Shloka 140
The Tale of the Five Pretas and the Glory of Puṣkara & the Eastern Sarasvatī
प्राचीसरस्वती तत्र नरैः किं मृग्यते परम् । तस्यां स्नानात्फलं तृप्त्यै तपोयज्ञादिलक्षणम्
prācīsarasvatī tatra naraiḥ kiṃ mṛgyate param | tasyāṃ snānātphalaṃ tṛptyai tapoyajñādilakṣaṇam
ત્યાં પ્રાચી સરસ્વતી પાસે મનુષ્યોને વધુ કયો પરમ લાભ શોધવો? તેમાં સ્નાનથી પૂર્ણ તૃપ્તિ આપતું ફળ મળે છે, જે તપ-યજ્ઞાદિના ફળ સમાન છે।
Unspecified (narrative voice within Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa context)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: river
Sandhi Resolution Notes: स्नानात्+फलम्→स्नानात्फलम्; तपस्+यज्ञ→तपोयज्ञ (विसर्ग-लोप/ओ-आदेश); यज्ञ+आदि+लक्षणम्→यज्ञादिलक्षणम् (समास/सन्धि)।
FAQs
It presents the tīrtha as spiritually complete in itself: bathing there is said to yield a result comparable to major religious disciplines such as austerities and sacrifices.
It equates the ‘fruit’ of bathing at the sacred river with the characteristic results of tapas and yajña, implying that tīrtha-snāna can function as an efficient, accessible means to religious merit and inner fulfillment.
The verse encourages sincere engagement with sacred practices that purify and satisfy the heart, emphasizing attainable disciplines (like tīrtha-snāna) rather than only demanding rites.