Shloka 39
Tīrtha-yātrā: Phalaśruti and Sacred Geography from Lohitya to Prayāga
Pulastya’s Instruction
एवं दत्त्वा वरान् राजन् रामस्य पितरस्तदा । आमन्त्र्य भार्गव प्रीत्या तत्रैवान्तरहितास्तत:,राजन! इस प्रकार वर देकर परशुरामजीके पितर प्रसन्नतापूर्वक उनसे अनुमति ले वहीं अन्तर्धान हो गये। इस प्रकार भृगुनन्दन महात्मा परशुरामके वे कुण्ड बड़े पुण्यमय माने गये हैं। राजन्! जो उत्तम व्रत एवं ब्रह्मचर्यका पालन करते हुए परशुरामजीके उन कुण्डोंके जलमें स्नान करके उनकी पूजा करता है, उसे प्रचुर सुवर्णराशिकी प्राप्ति होती है। कुरुश्रेष्ठ! तदनन्तर तीर्थसेवी मनुष्य वंशमूलकतीर्थमें जाय। राजन्! वंशमूलकमें स्नान करके मनुष्य अपने कुलका उद्धार कर देता है। भरतश्रेष्ठ!] कायशोधनतीर्थमें जाकर स्नान करनेसे शरीरकी शुद्धि होती है, इसमें संशय नहीं। शरीर शुद्ध होनेपर मनुष्य परम उत्तम कल्याणमय लोकोंमें जाता है
evaṁ dattvā varān rājan rāmasya pitaras tadā | āmantarya bhārgava prītyā tatraivāntarhitās tataḥ ||
O King, having thus granted boons, the forefathers of Rāma (Paraśurāma) then, with affectionate goodwill, took leave of the Bhārgava and vanished on that very spot. Therefore those sacred pools of the great Bhṛgu-descendant Paraśurāma are regarded as exceedingly meritorious. O King, one who observes excellent vows and brahmacarya, bathes in the water of those pools, and worships there, gains abundant stores of gold. O best of the Kurus, thereafter the pilgrim should go to the tīrtha called Vaṁśamūlaka; bathing at Vaṁśamūlaka a person uplifts and redeems his lineage. Going to the tīrtha called Kāyaśodhana and bathing there brings purification of the body without doubt; and when the body is purified, a person attains supremely auspicious worlds.
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Merit arises not merely from visiting sacred places but from disciplined conduct—vows and brahmacarya—combined with bathing and worship. The passage also links personal purity (kāya-śodhana) and ancestral responsibility (vaṁśa/kula-uddhāra) to dharmic practice.
After granting boons, Paraśurāma’s forefathers affectionately take leave and disappear. The speaker then praises Paraśurāma’s sacred pools and recommends a sequence of pilgrimage sites—first those pools, then Vaṁśamūlaka for uplifting one’s lineage, and Kāyaśodhana for bodily purification leading to auspicious worlds.