218 Skanda Purana to the east of Vighnesvara, to the north of Vsistha and to the west of Laumasa. 20. Only by visiting it a man can get rid of staying (fre- quently) in a womb (i.e. rebirth). There is no necessity for making charitable gifts, performing a penance or sacrifices or undertaking pilgrimages to holy spots. 21. On the Navami day the man should observe the holy vow. By the power of the holy bath and charitable gifts, he is liberated from the bondage of births. 22. By visiting the place of birth one attains that benefit which is obtained by one who gives thousands of tawny-coloured cows everyday. 23-25. By seeing the place of birth one attains the merit of ascetics performing penance in hermitage, of thousands of Rajasiya sacrifices and Agnihotra sacrifices performed every year. By seeing a man observing the holy rite particularly in the place of birth he obtains the merit of the holy men endowed with devotion to mother and father as well as preceptors. NOW THE DESCRIPTION OF SARAYU 26-27. It gives infinite satisfaction to the Pitrs, the devotee gets more merit than that of Gayaéraddha, if Sarayii is visited. One gets that merit thereby which is obtained by staying in Kasi for thou- sands of Manvantaras. 28. By (visiting) the city of the Son of Dagaratha (i.e. Rama) in Kali Yuga, it is said, one gets that merit which is obtained by persons who perform Gayaéraddha and then visit Purusottama (Jagannathapuri). 29. If Sarayii is visited, one attains that benefit which a man obtains when he stays in Mathura for the period of a Kalpa. 30. If Sarayi is visited, one obtains that merit which is ob- tained in Puskara and Prayaga in the month of Magha or Karttika. 31. If Sarayii is seen, one obtains that merit which is obtained by means of stay in Avanti for thousands and crores of Kalpas. 32. By visiting the city of Dasaratha’s Son in Kaliyuga (even) for half a moment one obtains the merit of taking a holy plunge in Ganga for sixty thousand years. 33. If living beings contemplate on Rama for a moment or half a moment, it becomes the destroyer of ignorance which is the Downloade ram htp:sewa lybooks com