Tīrtha-yātrā: Phalaśruti and Sacred Geography from Lohitya to Prayāga
Pulastya’s Instruction
गीत॑ सनत्कुमारेण व्यासेन च महात्मना | एवं स नियतं राजन्नभिगच्छेत् पृथूदकम्,यह बात भगवान् सनत्कुमार तथा महात्मा व्यासने कही है। राजन्! इस प्रकार तीर्थयात्री नियमपूर्वक पृथूदकतीर्थकी यात्रा करे
gītaṁ sanatkumāreṇa vyāsena ca mahātmanā | evaṁ sa niyataṁ rājann abhigacchet pṛthūdakam ||
This instruction, O King, has been sung and affirmed by Bhagavān Sanatkumāra and by the great-souled Vyāsa. Therefore, a pilgrim who is disciplined and observant of vows should proceed in the prescribed manner to the sacred ford of Pṛthūdaka.
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Pilgrimage is not merely travel to a holy place; it must be undertaken with niyama—regulated conduct, restraint, and observance of vows—so that the visit to the tīrtha becomes spiritually and ethically transformative.
The speaker addresses a king and cites the authority of Sanatkumāra and Vyāsa, stating that their teaching directs a disciplined pilgrim to proceed properly to the tīrtha called Pṛthūdaka.