Shloka 117
Dhaumya’s Enumeration of Eastern Tīrthas
Prācī-diś Tīrtha-kathana
नेता च त्वमृषीन् यस्मात् तेन तेडष्टगुणं फलम् । रक्षोगणविकीर्णानि तीर्थान्येितानि भारत । न गतानि मनुष्येन्द्रेस्त्वामृते कुरुमन्दन,तुम अपने साथ इन सब ऋषियोंको ले जाओगे, इसीलिये तुम्हें आठगुना पुण्यफल प्राप्त होगा। भरतकुल-भूषण कुरुनन्दन! इन सभी तीथ्थोमें राक्षसोंके समुदाय फैले हुए हैं। तुम्हारे सिवा, दूसरे नरेशोंने वहाँकी यात्रा नहीं की है
netā ca tvam ṛṣīn yasmāt tena te’ṣṭaguṇaṁ phalam | rakṣogaṇa-vikīrṇāni tīrthāny etāni bhārata | na gatāni manuṣyendrais tvām ṛte kuru-nandana ||
Nārada said: “Since you will be the leader guiding these sages, you will therefore gain merit eightfold. O Bhārata, these sacred fords are scattered with bands of rākṣasas. O delight of the Kurus, apart from you, other kings have not undertaken the journey to them.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Leadership undertaken for the sake of dharma—guiding and safeguarding holy people in perilous circumstances—multiplies spiritual merit. Greater responsibility, accepted selflessly, yields greater puṇya.
Nārada tells the Kuru prince that because he will lead the sages to various tīrthas that are infested by rākṣasas and avoided by other kings, he will receive eightfold merit for enabling and protecting their pilgrimage.