Shloka 28
Jāmbavatī’s Vaiṣṇava-Ācāra: Grace, Sense-Consecration, and Pilgrimage to Śrīnivāsa on Veṅkaṭādri
विना दयां तीर्थयात्रा खगेन्द्रव्यर्थेत्येवं वीन्द्र चाहुर्महान्तः / दिवा रात्रौ ये न शृण्वन्ति दिव्यां हरेः कथां तीर्थमार्गे खगेन्द्र
vinā dayāṃ tīrthayātrā khagendravyarthetyevaṃ vīndra cāhurmahāntaḥ / divā rātrau ye na śṛṇvanti divyāṃ hareḥ kathāṃ tīrthamārge khagendra
Ô Garuḍa, les grands déclarent qu’un pèlerinage accompli sans compassion est vain. Et ceux qui, de jour comme de nuit, n’écoutent pas les récits divins de Hari sur la route du tīrtha—ô seigneur des oiseaux—leur voyage aussi porte peu de fruit.
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Dayā (compassion) and continuous Hari-kathā-śravaṇa are essential; without them, external pilgrimage is ‘vyartha’.
Vedantic Theme: Antaḥkaraṇa-śuddhi through dayā and śravaṇa; critique of mere externalism (bahirācāra) without inner transformation.
Application: While traveling to sacred places, practice kindness to beings and prioritize listening/reciting divine narratives; treat the journey as character training.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: tirtha-marga (pilgrimage road)
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: repeated ‘vyartha’ critique of ritual without right conduct; emphasis on Hari-kathā as purifier
FAQs
This verse states that without dayā, even a formal tīrtha-yātrā becomes vyarthā (fruitless); inner virtue is presented as the true measure of spiritual merit.
It links pilgrimage to bhakti-practice: hearing divine Hari-kathā day and night on the pilgrimage route, along with compassion, is portrayed as what gives the journey real spiritual value.
Travel to sacred sites with active kindness (non-harm, charity, respectful conduct) and keep devotional listening/recitation (Hari-kathā, stotra, purāṇa-śravaṇa) as a daily discipline rather than treating pilgrimage as mere tourism.