Shloka 56
युधिष्ठिरस्य अर्जुनप्रेषण-युक्तिवर्णनम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rationale for Sending Arjuna and Request to Dhaumya
जो छठे समय उपवासपूर्वक एक मासतक महालयतीर्थमें निवास करता है, वह सब पापोंसे शुद्धचित्त हो प्रचुर सुवर्णराशि प्राप्त करता है। साथ ही दस पहलेकी और दस बादकी पीढ़ियोंका उद्धार कर देता है ।।
yaḥ ṣaṣṭhe samaye upavāsa-pūrvakaṃ eka-māsatakaṃ mahālayatīrthe nivāsaṃ karoti, sa sarva-pāpebhyaḥ śuddha-cittaḥ bhūtvā pracura-suvarṇa-rāśiṃ prāpnoti; sārdhaṃ ca daśa pūrvakīnāṃ daśa cāparakīnāṃ pīḍhīnāṃ uddhāraṃ karoti. atha vetasikāṃ gatvā pitāmaha-niṣevitām, aśvamedham avāpnoti, gacched auśanasīṃ gatim; tataḥ paścāt brahmājī-kṛta-niṣevitāyāṃ vetasikā-tīrthe gatvā manuṣyaḥ aśvamedha-yajñasya phalaṃ prāpnoti śukrācārya-lokaṃ ca gacchati.
Ghūlastya dit : «Quiconque, au sixième moment prescrit, observe le jeûne puis demeure un mois entier au gué sacré de Mahālaya (Mahālaya tīrtha), voit son esprit purifié de tous les péchés, obtient d’abondants monceaux d’or et, de surcroît, procure la délivrance à dix générations avant lui et à dix générations après lui. Ensuite, se rendant à Vetasikā—fréquentée par Pitāmaha—il acquiert le mérite d’un sacrifice d’Aśvamedha et atteint la voie qui mène à Auśanasa (Śukra). Puis, au tīrtha de Vetasikā, révéré même par Brahmā, l’homme reçoit le fruit de l’Aśvamedha et gagne le monde de Śukrācārya.»
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that disciplined austerity (fasting) combined with sustained residence at a sacred tīrtha is portrayed as powerfully purifying, yielding both personal merit (inner purification and prosperity) and transgenerational benefit (uplift of ancestors and descendants). It also equates tīrtha-observance with the highest royal sacrifice (Aśvamedha), emphasizing ethical self-restraint over costly ritual display.
A speaker named Ghūlastya is describing the fruits of specific pilgrimage observances: staying a month at Mahālaya with a prescribed fast, then visiting the Vetasikā tīrtha associated with Pitāmaha/Brahmā. These acts are said to confer Aśvamedha-level merit and lead to an exalted posthumous destination identified with Śukra (Śukrācārya).