Ayodhya Kaanda
106 - Bharata deposits the sacred waters; his perambulation through Citrakuta
Chaupais
Description
On receiving Atri's command, Bharata despatched (ahead of himself) all the vessels containing the holy water and himself repaired with his younger brother (Satrughna) and the sage Atri and other hermits and holy men to the well, which was fathomless in its depth, and deposited the holy water in that sacred place. Transported with joy the sage Atri lovingly spoke thus: "This place has brought success to the striver from time without beginning; having been obscured by time it was known to none. My servants marked this soil as rich in subterranean springs of water and dug a big well in it with a view to securing good water. By a decree of Providence the whole world has been benefited (by dropping in this well the water from holy places) and the idea of religious merit (accruing from a bath in this well), which was most incomprehensible (to the ordinary intellect) has become easily intelligible to all. People will now call it by the name of Bharatakupa (a well sacred to the memory of Bharata). Its sanctity has been inhanced because water from all holy places has been mixed into it. People who take a plunge into it with devotion and with due ceremony will become pure in thought, word and deed.