Chapter 19 — Greatness of Audumbar; Ganganuj's Poverty Wiped Off

Literal. Why the Audumbar? The chapter explains: when Vishnu took Narasinha avatar to kill Hiranyakashyapu, his nails became poisonous; Lakshmi cooled them with Audumbar fruits, and Lakshmi blessed the tree to be a Kalpataru in Kaliyug. 64 yoginis come daily to Shri Guru, taking him through a parted-river passage to a precious-stone palace under the water. Ganganuj, a farmer, follows and witnesses the underwater audience; Shri Guru permits him to remain on condition of secrecy. Ganganuj finds a treasure in his field. Later, on Magh Poornima, Shri Guru takes Ganganuj on a tiger-skin and they instantaneously visit Prayag (morning bath), Kashi (midday darshan), Gaya (afternoon), and return by evening.

Symbolic. Audumbar as universal Kalpataru in Kaliyug — the tree that fulfills wishes when more elaborate ritual machinery has decayed. The 64 yoginis suggest a parallel ritual system operating beneath the visible one. The pilgrimage-on-tiger-skin is the cleanest single example in the book of spatial compression of pilgrimage by yogic transport.

Structural. 64 yoginis; 8 holy places in the neighborhood named (Shukla Tirth, Papvinashi, Kanyatirth, Siddha Varad, Prayag Tirth, Shakti Tirth, Amar Tirth, Koti Tirth); pilgrimage cost: 1 lakh rounds of the tree wipes off leprosy.