Shloka 20
Tīrtha-yātrā: Prayāga-saṅgama and Gayaśiras—Rājarṣi Gaya’s Mahāyajña
ऋषय ऊचु: युधिष्ठिर यमौ भीम मनसा कुरुतार्जवम् | मनसा कृतशौचा वै शुद्धास्तीर्थानि यास्यथ,ऋषियोंने कहा--युधिष्ठिर! भीमसेन! नकुल! और सहदेव! तुमलोग तीथ्थोंके प्रति मनसे श्रद्धापूर्वक सरलभाव रखो। मनसे शुद्धिका सम्पादन करके शुद्धचित्त होकर तीथोॉमें जाओ
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ—yudhiṣṭhira yamau bhīma manasā kurutārjavam | manasā kṛtaśaucā vai śuddhāstīrthāni yāsyatha ||
The sages said: “O Yudhiṣṭhira, O Bhīma, and you twin brothers—keep your minds straightforward and sincere, with reverent intent toward the sacred tīrthas. Having purified yourselves inwardly through mental discipline, go to the tīrthas with a cleansed heart.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Pilgrimage is ethically meaningful only when grounded in inner purification: cultivate ārjava (straightforward sincerity) and mental śauca (inner cleanliness). The verse prioritizes the mind’s purity over mere outward travel to sacred places.
Sages address the Pāṇḍavas—Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīma, and the twins Nakula and Sahadeva—advising them on the proper inner attitude for visiting tīrthas: go with sincere, purified minds rather than treating pilgrimage as a merely external act.