Shloka 98
युधिष्ठिरस्य अर्जुनप्रेषण-युक्तिवर्णनम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rationale for Sending Arjuna and Request to Dhaumya
ततः फल्गुं व्रजेद् राज॑स्तीर्थसेवी नराधिप । अश्वमेधमवाप्रोति सिद्धि च महतीं व्रजेत्
tataḥ phalguṁ vrajed rājā tīrthasevī narādhipa | aśvamedham avāpnoti siddhiṁ ca mahatīṁ vrajet, rājan! nareśvara! tadanantaraṁ tīrthasevī mānava phalgutīrtheṁ yāyāt | tatra jānena sa aśvamedhayajñaphalaṁ labhate ca bahu-mahatīṁ siddhiṁ prāpnoti |
Kemudian, wahai Raja—wahai penguasa manusia—hendaklah peziarah yang tekun melayani tirtha melanjutkan perjalanan ke Phalgu. Dengan pergi ke sana, ia meraih pahala yajña Aśvamedha dan mencapai siddhi yang amat agung.
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Devout pilgrimage to a recognized tīrtha is presented as a powerful dharmic practice: simply by visiting Phalgu with a pilgrim’s intent, one gains merit comparable to the Aśvamedha and attains great siddhi—highlighting inner reverence over outward grandeur.
The speaker instructs the king about the next sacred destination in a sequence of tīrthas: the pilgrim should go to Phalgu, where the act of visiting is said to confer the fruit of an Aśvamedha sacrifice and a great spiritual accomplishment.