युधिष्ठिरस्य अर्जुनप्रेषण-युक्तिवर्णनम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rationale for Sending Arjuna and Request to Dhaumya
मार्कण्डेयस्य राजेन्द्र तीर्थमासाद्य दुर्लभम्
mārkaṇḍeyasya rājendra tīrtham āsādya durlabham | rājendra gomatyāḥ gaṅgāyāś ca lokavikhyāta-saṅgamasya samīpe mārkaṇḍeyajī-kṛtaṃ durlabhaṃ tīrtham asti | tatra gatvā manuṣyo 'gniṣṭoma-yajñasya phalaṃ prāpnoti sva-kulasya ca uddhāraṃ karoti |
হে রাজেন্দ্র! গোমতী ও গঙ্গার লোকবিখ্যাত সঙ্গমের নিকটে মার্কণ্ডেয় ঋষির এক দুর্লভ তীর্থ আছে। সেখানে গেলে মানুষ অগ্নিষ্টোম যজ্ঞের ফল লাভ করে এবং নিজের কুলের উদ্ধারের কারণ হয়।
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Pilgrimage to a sanctified place connected with a great ṛṣi is presented as a dharmic act whose merit can equal major Vedic sacrifices, and that merit is understood to benefit not only the individual but also one’s family line.
A speaker named Ghūlastya is guiding the king through a catalogue of sacred places, pointing out a rare tīrtha of Mārkaṇḍeya located near the celebrated confluence of the Gomati and Gaṅgā, and describing the spiritual rewards of visiting it.