Shloka 78
Description of the Pilgrimage to the Sacred Tīrthas
Kurukṣetra-yātrā-krama
तत्र नद्यां दृषद्वत्यां नरः स्नात्वा विधानतः । देवान्पितॄंस्तर्पयित्वा ह्यग्निष्टोमातिरात्रभाक् ॥ ७८ ॥
tatra nadyāṃ dṛṣadvatyāṃ naraḥ snātvā vidhānataḥ | devānpitṝṃstarpayitvā hyagniṣṭomātirātrabhāk || 78 ||
There, in the river Dṛṣadvatī, a man who bathes according to the prescribed rites and then offers tarpaṇa (oblations of water) to the gods and the ancestral fathers, indeed attains the merit of the Agniṣṭoma and Atirātra Soma-sacrifices.
Suta (narrating Narada Purana teachings; tirtha-mahatmya section)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It elevates tīrtha-snāna and tarpaṇa as powerful dharmic acts: a properly performed bath in Dṛṣadvatī followed by offerings to Devas and Pitṛs yields Soma-yajña-level merit, showing how sacred places can condense great ritual fruit into accessible practice.
While primarily ritual-focused, it supports bhakti-infused dharma by directing the devotee to honor divine beings and ancestors with reverence; such श्रद्धा (faith) in prescribed worship at a tīrtha is treated as spiritually efficacious.
Kalpa (ritual procedure) is implied through “vidhānataḥ” and the specific act of tarpaṇa; the verse also references Śrauta-sacrifice categories (Agniṣṭoma, Atirātra), linking tīrtha practice to Vedic sacrificial theory.