

dharmānusārī tattvajño gobrāhmaṇahite rataḥ /
gaṃgāyamunayormadhye snāto mucyeta kilbiṣāt

manasā ciṃtitānkāmānsamyakprāpnoti puṣkalān /
tato gattvā prayāgaṃ tu sarvadevābhirakṣitam

brahmacārī vasenmāsaṃ pitṛdevāṃśca tarpayet /
īpsitām̐llabhate kāmānyatra tatrābhijāyate

tapanasya sutā devī triṣu lokeṣu viśrutā /
samāgatā mahābhāgā yamunā yatra nimnagāḥ

tatra sannihito nityaṃ sākṣāddevo maheśvaraḥ /
duṣprāpaṃ mānuṣaiḥ puṇyaṃ prayāgaṃ tu yudhiṣṭhira

devadānavagaṃdharvā ṛṣayaḥ siddhacāraṇāḥ /
tatropaspṛśya rājeṃdra svargaloke mahīyate

iti śrīpādme mahāpurāṇe svargakhaṃḍe ekacatvāriṃśo'dhyāyaḥ