Adhyaya 94

Ambarīṣa asks Nārada for a sin-quelling hymn whose mere hearing dissolves pāpa. Nārada affirms that Hari-kathā and discourse with Vaiṣṇavas can surpass even the merit of the Vaiśākha bath. An embedded tale follows: the sage Muniśarmā, traveling in Mādhava/Vaiśākha to bathe in the sacred Revā (Narmadā), meets five grievous sinners seeking release. On the way they encounter terrifying preta-like beings, deformed through moral and ritual failures—especially irreverence and food-related disrespect. Muniśarmā leads the penitents to the Revā for Vaiśākha snāna; through proper rite, utterance of the divine Name, and a Viṣṇu stotra called Pāpa-praśamana, the pretas are liberated and the sinners purified. The chapter concludes by declaring that reciting or hearing this hymn destroys sin and grants Viṣṇu’s abode.