Shloka 14
Udīcī-diśi Tīrtha-kīrtana
Northern Sacred Places Enumeration
कुमार्य: कथिता: पुण्या: पाण्ड्येष्वेव नरर्षभ । ताम्रपर्णी तु कौन्तेय कीर्तयिष्यामि तां शुणु,कुन्तीनन्दन! उसी क्षेत्रमें अशोकतीर्थ है, जहाँ महर्षियोंके बहुत-से आश्रम हैं। युधिष्ठिर! पाण्ड्यदेशमें अगस्त्यतीर्थ और वारुणतीर्थ है। नरश्रेष्ठ। पाण्ड्यदेशके भीतर पवित्र कुमारी कन्याएँ (कन्याकुमारी तीर्थ) कही गयी हैं। कुन्तीकुमार! अब मैं तुमसे ताम्रपर्णी नदीकी महिमाका वर्णन करूँगा, सुनो
kumāryaḥ kathitāḥ puṇyāḥ pāṇḍyeṣv eva nararṣabha | tāmraparṇī tu kaunteya kīrtayiṣyāmi tāṃ śṛṇu ||
Dhaumya said: “O bull among men, within the Pāṇḍya land they speak of the holy ‘Kumārīs’—the sacred region of the Maiden. And now, O son of Kuntī, I shall proclaim to you the greatness of the Tāmraparṇī; listen.”
धौम्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames sacred geography as a vehicle of dharma: places and rivers are called ‘puṇya’ because remembering and hearing about them cultivates reverence, self-restraint, and merit. The ethical emphasis is on attentive listening to righteous instruction and honoring sanctified traditions.
Dhaumya continues a pilgrimage-style narration to the Pāṇḍavas, identifying holy sites in the Pāṇḍya region—especially the ‘Kumārīs’—and announces that he will next describe the greatness of the river Tāmraparṇī, urging the listener to pay attention.