Shloka 78
युधिष्ठिरस्य अर्जुनप्रेषण-युक्तिवर्णनम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rationale for Sending Arjuna and Request to Dhaumya
ततो वाराणसी गत्वा अर्चयित्वा वृषध्वजम् । कपिलाहवदे नर: स्नात्वा राजसूयमवाप्रुयात्
tato vārāṇasīṃ gatvā arcayitvā vṛṣadhvajam | kapilāhrade naraḥ snātvā rājasūyam avāpnuyāt ||
Then, having gone to Vārāṇasī, one should worship Lord Śiva, the bearer of the bull as his emblem. After bathing in the Kapilā lake there, a person is said to attain the merit equivalent to performing the Rājasūya sacrifice.
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes that devotion to Śiva and disciplined tīrtha-practice (worship and sacred bathing) can yield exalted merit comparable to grand royal sacrifices, highlighting accessible paths of dharma through faith and purity.
The speaker describes a specific pilgrimage sequence: go to Vārāṇasī, worship Śiva (Vṛṣadhvaja), and bathe in Kapilā-hrada; the promised result is the merit of the Rājasūya sacrifice.