Shloka 125
युधिष्ठिरस्य अर्जुनप्रेषण-युक्तिवर्णनम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rationale for Sending Arjuna and Request to Dhaumya
राजेन्द्र! तदनन्तर नारायण-स्थानको जाय। भरतनन्दन! वहाँ भगवान् विष्णु सदा निवास करते हैं। ब्रह्मा आदि देवता, तपोधन ऋषि, आदित्य, वसु तथा रुद्र भी वहाँ रहकर जनार्दनकी उपासना करते हैं। उस तीर्थमें अद्भुतकर्मा भगवान् विष्णु शालग्रामके नामसे प्रसिद्ध हैं ।।
rājendra! tadanantaraṃ nārāyaṇa-sthānako jāyate. bharatanandana! tatra bhagavān viṣṇuḥ sadā nivāsam karoti. brahmādayo devatāḥ, tapodhanā ṛṣayaḥ, ādityāḥ, vasavaḥ tathā rudrā api tatra sthitvā janārdanasya upāsanāṃ kurvanti. tasmin tīrthe adbhuta-karmā bhagavān viṣṇuḥ śālagrāma-nāmnā prasiddhaḥ. abhigamya trilokeśaṃ varadaṃ viṣṇum avyayam, aśvamedham avāpnoti viṣṇulokaṃ ca gacchati.
Ghūlastya berkata: “Wahai raja! Sesudah itu tibalah tempat suci bernama Nārāyaṇa-sthāna. Wahai keturunan Bharata, di sana Bhagavān Viṣṇu bersemayam untuk selama-lamanya. Brahmā dan para dewa lainnya, para resi kaya tapa, juga para Āditya, Vasu, dan Rudra tinggal di sana dan memuja Janārdana. Di tirtha itu, Viṣṇu yang berkarya menakjubkan termasyhur dengan nama Śālagrāma. Barangsiapa mendekati Viṣṇu yang tak binasa—Penguasa tiga dunia, pemberi anugerah—ia memperoleh pahala Aśvamedha dan pergi ke alam Viṣṇu.”
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage elevates tīrtha-yātrā and devotion to Viṣṇu as powerful, ethically accessible means of gaining great merit: sincere approach and worship at a sacred place can yield the fruit of major royal sacrifices and lead toward a higher divine destination.
Ghūlastya describes a sequence of pilgrimage sites, highlighting Nārāyaṇa-sthāna where Viṣṇu is said to dwell. He notes that gods and sages worship there, that Viṣṇu is famed as Śālagrāma at that tīrtha, and he proclaims the spiritual reward for visiting and venerating the deity.