Shloka 4
बाहुदायां महीपाल चक्र: सर्वेडभिषेचनम् । प्रयागे देवयजने देवानां पृथिवीपते,भारत! भूपाल! वहाँ देवताओं, पितरों तथा ब्राह्मणोंको बार-बार तृप्त करके कन््यातीर्थ, अश्वतीर्थ, गोतीर्थ, कालकोटि तथा वृषप्रस्थगिरिमें निवास करते हुए उन सब पाण्डवोंने बाहुदा नदीमें स्नान किया। पृथ्वीपते! तदनन्तर उन्होंने देवताओंकी यज्ञभूमि प्रयागमें पहुँचकर वहाँ गंगा-यमुनाके संगममें स्नान किया। सत्यप्रतिज्ञ पाण्डव वहाँ स्नान करके कुछ दिनोंतक उत्तम तपस्यामें लगे रहे
Vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca: Bāhudāyāṃ mahīpāla cakruḥ sarve ’bhiṣecanam | Prayāge devayajane devānāṃ pṛthivīpate, Bhārata! bhūpāla! tatra devatān pitṝn brāhmaṇāṃś ca punaḥ punaḥ tṛptvā Kanyātīrtham Aśvatīrtham Gotīrtham Kālakōṭiṃ ca Vṛṣaprasthagiriṃ ca nivasantaḥ te sarve Pāṇḍavā Bāhudānadīṃ snātvā | pṛthivīpate! tadanantaram te devānāṃ yajñabhūmiṃ Prayāgaṃ gatvā tatra Gaṅgā-Yamunayōḥ saṅgame snātvā satyapratijñāḥ Pāṇḍavāḥ snātvā ca katipayāni dināni śreṣṭhe tapasi sthitāḥ |
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: O king, all the Pāṇḍavas performed their ritual bath in the river Bāhudā. Then, O lord of the earth—O Bhārata—having repeatedly satisfied the gods, the ancestors, and the brāhmaṇas, they stayed at sacred spots such as Kanyātīrtha, Aśvatīrtha, Gotīrtha, Kālakōṭi, and the hill called Vṛṣaprastha, and bathed in the Bāhudā. Thereafter, O king, they went to Prayāga, the sacrificial ground of the gods, and bathed at the confluence of the Gaṅgā and Yamunā. True to their vows, after bathing there they remained for some days engaged in excellent austerity.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights dharma through tīrtha-yātrā: purification by sacred bathing, honoring gods and ancestors, and supporting brāhmaṇas through repeated acts of giving and hospitality. It also emphasizes satyapratijñā—steadfastness to vows—shown by the Pāṇḍavas’ disciplined tapas after completing the rites.
During their forest period, the Pāṇḍavas move through a sequence of pilgrimage sites. They bathe in the Bāhudā river, visit several named tīrthas, then proceed to Prayāga and bathe at the Gaṅgā–Yamunā confluence, after which they remain for some days practicing austerities.