Shloka 19
अग्निष्टोमादिभिय्यजैरिष्टवा विपुलदक्षिणै: । न तत् फलमवाप्रोति तीर्थाभिगमनेन यत्,मनुष्य तीर्थयात्रासे जिस फलको पाता है, उसे प्रचुर दक्षिणावाले अग्निष्टोम आदि यज्ञोंद्वारा यजन करके भी नहीं पा सकता
agniṣṭomādibhir yajñair iṣṭvā vipuladakṣiṇaiḥ | na tat phalam avāpnoti tīrthābhigamanena yat, manuṣya |
Ghūlastya said: “Even after performing Agniṣṭoma and other sacrifices, lavishly endowed with abundant priestly fees, one does not obtain that fruit which is gained by going to the sacred fords (tīrthas).”
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the spiritual merit gained through tīrtha-yātrā (pilgrimage to sacred places) can exceed the merit of even expensive Vedic sacrifices such as the Agniṣṭoma, emphasizing accessible, dharmic practice over purely costly ritual performance.
In the tīrtha-related discourse of Vana Parva, the speaker Ghūlastya praises the power of visiting sacred places, contrasting it with grand sacrificial rites to highlight the exceptional fruit of pilgrimage.