Padma Purana · Chapter 3.43

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca-
yathā prayāgasya mune māhātmyaṃ kathitaṃ tvayā /
tathātathā pramucye'haṃ sarvapāpairna saṃśayaḥ

bhagavankena vidhinā gaṃtavyaṃ dharmaniścayaiḥ /
prayāge yo vidhiḥ proktaḥ tanme brūhi mahāmune

mārkaṃḍeya uvāca-
kathayiṣyāmi te vatsa tīrthayātrāvidhikramam /
yo gacchetakuruśreṣṭha prayāgaṃ devasaṃyutam

balīvardasamārūḍhaḥ śṛṇu tasyāpi yatphalam /
vasate narake ghore gavāṃ krodhe sudāruṇe

salilaṃ ca na gṛhṇaṃti pitarastasya dehinaḥ /
yastu putrāṃstathā bālānsnāpayetpāyayettathā

yathātmanastathā sarvāndānaṃ vipreṣu dāpayet /
aiśvaryalobhānmohādvā gacchedyānena yo naraḥ

niṣphalaṃ tasya tattīrthaṃ tasmādyānaṃ parityajet /
gaṃgāyamunayormadhye yastu kanyāṃ prayacchati

ārṣeṇa tu vidhānena yathāvibhavasaṃbhavam /
na paśyati yamaṃ ghoraṃ narakaṃ tena karmaṇā

uttarānsa kurūngatvā modate kālamakṣayam /
putrāṃstu dārām̐llabhate dhārmikānnayasaṃyutān

tatra dānaṃ pradātavyaṃ yathāvibhavasaṃbhavam /
tena tīrthaphalainaiva varddhate nātra saṃśayaḥ

svarge tiṣṭhati rājeṃdra yāvadābhūtasaṃplavam /
vaṭamūlaṃ samāśritya yastu prāṇānparityajet

sarvalokānatikramya rudralokaṃ ca gacchati /
tatra te dvādaśādityāstapaṃte rudramāśritāḥ

nirdahaṃti jagatsarvaṃ vaṭamūlaṃ na dahyate /
naṣṭacaṃdrārkapavanaṃ yadā caikārṇavaṃ jagat

svapityatraiva vai viṣṇurjāyamānaḥ punaḥ punaḥ /
devadānavagaṃdharva ṛṣayaḥ siddhacāraṇāḥ

sadā sevaṃti tattīrthaṃ gaṃgāyamunasaṃgame /
tatra gacchaṃti rājeṃdra prayāge saṃyutaṃ ca yat

tatra brahmādayo devā diśaścaiva digīśvarāḥ /
lokapālāśca sādhyāśca pitaro lokasaṃmatāḥ

sanatkumārapramukhāstathaiva paramarṣayaḥ /
aṃgirapramukhāścaiva tathā brahmarṣayaḥ pare

tathā nāgāśca siddhāśca suparṇāḥ khecarāśca ye /
saritaḥ sāgarāḥ śailā nāgā vidyādharāstathā

hariśca bhagavānāste prajāpatipuraskṛtaḥ /
gaṃgāyamunayormadhye pṛthivyā jaghanaṃ smṛtam

prayāgaṃ rājaśārdūla triṣulokeṣu viśrutam /
tataḥ puṇyatamaṃ nāsti triṣulokeṣu bhārata

śravaṇāttasya tīrthasya nāmasaṃkīrtanādapi /
mṛttikā laṃbhanādvāpi naraḥ pāpātpramucyate

tatrābhiṣekaṃ yaḥ kuryyātsaṃgame saṃśitavrataḥ /
tulyaṃ phalamavāpnoti rājasūyāśvamedhayoḥ

na vedavacanāttāta na lokavacanādapi /
matirutkramaṇīyā te prayāgagamanaṃ prati

daśatīrthasahasrāṇi ṣaṣṭikoṭyastathāparāḥ /
yeṣāṃ sānnidhyamatraiva kīrtanātkurunaṃdana

yā gatiryogayuktasya sadutthasya manīṣiṇaḥ /
sā gatistyajataḥ prāṇāngaṃgāyamunasaṃgame

tena jīvaṃti loke'sminyatra yatra yudhiṣṭhira /
ye prayāgaṃ na saṃprāptāstriṣu lokeṣu viśrutam

evaṃ dṛṣṭvā tu tattīrthaṃ prayāgaṃ paramaṃ padam /
mucyate sarvapāpebhyaḥ śaśāṃka iva rāhuṇā

kaṃbalāśvatarau nāgau yamunā dakṣiṇe taṭe /
tatra snātvā ca pītvā ca mucyate sarvapātakaiḥ

tatra gatvā tu tatsthānaṃ mahādevasya dhīmataḥ /
narastārayate sarvāndaśātītāndaśāparān

kṛtvābhiṣekaṃ tu naraḥ so'śvamedhaphalaṃ labhet /
svargalokamavāpnoti yāvadābhūtasaṃplavam

pūrvapārśve tu gaṃgāyāṃ triṣu lokeṣu bhārata /
kūpaṃ caiva tu sāmudraṃ pratiṣṭhānaṃ tu viśrutam

brahmacārī jitakrodhastrirātraṃ yadi tiṣṭhati /
sarvapāpaviśuddhātmā so'śvamedhaphalaṃ labhet

uttareṇa pratiṣṭhānādbhāgīrathyāstu pūrvataḥ /
haṃsaprapatanaṃ nāma tīrthaṃ trailokyaviśrutam

aśvamedhaphalaṃ tasminsnātamātrasya bhārata /
yāvaccandraśca sūryaśca tāvatsvarge mahīyate

urvaśīpuline ramye vipule haṃsapāṃḍure /
salilaistarppayedyastu pitṝṃstatra vimatsaraḥ

ṣaṣṭivarṣasahasrāṇi ṣaṣṭivarṣaśatāni ca /
sevate pitṛbhiḥ sārddhaṃ svargalokaṃ narādhipa

pūjyate satataṃ tatra ṛṣigaṃdharvakinnaraiḥ /
tataḥ svargaparibhraṣṭaḥ kṣīṇakarmmā divaścyutaḥ

urvaśīsadṛśīnāṃ tu kanyānāṃ labhate śatam /
gavāṃ śatasahasrāṇāṃ bhoktā bhavati bhūmipa

kāṃcīnūpuraśabdena supto'sau pratibudhyate /
bhuktvā tu vipulānbhogāṃstattīrthaṃ labhate punaḥ

kuśāsanadharo nityaṃ niyataḥ saṃyateṃdriyaḥ /
ekakālaṃ tu bhuṃjāno māsaṃ bhogapatirbhavet

suvarṇālaṃkṛtānāṃ tu nārīṇāṃ labhate śatam /
pṛthivyāmāsamudrāyāṃ mahābhogapatirbhavet

daśagrāmasahasrāṇāṃ bhoktā bhavati bhūmipaḥ /
dhanadhānyasamāyukto dātā bhavati nityaśaḥ

sa bhuktvā vipulānbhogāṃstattīrthaṃ smarate punaḥ /
atha tasminvaṭe ramye brahmacārī jiteṃdriyaḥ

upoṣya yogayuktaśca brahmajñānamavāpnuyāt /
koṭitīrthaṃ samāsādya yastu prāṇānparityajet

koṭivarṣasahasrāṇi svargaloke mahīyate /
tataḥ svargātparibhraṣṭaḥ kṣīṇakarmmā divaścyutaḥ

suvarṇamaṇimuktāḍhye kule bhavati rūpavān /
tato bhogavatīṃ gatvā vāsukeruttareṇa tu

daśāśvamedhakaṃ tatra tīrthaṃ tatrāparaṃ bhavet /
kṛtvābhiṣekaṃ tu naraḥ so'śvamedhaphalaṃ labhet

dhanāḍhyo rūpavāndakṣo dātā bhavati dhārmikaḥ /
caturvedeṣu yatpuṇyaṃ satyavādiṣu yatphalam

ahiṃsāyāṃ tu yo dharmmo gamanādeva tadbhavet /
kurukṣetrasamā gaṃgā yatratatrāvagāhyate

kurukṣetrāddaśaguṇā yatra siṃdhvā samāgatā /
yatra gaṃgā mahābhāgā bahutīrthatapodhanā

siddhakṣetraṃ hi tajjñeyaṃ nātra kāryā vicāraṇā /
kṣitau tārayate martyānnāgāṃstārayate'pyadhaḥ

divi tārayate devāṃstena sā tripathā smṛtā /
yāvadasthīni gaṃgāyāṃ tiṣṭhaṃti tasya dehinaḥ

tāvadvarṣasahasrāṇi svargaloke mahīyate /
tīrthānāṃ tu paraṃ tīrthaṃ nadīnāmuttamā nadī

mokṣadā sarvabhūtānāṃ mahāpātakināmapi /
sarvatra sulabhā gaṃgā triṣu sthāneṣu durlabhā

gaṃgādvāre prayāge ca gaṃgāsāgarasaṃgame /
tatra snātvā divaṃ yāṃti ye mṛtāste'punarbhavāḥ

sarveṣāṃ caiva bhūtānāṃ pāpopahatacetasām /
gatimanveṣamāṇānāṃ nāsti gaṃgāsamā gatiḥ

pavitrāṇāṃ pavitraṃ yā maṃgalānāṃ ca maṃgalam /
maheśvaraśirobhraṣṭā sarvapāpaharā śubhā

iti śrīpādme mahāpurāṇe svargakhaṃḍe prayāgamāhātmye tricatvāriṃśo'dhyāyaḥ