in all the tirthas without having found the relief he sought. That
foremost of Brahmanas then heard from those sages words of high import
about this foremost of tirthas situate on the Sarasvati, and known by the
name of Usanasa, which was represented as competent to cleanse from every
sin and as an excellent spot for attaining to (ascetic) success. That
Brahmana, then, repairing to that Usanasa tirtha, bathed in its waters.
Upon this, the Rakshasa's head, leaving the thigh, fell into the water.
Freed from that (dead) head, the Rishi felt great happiness. As regards
the head itself, it was lost in the waters. Mahodara then, O king, freed
from the Rakshasa's head, cheerfully returned, with cleansed soul and all
his sins washed away, to his asylum after achieving success. The great
ascetic thus freed, after returning to his sacred asylum, spoke of what
had happened to those Rishis of cleansed souls. The assembled Rishis,
having heard his words, bestowed the name of Kapalamochana on the tirtha.
The great Rishi Mahodara, repairing once more to that foremost of
tirthas, drank its water and attained to great ascetic success. He of
Madhu's race, having given away much wealth unto the Brahmanas and
worshipped them, then proceeded to the asylum of Rushangu. There, O
Bharata, Arshtishena had in former days undergone the austerest of
penances. There the great Muni Vishvamitra (who had before been a
Kshatriya) became a Brahmana. That great asylum is capable of granting
the fruition of every wish. It is always, O lord, the abode of Munis and
Brahmanas. Baladeva of great beauty, surrounded by Brahmanas, then went
to that spot, O monarch, where Rushangu had, in former days, cast off his
body. Rushangu, O Bharata, was an old Brahmana, who was always devoted to
ascetic penances. Resolved to cast off his body, he reflected for a long
while. Endued with great ascetic merit, he then summoned all his sons and
told them to take him to a spot where water was abundant. Those ascetics,
knowing their sire had become very old, took that ascetic to a tirtha on
the Sarasvati. Brought by his sons to the sacred Sarasvati containing
hundreds of tirthas and on whose banks dwelt Rishis unconnected with the
world, that intelligent ascetic of austere penance bathed in that tirtha
according to due rites, and that foremost of Rishis conversant with the
merits of tirthas, then cheerfully said, O tiger among men, unto all his
sons, who were dutifully waiting upo