Shloka 21
Kurukṣetra–Samantapañcaka Māhātmya: King Kuru’s Ploughing and Indra’s Boon (प्रजापतेरुत्तरवेदिः समन्तपञ्चकं)
सा निर्गताब्रवीद् भूयो यो5स्मिंस्तीर्थे समाहित: । वसते रजनीमेकां तर्पयित्वा दिवौकस:,यों कहकर वह वहाँसे चल दी। जाते-जाते उसने फिर कहा--'जो अपने चित्तको एकाग्र कर इस तीर्थमें स्नान और देवताओंका तर्पण करके एक रात निवास करेगा, उसे अद्बवावन वर्षोतक विधिपूर्वक ब्रह्मचर्य पालन करनेका फल प्राप्त होगा”
sā nirgatābravīd bhūyo yo 'smiṁs tīrthe samāhitaḥ | vasate rajanīm ekāṁ tarpayitvā divaukasaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: As she departed, she spoke again: “Whoever, with a collected mind, stays for a single night at this sacred ford, after performing the rites there and offering libations (tarpana) to the gods, gains the merit equivalent to observing disciplined brahmacarya in due form for fifty-two years.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A brief, sincere observance at a tīrtha—done with mental concentration and proper offerings—can yield great spiritual merit, emphasizing inner discipline (samādhāna) alongside ritual correctness.
As she leaves, she proclaims the special efficacy of that tīrtha: staying one night there after bathing/performing rites and offering tarpaṇa to the gods grants merit likened to long-term brahmacarya observance.