Shloka 23
तत्राप्लुत्य ततो ब्रह्मा सह देवै: प्रभु: पुरा,ससर्ज तीर्थानि तथा देवतानां यथाविधि । पूर्वकालमें देवताओंसहित भगवान् ब्रह्माने वहाँ स्नान करके विधिपूर्वक देवतीर्थोंकी रचना की थी
tatrāplutya tato brahmā saha devaiḥ prabhuḥ purā | sasarja tīrthāni tathā devatānāṃ yathāvidhi ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Having bathed there, in ancient times the Lord Brahmā, together with the gods, duly established the sacred fords (tīrthas) and the divine bathing-places in accordance with prescribed rite—thereby sanctifying the spot through orderly, rule-governed consecration.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sacredness is not merely a matter of place but of dharmic order: even divine acts of consecration are performed yathāvidhi—according to prescribed rule—highlighting the Mahābhārata’s emphasis on disciplined, lawful practice as the basis of religious merit.
The narrator states that in ancient times Brahmā, accompanied by the gods, bathed at that location and then established the tīrthas—divine pilgrimage/bathing sites—through proper ritual procedure, explaining the origin and authority of the sacred spot being described.