Shloka 1736
Dhaumya’s Enumeration of Eastern Tīrthas
Prācī-diś Tīrtha-kathana
तत्र स्नात्वा कुरुश्रेष्ठ गोसहस्रफलं लभेत् | कुरुश्रेष्ठ कुरुनन्दन! वहीं मतंगका केदार है, उसमें स्नान करनेसे मनुष्यको सहस्र गोदानका फल मिलता है
tatra snātvā kuruśreṣṭha gosahasraphalaṁ labhet | kuruśreṣṭha kurunandana! tatra mataṅgakā kedāraḥ, tasmin snānena manuṣyo sahasra-godānasya phalaṁ labhate |
Pulastya said: “O best of the Kurus, if one bathes there, one gains the merit equal to a thousand gifts of cows. O foremost Kuru, delight of the Kuru line—there is the sacred field (kedāra) of Mataṅgakā; by bathing in it a person attains the fruit of a thousand cow-donations.”
पुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the dharmic idea that sincere ritual purification at a recognized tīrtha can yield great spiritual merit, comparable to major acts of charity such as donating a thousand cows—linking inner purification with the ethical economy of puṇya.
Pulastya is guiding the Kuru prince during the tīrtha-yātrā account in Vana Parva, pointing out the Mataṅgakā-kedāra and declaring the specific merit obtained by bathing there.