Adhyaya 144

Chapter 144 extols two connected sacred complexes: Brahmavallī or Brahma-tīrtha at the confluence of the Sābhramatī and Brahmavallī waters, and Khaṇḍa-tīrtha, also known as Vṛṣa-tīrtha. Brahmavallī is proclaimed equal to Prayāga and Gayā for śrāddha; offering piṇḍa there satisfies the ancestors for twelve years, and charity (dāna)—especially during eclipses—yields greatly multiplied merit. Bathing there and remembering Nārāyaṇa while wearing a tulasī garland leads to heavenly fruits and Vaikuṇṭha-oriented attainment, even the gaining of a divine form bearing śaṅkha-cakra-gadā. The narrative then turns to Khaṇḍa-tīrtha: cows, cursed after an incident in Goloka, fall to earth and regain heaven through ritual bathing in the Khaṇḍa lake near Brahmavallī. The chapter enjoins worship of cow and bull, gifts including a golden cow, ancestor-libations (tarpaṇa) at Gohrada, and tree-planting (pippal and five āmalakīs), promising Goloka, Pitṛloka, and Hari’s realm with “endless” reward.