Shloka 48
Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
पितरश्न महाभागा: पूजयन्ति सम तं मुनिम् । उनका यह प्रश्न सुनकर सम्पूर्ण देवता, तपोधन ऋषि तथा महाभाग पितर विद्युत्प्रभ मुनिकी भूरि-भूरि प्रशंसा करने लगे ।।
pitaraś ca mahābhāgāḥ pūjayanti sma taṃ munim | śakra uvāca: kurukṣetraṃ gayāṃ caiva gaṅgāṃ prabhāsaṃ puṣkarāṇi ca |
Los bienaventurados Pitṛs (padres ancestrales) honraban con reverencia a aquel sabio. Al oír su pregunta, todos los dioses, los rishis ricos en el tesoro de la austeridad y los afortunados Pitṛs colmaron de alabanzas al muni, fulgurante como el relámpago. Entonces habló Śakra (Indra), nombrando célebres lugares sagrados: Kurukṣetra, Gayā, el Gaṅgā, Prabhāsa y Puṣkara.
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Honoring the worthy—especially sages—and remembering sacred tīrthas are presented as dharmic supports; reverence (pūjā) and sanctity (tīrtha-smaraṇa) reinforce ethical life and ancestral obligations.
The Pitṛs are shown venerating a sage; immediately after, Indra speaks and begins enumerating major holy places (Kurukṣetra, Gayā, Gaṅgā, Prabhāsa, Puṣkara), signaling a discussion centered on tīrthas and their religious-ethical significance.