In that sacred region, after performing a ritual bath and offering gifts according to one’s capacity, with the senses brought under control, the pious devotee engages in worship. It is said that, through these acts, even those ancestors and grandfathers who have fallen into hell are uplifted. When the śrāddha—the ancestral rite—is performed there, O Brāhmaṇa, one becomes freed from the debts owed to the forefathers. This rite should be conducted as prescribed by the ancient sages, using either piṇḍa offerings or molasses, and always with faith in the heart. There, men endowed with faith should perform śrāddha, for when the ancestors are satisfied, a prosperous lineage is born, blessed with sons. Indeed, there can be no doubt: one who performs śrāddha in this place attains prosperity and abundant enjoyments. Those who are full of faith and who desire the fruits of their actions should perform the rites properly. Particularly auspicious is the time when the new moon falls on a Monday, or on any other Monday; then, the śrāddha should be performed here according to the prescribed method. In the eastern direction lies the most excellent of all sacred places. By bathing and giving gifts there, one never becomes a piśāca—a restless spirit. These acts must be diligently performed by those endowed with faith. Especially meritorious is the fourteenth day of the bright half of the month of Mārgaśīrṣa. In that region to the east is a place called Mānasa. By bathing there and offering gifts, one’s desires are fulfilled. Even sins as weighty as Mount Meru, and all manner of sins whether committed in thought or deed, are washed away. The śrāddha should always be performed in the month of Bhādrapada, especially on the full moon. In the southern direction, there is a land of singular merit, where bathing and giving gifts unfailingly remove all sins. There, sages of purified minds have established various holy sites, and on the banks of the sacred river, all is most delightful. From that place arose the river Tamasā, with its many streams. Merely by beholding this river, all the sins of a person are destroyed. The riverbanks are adorned with blooming shrubs of every kind, draped with trailing vines, enchanting to all who behold them. Fragrant tamāla shrubs, karṇikāra, and bakula trees grow in abundance, and in some places, the air is filled with the pollen of blooming lotuses, while birds flit about in search of sweet fruits. Elsewhere, the calls of cakravāka birds resound, and clusters of kādamba trees flourish. Intoxicated swarms of bees delight in the sweetly fragrant flowers, and joyful birds of many kinds inhabit the groves, their songs mingling with the excited cries of flocks of parrots. The area is dense with deep-blue nīcula trees, charming with the presence of peacocks, and delightful with the jubilant singing of birds. Thus, adorned with manifold beauty and enchanting in every direction, this place has become a sacred and ever-purifying tīrtha by its own power. In ancient times, the great and holy hermitage of the sage Gautama was established here by your father, O best of sages, who was a treasure of austerity. There are many tīrthas and hermitages of every kind in this region. The auspicious river flowing here is known as Tamasā. Bathing, giving gifts, and performing ancestral rites at this place, especially on the fifteenth day of the bright half of Mārgaśīrṣa, bestow great merit. Therefore, those of pure mind should bathe here. Now, O sage, listen further as I tell you of another supremely auspicious place beyond the Tamasā. In the month of Bhādra, on the bright fourth day, pilgrimage to this site brings auspiciousness, and even the mere remembrance of it destroys all obstacles. Thus, in the southern direction, there is one called Bhairava, known for its singular sanctity.