Shloka 87
Dhaumya’s Enumeration of Eastern Tīrthas
Prācī-diś Tīrtha-kathana
तत्र हंसप्रपतनं तीर्थ त्रैलोक्यविश्रुतम् । दशाश्वमेधिकं चैव गज्जायां कुरुनन्दन,कुरुनन्दन! वहीं त्रिलोकविख्यात हंसप्रपतन नामक तीर्थ है और गंगाके तटपर दशाश्वमेधिक तीर्थ है
tatra haṃsaprapatanaṃ tīrthaṃ trailokyaviśrutam | daśāśvamedhikaṃ caiva gaṅgāyāṃ kurunandana ||
Pulastya said: “There is the sacred ford called Haṃsaprapatana, renowned throughout the three worlds. And on the bank of the Gaṅgā, O joy of the Kurus, there is also the holy place known as Daśāśvamedhika.”
पुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s ethic of tīrtha-yātrā: certain places are revered across the world as supports for dharma, remembrance, and purification. By naming famed tīrthas, the text situates spiritual practice within sacred geography and inherited tradition.
Pulastya is guiding the Kuru prince through a catalogue of pilgrimage sites, identifying two renowned tīrthas—Haṃsaprapatana and Daśāśvamedhika—specifying that the latter lies on the Gaṅgā’s bank.