Shloka 87
Tīrtha-yātrā: Phalaśruti and Sacred Geography from Lohitya to Prayāga
Pulastya’s Instruction
तपश्चरन्ति विपुलं बहु वर्षमहस्रकम् । दृषद्व॒त्यां नर: स्नात्वा तर्पयित्वा च देवता:
tapaś caranti vipulaṃ bahu varṣa-sahasrakam | dṛṣadvatyāṃ naraḥ snātvā tarpayitvā ca devatāḥ ||
Dijo Ghūlastya: «Los hombres practican austeridades copiosas durante muchos miles de años. Sin embargo, quien se baña en el Dṛṣadvatī y ofrece las debidas libaciones a los dioses obtiene el mérito purificador que busca esa larga penitencia».
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts prolonged tapas with the concentrated spiritual efficacy of tīrtha-bathing and proper offerings to the gods, implying that disciplined ritual action performed in a sanctified context can powerfully support dharma and purification.
Ghūlastya is describing the religious potency of the Dṛṣadvatī: a person who bathes there and performs tarpaṇa to the deities attains significant merit, comparable in intent to what long austerities aim to achieve.