Shloka 148
युधिष्ठिरस्य अर्जुनप्रेषण-युक्तिवर्णनम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rationale for Sending Arjuna and Request to Dhaumya
पितामहसरो गत्वा शैलराजसमीपत: । तत्राभिषेकं कुर्वाणो हाग्निष्टोममवाप्रुयात्,गिरिराज हिमालयके निकट पितामहसरोवरमें जाकर स्नान करनेवाले पुरुषको अग्निष्टोमयज्ञका फल मिलता है
pitāmaha-saraḥ gatvā śaila-rāja-samīpataḥ | tatrābhiṣekaṃ kurvāṇo hy agniṣṭomam avāpnuyāt ||
Ghūlastya dit : «Étant allé au lac sacré nommé Pitāmaha-saras, près du roi des montagnes (l’Himālaya), celui qui y accomplit le bain rituel obtient un mérite égal à celui du sacrifice Agniṣṭoma.» Le passage souligne l’éthique du Mahābhārata : un pèlerinage sincère et une purification dans des tīrthas vénérés peuvent conférer un grand fruit spirituel, encourageant une conduite disciplinée et empreinte de foi plutôt qu’un simple étalage.
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that sacred places (tīrthas) and sincere acts of purification—such as ritual bathing—can yield spiritual merit comparable to major Vedic sacrifices, emphasizing inner sincerity and disciplined practice as accessible paths to puṇya.
A speaker named Ghūlastya is describing the greatness of a particular pilgrimage site: the Pitāmaha lake near the Himālaya. He states that bathing there grants the fruit of the Agniṣṭoma sacrifice, as part of a broader tīrtha-māhātmya (praise of holy places).