Shloka 126
Account of Various Sacred Tīrthas
Pilgrimage Merits and Prayāga Supremacy
मयोक्तामृषयः सर्वे तीर्थयात्राश्रयां कथाम् । यः पठेच्छृणुयाद्वापि स मुक्तः सर्वपातकैः
mayoktāmṛṣayaḥ sarve tīrthayātrāśrayāṃ kathām | yaḥ paṭhecchṛṇuyādvāpi sa muktaḥ sarvapātakaiḥ
O ihr Weisen, wer diese von mir vorgetragene Erzählung, die auf der Pilgerfahrt zu den heiligen Tīrthas beruht, liest oder auch nur hört, wird von allen Sünden befreit.
Unspecified narrator (context-dependent within Svarga-khaṇḍa’s dialogue frame)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: tirtha
Sandhi Resolution Notes: मयोक्तामृषयः → मया + उक्ताम् + ऋषयः; पठेच्छृणुयाद्वापि → पठेत् + शृणुयात् + वा + अपि (त् + श् → च्छ् सन्धि); सर्वपातकैः treated as instrumental expressing separation (ablatival sense).
FAQs
It praises engagement with the tīrtha-yātrā narrative itself: reading (pāṭha) or hearing (śravaṇa) the account is said to confer sin-destroying merit, even apart from physically traveling.
By emphasizing śravaṇa (hearing) and pāṭha (recitation/reading) as spiritually transformative, it aligns with Bhakti and Purāṇic devotion where sacred listening is treated as a direct means to purification.
The verse teaches that sincere contact with sacred teaching—through attentive listening or reading—purifies conduct and intention, encouraging regular study and reverent reception of dharmic narratives.