among men, one obtaineth the regions of _agni_ and raiseth his own race (from lower regions). There in that _tirtha_ is another, O chief of the Bharatas, that belongeth to Viswamitra. Bathing there, O best of men, one obtaineth the status of a Brahmana. Proceeding next to Brahmayoni in purity of body and with subdued soul, one obtaineth, O tiger among men, by bathing there, the abode of Brahma, and sanctifieth, without doubt, his own race to the seventh generation up and down. One should next proceed, O king, to the _tirtha_ celebrated over the three worlds, which is called _Prithudaka_, belonging to Kartikeya. One should bathe there and occupy oneself in the worship of the Pitris and the gods. Whatever evil hath been committed, knowingly or unknowingly, by man or woman, impelled by human motives, is all destroyed, O Bharata, by a bath in that _tirtha_. Bathing there one obtaineth, too, the merit of the horse-sacrifice and heaven also. The learned have said that _Kurukshetra_ is holy; that holier than _Kurukshetra_ is the _Saraswati_; that holier than the Saraswati are all the _tirthas_ together, and that holier than all the _tirthas_ together is _Prithudaka_. He that engaged in the recitation of prayers casteth off his body at Prithudaka, which is the best of all _tirthas_, becometh an immortal. It hath been sung by Sanatkumara and by the high-souled Vyasa, and it is in the Vedas also, that one should, O king, go to Prithudaka, with subdued soul. O son of Kuru race, there is no _tirtha_ which is superior to Prithudaka. Without doubt, that _tirtha_ is purifying, holy and sin-destroying. O best of men, it hath been said by learned persons that men, however sinful, by bathing in Prithudaka, go to heaven. O best of the Bharatas, there in that _tirtha_ is another called _Madhusrava_. Bathing there, O king, one obtaineth the merit of giving away a thousand kine. One should then proceed, O king, to that celebrated and sacred _tirtha_ where the Saraswati uniteth with the Aruna. One that batheth there, having fasted for three nights, is cleansed of even the sin of slaying a Brahmana, and obtaineth also merit that is superior to that of either the _Agnishtoma_ or _Atiratra_ sacrifice, and rescueth his race to the seventh generation up and down. There in that _tirtha_ is another, O perpetuator of the Kuru race, that is called Ardhakila. From compassion for the Brahmanas, that _tirtha_ was made by Darbhi in days of old. Without doubt, by vows, by investiture of the sacred, by fasts, by rites and by _Mantras_, one becometh a Brahmana. O bull among men, it hath been seen, however, by learned persons of old that even one destitute of rites and _Mantras_, by only bathing in that _tirtha_ becometh learned and endued with the merit of vows. Darbhi had also brought hither the four oceans. O best of men, one that batheth here, never meeteth with distress hereafter and obtaineth also the merit of giving away four thousand kine.