Shloka 12
तीर्थयात्रा: सागरतीर्थ-शूर्पारक-प्रभासगमनम्
Pilgrimage to Sea Tīrthas, Śūrpāraka, and Prabhāsa
भवस्य चन्द्रस्य दिवाकरस्य पतेरपां साध्यगणस्य चैव । धातु: पितृणां च तथा महात्मा रुद्रस्य राजन् सगणस्य चैव,राजन! तत्पश्चात् उन महात्मा नरेशने वसु, मरुठ्वण, अश्विनीकुमार, यम, आदित्य, कुबेर, इन्द्र, विष्णु, भगवान् सविता, शिव, चन्द्रमा, सूर्य, वरुण, साध्यगण, धाता, पितृगण, अपने गणोंसहित रुद्र, सरस्वती, सिद्धसमुदाय तथा अन्य पुण्यमय देवताओंके परम पवित्र और मनोहर मन्दिरोंके दर्शन किये
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
bhavasya candrasya divākarasya pater apāṃ sādhyagaṇasya caiva |
dhātur pitṝṇāṃ ca tathā mahātmā rudrasya rājan sagaṇasya caiva ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O king, he beheld the sacred shrines of Bhava (Śiva), of the Moon, of the Sun, of Varuṇa the lord of waters, and of the host of Sādhyas; also of Dhātṛ and of the Pitṛs (the Ancestors); and likewise of the great-souled Rudra together with his attendant hosts.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic kingship expressed through humility and devotion: a ruler strengthens ethical orientation by honoring multiple cosmic powers (sun, moon, waters, ancestral line) and seeking purification through sacred visitation (darśana), rather than relying only on force or pride.
Vaiśampāyana narrates a sequence of holy visits in which the king beholds the sanctuaries associated with major deities—Śiva (Bhava/Rudra) with his gaṇas, the Sun and Moon, Varuṇa, the Sādhyas, Dhātṛ, and the Pitṛs—framing the journey as a reverent pilgrimage through divine abodes.