Saptasārasvata-tīrtha-prasaṅgaḥ | The Saptasārasvata Pilgrimage Account and the Maṅkaṇaka Narrative
आपपलुत्य तत्र तीर्थेषु यथोक्तं तत्र चर्षिभि: | कृत्वोपवासनियमं दत्त्वा दानानि सर्वश:
āpaplutya tatra tīrtheṣu yathoktaṃ tatra carṣibhiḥ | kṛtvopavāsaniyamaṃ dattvā dānāni sarvaśaḥ ||
Having bathed there at the sacred fords (tīrthas) exactly as the sages had prescribed, they undertook the discipline of fasting and, in every way, bestowed gifts in charity. The passage sets forth the ethical order of pilgrimage: purification by bathing, self-restraint through vows, and the completion of merit through generous giving.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse presents a dharmic sequence for sacred travel: follow the guidance of the wise, purify oneself through ritual bathing, cultivate self-control through fasting and observances, and complete the practice through generous charity.
The narrator describes people (implied participants in a pilgrimage or rite) bathing at various tīrthas as instructed by resident sages, then observing a fast/vow and distributing gifts widely.