Shloka 12
Matsya Purana — Glory of Prayaga: The Fruit of the Anashaka Fast and the Merit of the Yamuna
*युधिष्ठिर उवाच स्नेहाद्वा द्रव्यलोभाद्वा ये तु कामवशं गताः कथं तीर्थफलं तेषां कथं पुण्यफलं भवेत् //
*yudhiṣṭhira uvāca snehādvā dravyalobhādvā ye tu kāmavaśaṃ gatāḥ kathaṃ tīrthaphalaṃ teṣāṃ kathaṃ puṇyaphalaṃ bhavet //
Yudhiṣṭhira said: Those who go to sacred places driven by attachment, or by greed for wealth, and who have fallen under the sway of desire—how can such people obtain the fruit of a pilgrimage? How can spiritual merit (puṇya) arise for them?
FAQs
This verse does not discuss pralaya; it focuses on dharma—specifically that the efficacy of pilgrimage depends on inner motivation rather than external travel.
It teaches ethical self-governance: a king or householder should pursue religious acts (like pilgrimage, charity, vows) with restraint and sincere intent, not from attachment, sensual desire, or profit-seeking, since motive determines merit.
No Vāstu or temple-architecture rule is stated here; the ritual takeaway is that tīrtha-yātrā (pilgrimage) yields true tīrtha-phala only when performed with purified intent rather than greed or desire.