Shloka 42
Adhyāya 262: Śabda-brahman, Para-brahman, and the Ethics of Tyāga
Kapila–Syūmaraśmi Saṃvāda
पुरोडाशो हि सर्वेषां पशूनां मेध्य उच्यते । सर्वा नद्य: सरस्वत्य: सर्वे पुण्या: शिलोच्चया:,यज्ञविहित समस्त पशुओंके दुग्ध आदिसे निर्मित पुरोडाशको ही पवित्र बताया जाता है। सारी नदियाँ ही सरस्वतीका रूप हैं और समस्त पर्वत ही पुण्यमय प्रदेश हैं
puroḍāśo hi sarveṣāṁ paśūnāṁ medhya ucyate | sarvā nadyaḥ sarasvatyaḥ sarve puṇyāḥ śilocchayāḥ ||
Tulādhāra said: “The sacrificial cake (puroḍāśa), prepared as enjoined for offerings drawn from the produce of all creatures, is declared to be purifying. In the same spirit, all rivers are to be regarded as forms of Sarasvatī, and all mountains as sacred heights. Thus holiness is widened: purity is not confined to one exclusive substance or one privileged place, but is recognized wherever reverence and right conduct, as ordained, are present.”
तुलाधार उवाच
Educational Q&A
Holiness and purification are not restricted to a single exclusive object or location. The verse affirms a broad, inclusive vision: the properly enjoined offering is purifying, and sacredness can be recognized widely—every river as Sarasvatī and every mountain as a holy height—encouraging reverence and ethical regard beyond narrow ritual boundaries.
In the Śānti Parva’s discourse, Tulādhāra is instructing his interlocutor on dharma by reframing ritual and sacred space. He cites the purifying status of the puroḍāśa and then expands the idea of sanctity to all rivers and mountains, steering the discussion toward a more universal understanding of purity and sacredness.