Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 55
The Nature of Knowledge, the Guru as Living Tīrtha, and the Law of Final Remembrance
एतत्ते सर्वमाख्यातं जंगमं तीर्थमुत्तमम् । वरं वरय भद्रं ते यत्ते मनसि वर्त्तते
etatte sarvamākhyātaṃ jaṃgamaṃ tīrthamuttamam | varaṃ varaya bhadraṃ te yatte manasi varttate
Thus I have told you all about this supreme movable tīrtha, the living sacred ford. Now choose a boon—blessings upon you—whatever abides in your mind.
Unspecified in the provided excerpt (context needed to confirm the dialogue pair, e.g., Pulastya→Bhīṣma or another narrator→listener)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: tirtha
Sandhi Resolution Notes: एतत्ते = एतत् + ते; सर्वमाख्यातम् = सर्वम् + आख्यातम्; तीर्थमुत्तमम् = तीर्थम् + उत्तमम्; यत्ते = यत् + ते
FAQs
It refers to sanctity embodied in a living being—typically a saintly person or realized devotee—whose presence functions like a pilgrimage site because they carry and transmit dharma and purity.
The boon-offer marks completion of instruction and acknowledges the listener’s merit; it also frames the teaching as spiritually efficacious, culminating in a gift or blessing.
It elevates reverence for virtue and wisdom over mere travel—suggesting that honoring and learning from the righteous is itself a higher form of pilgrimage.