O king, ten
millions of Munis had assembled. And, O king, filled with great joy at
the prospect of beholding Mahadeva, the Rishis assembled there, each
saying, '_I will first behold the god! I will first behold the god!_'
And, O king, in order to prevent disputes amongst those Rishis of
subdued souls, the Lord of _Yoga_, by the help of his _Yoga_ power,
multiplied himself into ten million forms, and stood before every one of
them. And every one of these Rishis said, '_I have seen him first!_' And
gratified, O king, with the deep devotion of those Munis of subdued
souls, Mahadeva granted them a boon, saying, '_From this day your
righteousness shall grow!_' And, O tiger among men, one that bathes,
with a pure mind, in _Rudrakoti_ obtaineth the merit of the
horse-sacrifice and delivereth his ancestors. One should next proceed, O
king, to that highly sacred and celebrated region where the Saraswati
mingles with the sea. Thither, O king, the gods with Brahma at their
head and Rishis with wealth of asceticism repair for adoring Kesava on
the fourteenth day of the lighted fortnight of the month of Chaitra.
Bathing there, O tiger among men, one obtaineth the merit of giving away
gold in abundance, and his soul being cleansed from every sin, he
ascendeth to the region of Brahma. It is there, O king, that the Rishis
have completed many a sacrifice. By a trip to that spot one obtaineth
the merit of the gifts of a thousand kine."'"

SECTION LXXXIII

"'Pulastya said, "One should next proceed, O king, to the adored
Kurukshetra at sight of which all creatures are freed from their sins.
He is freed from all sins who constantly sayeth, '_I will live in
Kurukshetra_.' The very dust of Kurukshetra, conveyed by the wind,
leadeth a sinful man to a blessed course (in after-life). They that
dwell in Kurukshetra which lieth to the south of the Saraswati and the
north of the Drishadwati, are said to dwell in heaven. O hero, one
should reside there, O thou foremost of warriors, for a month. There, O
lord of earth, the gods with Brahma at their head, the Rishis, the
Siddhas, the Charanas, the Gandharvas, the Apsaras, the Yakshas and the
Nagas, often repair, O Bharata, to the highly sacred Brahmakshetra. O
foremost of warriors, the sins of one that desireth to repair to
Kurukshetra even mentally are all destroyed, and he finally goeth into
the region of Brahma. O son of the Kuru race, by repairing to
Kurukshetra in a pious frame of mind, one