Shloka 16
Anuśāsana-parva Adhyāya 112: Dharma as the sole companion; karmic witnesses; rebirth sequences
Bṛhaspati–Yudhiṣṭhira Saṃvāda
शरीरस्य यथोद्देशा: शुचय: परिकीर्तिता: । तथा पृथिव्या भागाश्च पुण्यानि सलिलानि च
śarīrasya yathoddeśāḥ śucayaḥ parikīrtitāḥ | tathā pṛthivyā bhāgāś ca puṇyāni salilāni ca ||
قال بهيشما: «كما تُعلَنُ تقليديًّا مواضعُ مخصوصةٌ من جسد الإنسان طاهرةً مُطهِّرة، كذلك تُعَدُّ أقاليمُ شتّى من الأرض تيِرثا (tīrtha) مقدّسة؛ ومياهُها مانحةٌ للثواب.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches an analogy: purity is not only a bodily concept (certain bodily spots being deemed sanctifying) but also a geographical one—specific places on earth function as tīrthas, and their waters are held to generate puṇya and aid purification.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma continues his discourse by explaining the sanctity of pilgrimage sites and sacred waters, framing them through a familiar comparison with the traditionally ‘pure’ regions of the human body.