Mathura-mandala Parikrama, Part 3

BY: SUN STAFF - 8.2 2021

Shri Vishranti (Vishram), Mathura

By Srila Narahari Chakravarti Thakur.

The Holy Places of Mathura

See this great holy place named Shri Vishranti. It was here that Krishna took rest after killing Kamsa. O Shrinivasa, the jewel amongst sannyasis, Shri Chaitanya, also performed many transcendental activities here. All types of people—women, men, aged, youths, and even children—gathered to see the Lord. Hundreds of thousands came and everyone acknowledged that the best of all sannyasis had come to Mathura. Raising their arms in the air and crying, they shouted the name of Hari. Gaurachandra's beauty charmed the entire world, and people were unable to take their eyes off Him. The Lord fulfilled everyone's desires, and in this way He performed amazing pastimes at Vishranti. The glories of Vishranti-tirtha are famous in the world. One can achieve the most rare perfection by the grace of Vishranti."

In the Skanda Purana, Mathura-khanda, it is stated: "The world-famous holy place, Shri Vishranti, is situated in Mathura. By visiting this place a traveller attains eternal rest. By bathing here and worshiping Acyuta, one attains immortality and is automatically freed from the miseries and agonies of the material world."

In the Saura Purana it is said: "The holy Vishranti-tirtha destroys sins and gives relief to one who is suffering from wandering in the desert like material existence of birth and death. A person who bathes here and worships Acyuta becomes free from the suffering of repeated birth and death and qualified for liberation."

The Padma Purana, Yamuna Mahatmya, states: "The Kalindi flows from the mountain Kalinda and flows through Mathura. The Ganges at Shukaratala flows westwards. The confluence of the Yamuna and Bhagirathi is known as the sangam. By bathing at any of these places one achieves highly pious results. But by taking bath in the Yamuna one can achieve a hundred times these results and, according to scholars, Shri Vishranti-tirtha can bestow millions of times these results on people."

Also in the Adi-varaha Purana it is stated: "Hey Devi! Vishranti-tirtha is renowned throughout the three worlds. A person becomes worshipable in Vaikuntha-dhama if he takes bath here. Lord Gatashrama is situated here at this beautiful place. By His darshana one achieves the results attained from visiting and taking bath at all other holy places.

Ghats on the Yamuna at Mathura

The Twenty-four Tirthas along Yamuna at Mathura

O Shrinivasa, in this crescent moon-shaped place there are twenty-four tirthas along Shri Yamuna. This first one is called Avimukta-tirtha. In the Adi-varaha Purana it is stated that one who bathes here is liberated, and one who dies here without a doubt goes to Vishnuloka.

This next place is called Guhya-tirtha. Again in the Adi-varaha Purana it is said: 'One who bathes at this place attains liberation from this material world and goes to Vishnuloka.' According to the Saura Purana, this next place, known as Prayaga-tirtha, is rarely attained even by the demigods. By bathing here one gets the same result as by the performance of an agnistoma-yajna.

This holy place is called Kanakhala-tirtha. The Adi-varaha Purana says that by bathing here one attains supreme opulence and heavenly happiness. By bathing at this next place, called Tinduka-tirtha, one is promoted to Vishnuloka.

This place called Surya-tirtha destroys all sins. It was here that Bali, the son of Virochana, performed his austerities. Bathing here during the lunar or solar eclipse, on Sankranti, or on Sunday will give one the same benefit as by performing the rajasuya-yajna. These statements are confirmed in the Adi-varaha Purana.

In the Saura Purana it is stated: "This supreme place is called Vatasvami-tirtha. Vatasvami Surya has become famous here. Whoever serves this place with devotion on a Sunday will recover from disease, gain wealth in his life, and attain the ultimate goal after death."

This place is called Dhruva-tirtha. It was here that Dhruva did tapasya. The Adi-varaha Purana says that by bathing here one is certainly promoted to Dhruvaloka. Whoever performs the shraddha ceremony here, especially during the pitripaksha, will guarantee liberation for the ancestors on his father's side. [Pitripaksha is the dark fortnight of the month of Ashvina, mid-September to mid-October.] Then the Skanda Purana states, "Offering oblations to the forefathers at Dhruva-tirtha gives one a hundred times the results obtained by performing the same ceremony at Gaya. Whoever performs japa, homa, tapasya, dana, or puja here also attains one hundred times greater results as by performing the same activities in any other holy place."

This place south of Dhruva-tirtha called áshi-tirtha is very dear to Krishna. By bathing here one attains Vishnuloka and also krishna-bhakti, devotional service to the Lord. This is confirmed in the Adi-varaha Purana and in the Skanda Purana, Mathura-khanda.

The Adi-varaha Purana gives the following descriptions:

"South of áshi-tirtha is Moksha-tirtha. A bath here guarantees liberation. Next comes Koti-tirtha, a place which is rarely attained even the by demigods. By bathing here and giving in charity here one becomes worshipable in Vishnuloka.

By offering oblations at Bodhi-tirtha, which is rarely attained by the demigods, one attains Pitriloka. This Dvadasha-tirtha, south of Vishranti-tirtha, is seldom attained even by the demigods. Simply by remembering this place, people are freed from all types of sins. This supreme place called Nava-tirtha is north of Asi-kunda. Neither now nor in the future will there ever be a tirtha in the world like Nava-tirtha.

By bathing at the next place, called Samyamana-tirtha, one attains Vishnuloka. This place is called Dharapatana-tirtha. By bathing here one attains happiness unavailable even in heaven, and by dying here one attains Vishnuloka.

This exalted place is called Naga-tirtha, and it is the best of all holy tirthas. By bathing here one attains Svargaloka, and by dying here one is freed from rebirth.

This place is called Ghantabharana-tirtha. By bathing here one's sins are destroyed and he is worshiped on Suryaloka.

This place, called Brahma-tirtha, is very famous. Whoever takes bathe here, drinks the water, and sits here undisturbed with restrained senses, by the permission of Brahma, he will attain the abode of Vishnu.

This holy place is called Soma-tirtha. If one who is properly situated in his varna and ashrama bathes here in the pure water of the Yamuna, he attains the happiness of Somaloka without doubt.

This place is known as Sarasvati-patana-tirtha. By bathing here a person attains the qualities of a sannyasi, although he may have no right to be a sannyasi by the rules of varnashrama. After fasting for three days, one who bathes here, at Cakra-tirtha, becomes free from the sin of killing a brahmana and what to speak of other fruits.

The place called Dashashvamedha-tirtha was formerly worshiped by the sages. If one bathes here in a contented mood, he easily obtains heaven.

This place is known as Vighnaraja-tirtha. One who takes bath here attains all auspiciousness as well as freedom from sins and miseries.

This place is called Koti-tirtha and it is always supremely pure and auspicious. One bath in this holy place delivers the same result as ten million baths in the Ganges."

Then from the Mathura-khanda it is stated: "Hey Yudhishthira! On the northern and southern side of Shri Vishranti there are twenty-four tirthas. The twelve on the north extend up to Dashashvamedha and the twelve on the south extend to Moksha-tirtha."

Vishram-ghat, Mathura