Shloka 28
Avanti–Narmadā–Puṣkara Tīrtha-Kathana (धौम्यकथितं तीर्थवर्णनम्)
प्राच्यां देशि महाराज कीर्तितानि मया तव । तिसृष्वन्यानि पुण्यानि दिक्षु तीर्थानि मे शृणु । सरितः: पर्वतांश्चैव पुण्यान्यायतनानि च,“महाराज! पूर्वदिशामें जो बहुत-से तीर्थ, नदियाँ, पर्वत और पुण्य मन्दिर आदि हैं, उनका मैंने तुमसे (संक्षेपमें) वर्णन किया है। अब शेष तीन दिशाओंके सरिताओं, पर्वतों और पुण्यस्थानोंका वर्णन करता हूँ, सुनो"
vaiśampāyana uvāca | prācyāṃ deśi mahārāja kīrtitāni mayā tava | tisṛṣv anyāni puṇyāni dikṣu tīrthāni me śṛṇu | saritaḥ parvatāṃś caiva puṇyāny āyatanāni ca ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O great king, I have already recounted to you the sacred fords, rivers, mountains, and holy shrines of the eastern quarter. Now listen as I describe the other meritorious tīrthas in the remaining three directions—together with their rivers, mountains, and sanctified abodes.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the dharmic value of tīrtha—sacred places associated with rivers, mountains, and shrines—presenting them as sources of puṇya (merit) and as a structured way to contemplate sacred geography across all directions.
Vaiśampāyana, narrating to King Janamejaya, concludes a brief account of the eastern quarter’s holy sites and transitions to describing the tīrthas of the remaining three directions, listing them by rivers, mountains, and sanctified abodes.