1875.] Earn Narayan — Translation of the Ayodliya-MahcUmya. 153 



seeching accents, ' Bhagavan, I am under the control of another, and have 

 come by the order of Indra, please therefore forgive my fault, and tell me how 

 to escape your curse. The Muni said, ' There is a sacred place, at Ayodhya, 

 situated east of Yogini-kund, go and bathe in it, and you will recover your 

 beauty, and the place will be named after you.' She bathed in the pond, and 

 was restored to her former beauty ; and the pond has since then been called 

 Urvashi-kund. He who bathes here in faith and witlndue ceremony, obtains 

 beauty. There is no doubt about this. The pilgrimage to this place should 

 be performed on the third of the light half of Bhadra. One who bathes here, 

 gives alms, and worships Vishnu, is sure to go to his regions." 



Chapter XIV. 



Then Mahadeva said, " Goddess, east of Urvashi-kund is the charm- 

 ing Vrihaspati-kund, filled with innumerable flowers. It is the des- 

 troyer of sins and has pure water ; and here he lived and performed sacrifices. 

 Bathing and giving alms here frees a man from sin. Its pilgrimage is per- 

 formed on the fifth of the light half of Bhadra. Here Munis worship, and 

 the gods (such as Indra, &c.) obtain their wishes when bathing at this 

 place. Bathing, going on a pilgrimage, and worshipping Vrihaspati and 

 Vishnu here, cleanses a man of his sins. The bad effect of an impending 

 unlucky day in a Kundli [horoscope], is desti'03-ed by worshipping Vrihas- 

 pati here. One who forms an image of gold, dresses it in yellow silk cloth, 

 and gives it to a Brahman, is freed from falling into troubles. 



" To the East of the last is the E u k m i n i - k u n d. Once S'ri Krishna- 

 chandra came on a pilgrimage to Ayodhya with Eukmini and Satyabhama , and 

 lived here a month. He daily bathed in theSarayu and read the Mantra-raj. 

 Eukmini seeing a great many ponds here, built one of her own,where Vishnu re- 

 sided. A man must bathe here, give alms, and worship the Brahmans with the 

 Vaishnava Mantra. A pilgrimage to it on the 9th of the dark half of Kartika, 

 bestows a son upon a barren woman and riches upon the poor. This is 

 beyond question. Men and women bathe here and enjoy themselves in this 

 world and go to the regions of Vishnu after death. After bathing in the 

 Eukmini kund and giving alms there, one should meditate on the form of 

 Krishna in the following way — ' Thou art dressed in yellow silk-cloth, and 

 armed with the Sankha, Chakra, Gada, and Sarang. Thou art the husband 

 of Lakshmi. Narada and other Munis constantly think of thee. Thou 

 wearest a crown and bracelets and rings. Thou art adorned with the Kaus- 

 tubhaMani.* Thou art black as the flower of the linseed. Thy eyes are 

 like the lotus.' By this meditation, a man undoubtedly obtains all his 

 wishes. 



* The name of a jewel. 



