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For them life with Pundalik was worse than the privations they would suffer on the long journey. Some time later Pundalik decided to go to the yatra himself. He hired two excellent horses for himself and his wife. They embarked on the long journey and quickly traversed the distance his parents were straggling on foot. His enthusiasm and hurry, however, were such that he missed the route and as dusk was nearing decided to take refuge in a nearby building that looked like an ashram. He went there to enquire and found out that it was an ashram and belonged to a famous rishi by name Kukkut. Kukkut hospitably welcomed the couple and invited them to stay with him as long as they chose. Pundalik asked him directions for reaching Varanashi. The sage told him he did not know the way nor had he ever been there. The guest was quick to ridicule the kind host for not having gone to Kashi which was so close by. But the latter held his peace. The matter rested there and everybody went to sleep. Pundalik however, was disturbed from his sleep around midnight and thought he heard some female voices. He came out to investigate and saw three ladies sprinkling water in the courtyard of the ashram. The looked ghastly and pale. But he noticed that a change was overcoming them and when they had finally finished cleaning the courtyard they were looking like some divine beings, fresh and beautiful. This phenomenon confounded the young Pundalik but he had enough wits left to rush forth and enquire. They revealed that the three of them were Ganga, Yamuna and Sarasvati and used to come to Kukkut's ashram every morning to repurify themselves.
And although Pundalik was a sinful soul, he now stood absolved of his sins because of his having met them. The curiosity of Pundalik grew and he asked them about the secret of Kukkut's power. 'He had served and nursed his parents most faithfully and devoted all his life to that one aim, He had thus accumulated vast Punya.' Pundalik saw the light and hastened back to his parents. He put them on horseback, took them to Kashi showed them round the tirth and brought them back most respectably. Henceforth, the care of his old mother and father came before everything else-even before god, as events were to prove.
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