Shloka 39
दुष्करं पुष्करे गन्तुं दुष्करं पुष्करे तप: । दुष्करं पुष्करे दानं वस्तुं चैव सुदुष्करम्,पुष्करमें जाना अत्यन्त दुर्लभ है, पुष्करमें तप अत्यन्त दुर्लभ है, पुष्करमें दान देनेका सुयोग तो और भी दुर्लभ है और उसमें निवासका सौभाग्य तो अत्यन्त ही दुष्कर है
duṣkaraṃ puṣkare gantuṃ duṣkaraṃ puṣkare tapaḥ | duṣkaraṃ puṣkare dānaṃ vastuṃ caiva suduṣkaram ||
Ghūlastya said: “Hard it is to reach Puṣkara; hard it is to practice austerity (tapas) at Puṣkara. Hard it is to give gifts (dāna) at Puṣkara, and harder still—indeed exceedingly hard—is the good fortune of dwelling there.”
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sacred opportunities are rare: reaching a holy tīrtha, performing tapas, giving dāna, and especially maintaining a disciplined life there are all difficult to obtain. The verse highlights that spiritual merit depends not merely on a place’s fame but on the rarity and sincerity of sustained righteous action.
A speaker (Ghūlastya) praises Puṣkara by stressing how difficult it is to go there and to carry out key dharmic practices—tapas, dāna, and residence—at that tīrtha. The remark functions as a eulogy of the place and an exhortation toward disciplined pilgrimage conduct.