Shloka 4
Agastya–Lopāmudrā: Marriage, Austerity, and Conditions for Conjugal Union (लोमशकथितम्)
बाहुदायां महीपाल चक्र: सर्वेडभिषेचनम् । प्रयागे देवयजने देवानां पृथिवीपते,भारत! भूपाल! वहाँ देवताओं, पितरों तथा ब्राह्मणोंको बार-बार तृप्त करके कन््यातीर्थ, अश्वतीर्थ, गोतीर्थ, कालकोटि तथा वृषप्रस्थगिरिमें निवास करते हुए उन सब पाण्डवोंने बाहुदा नदीमें स्नान किया। पृथ्वीपते! तदनन्तर उन्होंने देवताओंकी यज्ञभूमि प्रयागमें पहुँचकर वहाँ गंगा-यमुनाके संगममें स्नान किया। सत्यप्रतिज्ञ पाण्डव वहाँ स्नान करके कुछ दिनोंतक उत्तम तपस्यामें लगे रहे
Vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca: Bāhudāyāṃ mahīpāla cakruḥ sarve ’bhiṣecanam | Prayāge devayajane devānāṃ pṛthivīpate, Bhārata! bhūpāla! tatra devatān pitṝn brāhmaṇāṃś ca punaḥ punaḥ tṛptvā Kanyātīrtham Aśvatīrtham Gotīrtham Kālakōṭiṃ ca Vṛṣaprasthagiriṃ ca nivasantaḥ te sarve Pāṇḍavā Bāhudānadīṃ snātvā | pṛthivīpate! tadanantaram te devānāṃ yajñabhūmiṃ Prayāgaṃ gatvā tatra Gaṅgā-Yamunayōḥ saṅgame snātvā satyapratijñāḥ Pāṇḍavāḥ snātvā ca katipayāni dināni śreṣṭhe tapasi sthitāḥ |
Dijo Vaiśaṃpāyana: Oh rey, todos los Pāṇḍavas realizaron el baño ritual en el río Bāhudā. Luego, oh señor de la tierra —oh Bhārata—, tras satisfacer repetidas veces a los dioses, a los antepasados y a los brahmanes, permanecieron en Kanyātīrtha, Aśvatīrtha, Gotīrtha, Kālakōṭi y en la colina llamada Vṛṣaprastha, y se bañaron en la Bāhudā. Después, oh rey, fueron a Prayāga, el recinto sacrificial de los dioses, y se bañaron en la confluencia del Gaṅgā y el Yamunā. Fieles a sus votos, tras bañarse allí permanecieron algunos días entregados a una austeridad excelente.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights dharma through tīrtha-yātrā: purification by sacred bathing, honoring gods and ancestors, and supporting brāhmaṇas through repeated acts of giving and hospitality. It also emphasizes satyapratijñā—steadfastness to vows—shown by the Pāṇḍavas’ disciplined tapas after completing the rites.
During their forest period, the Pāṇḍavas move through a sequence of pilgrimage sites. They bathe in the Bāhudā river, visit several named tīrthas, then proceed to Prayāga and bathe at the Gaṅgā–Yamunā confluence, after which they remain for some days practicing austerities.