Adhyaya 162

Mahādeva instructs Devī about the sacred ford Kāpotikā (Kāpota), connected with the flowing waters of the Sābhramatī, and prescribes observances there. These include śrāddha-related acts such as piṇḍa and tarpana, offerings that also feed beings like crows and dogs, and devotion performed in harmony with seasons and tithi. Bathing at this tīrtha—especially in Vaiśākha—and then worshiping Īśāna as Prācīneśvara with an offering of pale mustard seeds grants deliverance and benefit for oneself and one’s ancestors. The tīrtha’s name is explained through an origin tale: a deeply Vaiṣṇava pigeon, on Viṣṇu’s sacred Dvādaśī, offers its own body to a hawk who arrives as a guest demanding meat, thereby establishing the place’s purifying power. The chapter concludes with a universal dharma injunction: always honor guests. Atithi-satkara yields comprehensive merit and leads to lasting attainment of Viṣṇu’s abode.