Shloka 79
Matsya Purana — Glory of Tīrtha-Śrāddha: Best Times
सत्यं तीर्थं दया तीर्थं तीर्थमिन्द्रियनिग्रहः वर्णाश्रमाणां गेहे ऽपि तीर्थं तु समुदाहृतम् //
satyaṃ tīrthaṃ dayā tīrthaṃ tīrthamindriyanigrahaḥ varṇāśramāṇāṃ gehe 'pi tīrthaṃ tu samudāhṛtam //
Truth is a sacred tīrtha; compassion is a sacred tīrtha; and restraint of the senses is itself a sacred tīrtha. Even within the home of those established in the duties of varṇa and āśrama, a true place of pilgrimage is declared to exist.
FAQs
It does not describe pralaya directly; instead, it reframes “tīrtha” as inner virtues—truth, compassion, and sense-control—suggesting spiritual purification is not dependent on cosmic events or external locations.
It teaches that a ruler or householder can attain the merit of pilgrimage through ethical governance and disciplined living—speaking truth, practicing compassion, and mastering the senses—so dharma is fulfilled even while remaining at home and performing varṇāśrama duties.
No Vāstu or temple-building rule is stated; the ritual takeaway is that the ‘tīrtha’ principle is internalized—daily conduct (satya, dayā, indriya-nigraha) functions as a continual rite of purification even without travel to external shrines.