Chapter summary
कावेरीमाहात्म्यम् Kāverī Māhātmyam
The Glory of the Kaveri River
**The revered Sadguru said:**
O best among the fortunate, one should behold the sacred site of Sahyajamalakam, the very source of the Kaveri, for it is the destroyer of all sins. There, the Lord Hari Himself abides in the form of an Amalaka (gooseberry) tree, and by His mere sight, all transgressions are utterly vanquished (v.1-2). On the hallowed Sahya mountain, one should also visit the holy hermitage of Agastya and reverence the sandals of Dattatreya, thereby dispelling the darkness of ignorance (v.3).
Next, one comes upon Adirangam [Srirangapatna], a holy site renowned for annihilating all sins, where Lord Janārdana once subdued the forceful currents of the Sahyajā [the Kaveri, daughter of the Sahya mountain]. Near the banks of this same Sahyajā, one should then proceed to Yadavadri [Melkote], where the divine Lord Nārāyaṇa graciously bestows desired fruits upon His devotees (v.4-5). Further along, one should undertake a sin-destroying bath at the confluence of the Bhavani river, and there, worship Lord Bhava [Śiva], the beloved consort of Bhavani (v.6).
Upon the Trishirsha mountain [Tiruchirappalli], one should pay homage to Gaṇeśa, the remover of all obstacles. One must also behold the sacred island [Śrīraṅgam], which purifies all sins, and the hallowed Chandra Sarovaram. Even by an accidental dip in the waters of the Chandra Pushkariṇī Tīrtha, one's soul is freed from all sins and liberated from all diseases (v.7-8). After bathing in the purifying waters of the Kaveri, it is enjoined to perform the supreme bath once more in the Chandra Pushkariṇī Tīrtha (v.9). Especially during the auspicious month of Tula [October-November], one should faithfully perform the Kaveri bath, and day after day, immerse oneself in the Chandra Pushkariṇī Tīrtha (v.10). By bathing in the Chandra Pushkariṇī and by the *darśana* [sacred sight] of Vāsudeva [Śrī Raṅganātha], all sin is irrevocably destroyed. This is the truth, the truth, again the truth (v.11).
At the base of the Kadamba tree, one should worship Puruṣottama, and beneath the Jambu tree, one should revere Jambukeśvara. Similarly, Vāsudeva, situated at the root of the Punnaga tree, should be worshipped, and Mahālakṣmī, beneath the Bilva tree, should be honored day after day (v.12-13). That which is known as Śrīraṅgam is the destroyer of even the gravest sins, for it is there that the Kaveri flows in two streams, embracing the land like a divine garland (v.14).
Thereafter, on the bank of the daughter of Sahya, one should visit Madhyaraṅgam [Koviladi] and, with unwavering faith and devotion, worship Achyuta, who is especially fond of *appam* [sweet cakes] (v.15). Then, having seen Parāśaravaṇam and Pañcanadeśvara [Thiruvaiyaru], one should proceed to Śrīkaṇṭhanagaram [Thirukkandiyur] to behold Hari, who removed the curse of Śiva (v.16). Journeying further to Melanapuri [Thirukkoodalur] and then Bhūtapuri, one should finally see Viṣṇu in Adanapuram, also situated on the banks of the Sahya's daughter (v.17).
In Kapisthalam, one should likewise worship Kṛṣṇa in His reclining posture. In Kumbakonam, one should seek the *darśana* of Śārṅgapāṇi and Hara [Śiva] as Kumbheśvara (v.18). In Sarakṣetra [Thirucherai], one should behold Śaraṇātha, and in Nandipuram [Nathan Kovil], Lord Hari. In Tulasivanam [Thiruvelliyangudi], one should worship Śrīnivāsa, the Goddess Śrī, and Śrīpati (v.19). Then, in Śukrapuram, one should see Viṣṇu and the Liṅgam of Nāgeśvara; in Madhyārjunam [Thiruvidaimarudur], the Mahāliṅgam, and also Tālāvaneśvara (v.20). One should also see Śambhu as Uddālakeśvara and Bāṇapurīśvara; Kṛṣṇa, the friend of cows, in Gokulam; and then Parimala Raṅgan (v.21).
One should worship Īśāna as Mayūranātha and Saṅgameśvara. By bathing with devotion in the Kaveri at its confluence with the ocean, one is immediately freed from the sins accumulated over crores of births (v.22). Indeed, a bath at the confluence of the Kaveri is exceedingly rare for human beings; it is obtained only through the merits of crores of births, of this there is no doubt (v.23). By bathing, offering *Piṇḍas* [rice balls], and performing *Tarpana* [libations] at the Kaveri's confluence, all one's ancestors are satisfied and bless one with progeny (v.24). Even the gods themselves desire to bathe at the confluence of the Kaveri, for they know it grants desired fruits and objectives to their devotees (v.25).
Along every bank of the Kaveri, there are countless sacred sites dedicated to Śiva and Viṣṇu, all of which remove sins. By the mere remembrance of these holy places, the transgressions of men are utterly destroyed (v.26). There is no country equal to the Draviḍa country, no river equal to the Kaveri, and no holy site equal to Śrīraṅgam — I speak the truth, the truth. There has been no god equal to Raṅganātha, nor will there ever be (v.27).
Thus ends the twenty-second chapter, titled "The Glory of the Kaveri River," in the Fourth Part of the "Divyadesavaibhavam," composed by Śrī Kṛṣṇapremi Mahāprabhu.
