Shloka 163
Tīrtha-yātrā: Phalaśruti and Sacred Geography from Lohitya to Prayāga
Pulastya’s Instruction
यत्र योगेश्वर: स्थाणु: स्वयमेव वृषध्वज: । तमर्चयित्वा देवेशं गमनादेव सिध्यति,वहाँ योगेश्वर एवं वृषभध्वज स्वयं भगवान् शिव निवास करते हैं। उन देवेश्वरकी पूजा करके मनुष्य वहाँ जानेमात्रसे सिद्ध हो जाता है
yatra yogeśvaraḥ sthāṇuḥ svayameva vṛṣadhvajaḥ | tam arcayitvā deveśaṃ gamanādeva sidhyati ||
“There is a place where the Lord of Yoga—Sthāṇu, the Bull-bannered Śiva—dwells in person. Having worshipped that Lord of the gods, a person attains spiritual fulfillment merely by going there.”
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes tīrtha-yātrā and devotion: when a sacred place is understood as the living presence of Śiva, worship there yields swift spiritual ‘success’—suggesting that sincere reverence and purposeful pilgrimage can transform a person even through the simple act of reaching such a holy site.
A speaker (here indicated as Ghulastya) describes a holy place associated with Śiva, praising it as a site where Śiva dwells personally. The statement functions as tīrtha-māhātmya—encouraging worship and pilgrimage by declaring the extraordinary merit gained by visiting and honoring the deity there.