Adhyaya 164

Chapter 164 extols a tīrtha called Kaśyapa. Śiva tells Devī of a great sacred ford where a vast lake once lay, connected with the formation of a mountain-deity. There shines the deity Kuśeśvara, and there is a lovely kuṇḍa (sacred pond) attributed to the sage Kaśyapa. Bathing there prevents descent to hell; brāhmaṇas uphold Agnihotra and Vedic devotion. The land of Kāśyapā is likened to Kāśī and said to have been shaped by ṛṣis. By Kaśyapa’s austerities, Gaṅgā descended from Śiva’s matted locks; here Gaṅgā destroys great sins even by mere sight. The text commends dāna—especially gifts of a cow and a chariot—and śrāddha performed with charity. It concludes that in Kali-yuga no tīrtha equals Kaśyapa, where gods and sages dwell, purified by the Lord of tīrthas.