Shloka 16
Saptasārasvata-tīrtha-prasaṅgaḥ | The Saptasārasvata Pilgrimage Account and the Maṅkaṇaka Narrative
सरस्वत्या: शुभे तीर्थे विदिता वै महात्मना । तस्य नाम्ना च तत् तीर्थ गर्गस्रोत इति स्मृतम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
sarasvatyāḥ śubhe tīrthe viditā vai mahātmanā |
tasya nāmnā ca tat tīrtha gargasrota iti smṛtam, janamejaya ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O Janamejaya, at a sacred ford of the Sarasvatī, the great sage came to know many hidden matters. And that holy place came to be remembered by his very name as ‘Gargasrota,’ the Stream (or Current) of Garga.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a Mahābhārata ideal: sacred knowledge is linked to purity and tapas, and a tīrtha gains enduring sanctity and identity through the realized insight of a great sage—hence the place is remembered by his name.
Vaiśampāyana continues describing holy places connected with the Sarasvatī. He tells Janamejaya that at an auspicious Sarasvatī tīrtha a great sage attained knowledge, and the site became known traditionally as “Gargasrota,” named after him.