Shloka 26

Avanti–Narmadā–Puṣkara Tīrtha-Kathana (धौम्यकथितं तीर्थवर्णनम्)

Devanagari script

नैषधस्तृषितो यत्र जलं शर्म च लब्धवान्‌ । “वहीं महात्मा मतंगऋषिका महान्‌ एवं उत्तम आश्रम केदारतीर्थ है। वह परम पवित्र, मंगलकारी और लोकमें विख्यात है। कुण्डोद नामक रमणीय पर्वत बहुत फल-मूल और जलसे सम्पन्न है, जहाँ प्यासे हुए निषधनरेशको जल और शान्तिकी उपलब्धि हुई थी ।। यत्र देववनं पुण्यं तापसैरुपशोभितम्‌

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | naiṣadhastṛṣito yatra jalaṃ śarma ca labdhavān | yatra devavanaṃ puṇyaṃ tāpasair upaśobhitam |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana berkata: Di tempat itu, raja Niṣadha yang tersiksa oleh dahaga memperoleh air, dan bersamaan dengan itu ia meraih ketenteraman serta kelegaan. Di sana pula ada hutan-dewa yang suci, diperindah oleh para pertapa—sebuah wilayah tīrtha yang amat murni, membawa berkah, dan termasyhur; kehadiran tapa dan kesucian di sana menenangkan mereka yang dilanda derita.

Word by Word

• {'vaiśampāyana uvāca': 'Vaiśampāyana said', 'naiṣadhaḥ': 'the Niṣadha king (Nala)', 'tṛṣitaḥ': 'thirsting, afflicted by thirst', 'yatra': 'where', 'jalam': 'water', 'śarma': 'peace, comfort, relief, well-being', 'ca': 'and', 'labdhavān': 'obtained, found', 'devavanam': 'divine grove

• sacred forest associated with the gods', 'puṇyam': 'holy, meritorious, sacred', 'tāpasaiḥ': 'by ascetics

• practitioners of austerity', 'upaśobhitam': 'adorned, beautified, graced'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Niṣadha
• Nala (Niṣadha king)
• Devavana (divine grove)
• tāpasas (ascetics)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Sacred places associated with tapas are portrayed as sources of both physical aid (water) and inner well-being (śarma). The verse links ethical-spiritual merit with tangible relief, suggesting that proximity to holy, ascetic-inhabited spaces supports restoration and calm.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes a renowned holy locale: a place where the Niṣadha king (Nala), suffering from thirst, found water and peace. The passage further characterizes the area as containing a sacred divine grove, beautified by ascetics.