Shloka 873
युधिष्ठिरस्य अर्जुनप्रेषण-युक्तिवर्णनम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rationale for Sending Arjuna and Request to Dhaumya
सर्वपापविशुद्धात्मा सोमलोकं व्रजेद् ध्रुवम् राजेन्द्र! वहाँसे लोकविख्यात धेनुतीर्थमें जाय। महाराज! वहाँ एक रात रहकर तिलकी गौका दान करे।- इससे तीर्थयात्री पुरुष सब पापोंसे शुद्धचित्त हो निश्चय ही सोमलोकमें जाता है
sarvapāpa-viśuddhātmā somalokaṁ vrajed dhruvam | rājendra! tataḥ lokavikhyāta-dhenutīrthaṁ gacchet | mahārāja! tatra ekarātraṁ uṣitvā tilakī-gāṁ dānaṁ kuryāt | etena tīrthayātrī puruṣaḥ sarvapāpebhyaḥ śuddhacittaḥ san niścayaṁ somalokaṁ gacchati |
Ghūlastya said: “O best of kings, a person whose inner self has been purified of all sins surely attains the world of Soma. From there, let him go to the renowned sacred ford called Dhenutīrtha. O great king, having stayed there for a single night, he should give in charity a cow marked with sesame. By this observance, the pilgrim becomes pure-minded, cleansed of all wrongdoing, and certainly reaches Soma’s heavenly realm.”
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that ethical purification is supported by disciplined pilgrimage and charitable giving: staying at a sacred place (tīrtha) and donating a cow (dāna) are presented as concrete acts that cleanse wrongdoing and lead to a higher spiritual destiny (Somaloka).
A sage-like speaker (Ghūlastya) instructs a king about a specific pilgrimage sequence: go to the famed Dhenutīrtha, observe a one-night stay, and perform a prescribed cow-gift associated with sesame; the result is declared to be purification and attainment of Soma’s realm.