Adhyaya 24: The Glory of Prithudaka Tirtha and the Akshaya Tithi at Kurukshetra
पृथूदक-तीर्थमाहात्म्य एवं अक्षया-तिथिवर्णन (Pṛthūdaka-Tīrtha-Māhātmya evaṃ Akṣayā-Tithi-Varṇana)
Akshaya Tithi at Kurukshetra
Within the Pulastya–Nārada narrative frame, this Adhyāya presents a Kurukṣetra-centered tīrtha-māhātmya in which Devadeva (Hari addressed as Murāri) directs the gods to the mahātīrtha Pṛthūdaka, praised as intrinsically purifying and fear-dispelling. The sanctity is calendrically anchored: when the luminaries and Bṛhaspati align in Mṛgaśiras, the day is celebrated as Akṣayā, a time especially efficacious for pitṛ-tarpaṇa and śrāddha on the banks of the east-flowing (prācī) Sarasvatī. The devas, led by Indra, enact the pilgrimage, bathe, and request Bṛhaspati to ‘authorize’ the auspicious configuration, foregrounding Purāṇic ritual time as a theological instrument. The chapter then pivots to a genealogical-etiological strand: Indra’s pious offering to the Pitṛs yields Menā, given to Himavān, and the union produces three exceptionally beautiful daughters—linking śrāddha-merit, sacred geography, and dynastic cosmology in a syncretic Purāṇic register.
Divine Beings
Sacred Geography
Mortal & Asura Figures
Key Content Points
- Devadeva/Murāri instructs the gods to proceed to Kurukṣetra’s Pṛthūdaka, a mahātīrtha described as puṇya and pāpa-bhaya-apaha (sin- and fear-removing).
- Ritual time is specified through astral markers: the Mṛgaśiras nakṣatra with Sun, Moon, and Bṛhaspati yields the celebrated Akṣayā tithi, ideal for śrāddha and pitṛ-ārādhana at the prācī Sarasvatī.
- After the devas bathe, they petition Bṛhaspati to effect/confirm the auspicious configuration; the narrative then connects pitṛ-bhakti to lineage by recounting Indra’s piṇḍa-offering and the consequent bestowal of Menā to Himavān, leading to three divine-like daughters.
Shlokas in Adhyaya 24
Verse 1
देवदेव उवाच एवं पृथूदको देवाः पुण्यः पापभयापहः तं गच्छध्वं महातीर्थं यावत् संनिधिवोधितम्
Tuhan segala dewa bersabda: “Demikianlah, wahai para dewa, Pṛthūdaka ini penuh pahala dan menghapus ketakutan yang timbul daripada dosa. Pergilah ke tīrtha agung itu, sebagaimana telah dinyatakan tentang sannidhi—kehadiran sucinya yang menyucikan.”
Verse 2
यदा मृगशिरोऋक्षे शशिसूर्यौ बृहस्पतिः तिष्ठन्ति सा तिथिः पुण्या त्वक्षया परिगीयते
“Apabila Bulan dan Matahari, bersama Musytari (Bṛhaspati), berada dalam rumah bintang Mṛgaśiras, maka tithi itu suci; ia dipuji sebagai ‘Akṣayā’, yang menganugerahkan pahala yang tidak susut.”
Verse 3
तं गच्छध्वं सुरश्रेष्ठा यत्र प्राची सरस्वती पितॄन् आराधयध्वं हि तत्र श्राद्धेन भक्तिततः
“Pergilah ke sana, wahai para dewa yang paling mulia, ke tempat Sarasvatī yang mengalir ke timur. Di sana, sembahlah para Pitṛ (leluhur suci) dengan melaksanakan śrāddha, dengan penuh bhakti.”
Verse 4
ततो मुरारिवचनं श्रुत्वा देवाः सवासवाः समाजग्मुः कुरुक्षेत्रे पुण्यतीर्थं पृथूदकम्
“Kemudian, setelah mendengar sabda Murāri (Viṣṇu), para dewa—bersama Vāsava (Indra)—berhimpun di Kurukṣetra, di tīrtha yang suci bernama Pṛthūdaka.”
Verse 5
तत्र स्नात्वा सुराः सर्वे बृहस्पतिमचोदयन् विशस्व भगवन् ऋक्षमिमं मृशिरं कुरु पुण्यां तिथिं पापहरां तव कालो ऽयमागतः
“Setelah mandi di sana, semua dewa mendesak Bṛhaspati: ‘Wahai Bhagavan, nyatakanlah dengan jelas; tentukan bagi kami nakṣatra ini dan nyatakan suatu tithi yang suci lagi menghapus dosa. Saatmu kini telah tiba.’”
Verse 6
प्रवर्तते रविस्तत्र चन्द्रमापि विशत्यसौ त्वदायत्तं गुरो कार्यं सुराणां तत् कुरुष्व च
“Di sana Sang Surya bergerak pada peredarannya, dan Sang Candra pun memasuki peredarannya. Wahai Guru, urusan para dewa bergantung kepadamu; maka laksanakanlah pula tugas yang diperlukan itu.”
Verse 7
इत्येवमुक्तो देवैस्तु देवाचार्यो ऽब्रवीदिदम् यदि वर्षाधिपो ऽहं स्यां ततो यास्यामि देवताः
“Demikianlah ketika para dewa berkata, maka ācārya para dewa pun bersabda: ‘Jika aku menjadi penguasa tahun, barulah aku akan pergi, wahai para dewa.’”
Verse 8
आषाढे मासि मार्गर्क्षे चन्द्रक्षयतिथिर्हि या तस्यां पुरन्दरः प्रीतः पिण्डं पितृषु भक्तितः
Pada bulan Āṣāḍha, ketika nakṣatra bernama Mārga dan pada tithi yang disebut “candrakṣaya” (susutnya bulan), pada saat itu Purandara (Indra) berkenan—apabila persembahan piṇḍa dipersembahkan kepada para Pitṛ dengan bhakti.
Verse 9
प्रादात् तिलमधून्मिश्रं हविष्यान्नं कुरुष्वथ ततः प्रीतास्तु पितरस्तां प्राहुस्तनयां निजाम
Beliau mempersembahkan makanan haviṣya yang dicampur bijan dan madu. Lalu para Pitṛ, setelah berkenan, menyatakan bahawa dia adalah puteri kandungnya sendiri.
Verse 10
मेनां देवाश्च शैलाय हिमयुक्ताय वै ददुः तां मेनां हिमवांल्लब्ध्वा प्रसादाद् दैवतेष्वथ प्रीतिमानभवच्चासौ रराम च यथेच्छया
Para dewa menyerahkan Menā kepada gunung Himavat, yang bersalju. Setelah memperoleh Menā berkat kurnia para dewa, Himavat menjadi gembira dan bersuka-ria dengannya menurut kehendaknya.
Verse 11
ततो हिमाद्रिः पितृकन्यया समं समर्पयन् वै विषयान् यथैष्टम् अजीजनत् सा तनयाश्च तिस्रो रूपातियुक्ताः सुरयोषितोपमाः
Kemudian Himādri (Himavat), bersama gadis yang lahir daripada Pitṛ (Menā), menikmati segala objek indera menurut kehendak; dan Menā melahirkan tiga orang puteri yang amat elok rupanya, seumpama gadis-gadis surgawi.
Frequently Asked Questions
The chapter uses the honorific Devadeva while also identifying the speaker as Murāri (a Viṣṇu epithet), a Purāṇic strategy that normalizes shared divine sovereignty and ritual authority across sectarian vocabularies, even as the narrative remains focused on tīrtha and śrāddha praxis.
Pṛthūdaka in Kurukṣetra is presented as a mahātīrtha whose bath removes pāpa and fear; its efficacy is heightened when performed at the prācī Sarasvatī, where pitṛ-ārādhana through śrāddha is explicitly prescribed, making the site a ritual node in the Sarasvatī-basin pilgrimage map.
No. The passage functions primarily as a Kurukṣetra tīrtha-māhātmya and a pitṛ-ritual calendar note (Akṣayā tithi), followed by a genealogical-etiological account (Indra’s offering leading to Menā and Himavān’s progeny), rather than the Bali–Vāmana conflict sequence.