Shloka 11
युधिष्ठिरस्य अर्जुनप्रेषण-युक्तिवर्णनम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rationale for Sending Arjuna and Request to Dhaumya
त्रिशूलखातं तत्रैव तीर्थमासाद्य भारत
triśūlakhātaṃ tatraiva tīrtham āsādya bhārata, bharatakulatilaka! vahāṃ triśūlakhāta nāmakaṃ tīrthaṃ; tatra gatvā snānaṃ kuryāt devatā-pitṛ-pūjāyāṃ ca lagnaḥ syāt. evaṃ kurvan manuṣyo dehatyāgānantaraṃ gaṇapati-padaṃ prāpnoti, atra na saṃśayaḥ.
Ghūlastya dit : «Ô Bhārata, joyau de la lignée des Bharata ! Là même se trouve un gué sacré nommé Triśūlakhāta. Va t’y rendre, baigne-toi, et consacre-toi au culte des dieux et des pères ancestraux (pitṛ). Celui qui agit ainsi, après avoir quitté son corps, obtient le rang de Gaṇapati — il n’y a là aucun doute.»
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Pilgrimage is not merely travel but disciplined practice: reaching a tīrtha, bathing with purity of intent, and honoring both gods and ancestors. Such integrated devotion (deva–pitṛ worship) is presented as a dharmic act that yields exalted posthumous fruit.
A guide-like speaker (Ghūlastya) directs the Bharata hero to a specific sacred site named Triśūlakhāta, instructing him to bathe and perform worship there, and then states the promised spiritual result—attainment of Gaṇapati-status after death.