Shloka 20
Avanti–Narmadā–Puṣkara Tīrtha-Kathana (धौम्यकथितं तीर्थवर्णनम्)
“जहाँ समस्त प्राणियोंके आत्मा भगवान् ब्रह्माजीने पहले ही यज्ञ किया था। भरतकुलभूषण! ब्रह्माजीके उस प्रकृष्टयागसे ही उस स्थानका नाम “प्रयाग” हो गया ।। अगस्त्यस्य तु राजेन्द्र तत्राश्रमवरो नृप । तत् तथा तापसारण्यं तापसैरुपशोभितम्,'राजेन्द्र! वहाँ महर्षि अगस्त्यका श्रेष्ठ आश्रम है। इसी प्रकार तापसारण्य तपस्वीजनोंसे सुशोभित है
vaiśampāyana uvāca | yatra samasta-prāṇinām ātmā bhagavān brahmā pūrvam eva yajñaṃ cakāra | bharata-kula-bhūṣaṇa! brahmaṇaḥ tasya prakṛṣṭa-yāgāt eva tasya sthānasya nāma “prayāga” iti jātaṃ || agastyasya tu rājendra tatra āśrama-varo nṛpa | tat tathā tāpasāraṇyaṃ tāpasair upaśobhitam ||
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: «En aquel lugar, el bienaventurado Brahmā—el Sí mismo interior de todos los seres—celebró antaño un sacrificio. ¡Oh ornamento de la estirpe de Bharata! Por ese excelso rito sacrificial de Brahmā, el sitio llegó a llamarse “Prayāga”. Y allí, oh rey, se halla el más eminente eremitorio del sabio Agastya; asimismo, aquel bosque de ascetas está engalanado por los practicantes de tapas.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sacred places are framed as embodiments of dharma: a site becomes holy through yajña (right ritual action) and through the presence of tapasvins (disciplined ascetics). The passage links cosmic order (Brahmā’s sacrifice) with ethical-spiritual cultivation (Agastya’s hermitage and the ascetic forest).
Vaiśampāyana identifies a revered location and explains its name: it is called Prayāga because Brahmā once performed an eminent sacrifice there. He then notes that the area also contains the distinguished hermitage of the sage Agastya and a forest inhabited and beautified by ascetics.