Adhyaya 171

This chapter extols a supremely holy tīrtha (sacred ford) named Āditya, situated near a sacred confluence. Mahādeva (Śiva) declares its greatness to be without equal. The narration then turns to ritual instruction: seekers should bathe at Puṣkara, renew worship with offerings of arka flowers and karavīra blossoms, and regularly perform śrāddha rites and dāna (charitable gifts) at that place. The tīrtha is praised as pāpa-nāśaka, a destroyer of sin, so powerful that mere darśana (reverent sight) grants merit even to those burdened with mahā-pātakas. A closing colophon notes the chapter’s title and its place in the Uttara-khaṇḍa.