Adhyaya 79

Chapter 79 extols the Apāmārjanaka as a supremely wondrous cleansing hymn/rite. Mahādeva (Śiva) teaches Pārvatī, the “daughter of the mountain,” that focused recitation is especially efficacious for putra-kāmanā (the desire for a son), and that daily recitation fulfills many aims. Benefits are mapped by varṇa—learning for brāhmaṇas, sovereignty for kṣatriyas, wealth for vaiśyas, and devotion for śūdras—while affirming that hearing and japa bestow universal bhakti. Its merit is equated with the Sāma Veda, it is said to destroy sins instantly, and allied Vaiṣṇava observances are prescribed: writing it on birch-bark to wear as a sacred text, offering tulasī after reciting even one verse, and wearing tulasī-mālā and Vaiṣṇava insignia (śaṅkha-cakra marks). As a protection, it pacifies children’s illness, astral afflictions, spirits, poison, and seizures. The culmination promised is entry into Viṣṇu-loka and final liberation, with bhāgavatas portrayed as salvific for entire families.