Shloka 263
Avanti–Narmadā–Puṣkara Tīrtha-Kathana (धौम्यकथितं तीर्थवर्णनम्)
बाहुदा च नदी यत्र नन्दा च गिरिमूर्थनि । “वहीं तपस्वीजनोंसे सुशोभित पवित्र देववन नामक पुण्यक्षेत्र है, जहाँ पर्वतके शिखरपर बाहुदा और नन्दा नदी बहती हैं
bāhudā ca nadī yatra nandā ca girimūrdhani |
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Ada sebuah wilayah suci bernama Devavana, bercahaya oleh para pertapa. Di sana, di puncak gunung, mengalirlah sungai Bāhudā dan Nandā—menandai tempat itu sebagai tirtha yang murni dan penuh jasa kebajikan.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s ethic of sanctity through purity, ascetic presence, and sacred geography: a place becomes a tīrtha not merely by location but by the sustained spiritual practice of tapasvins and the natural markers (rivers, mountain summit) associated with holiness.
Vaiśampāyana is describing a holy region encountered or referenced during the Vana Parva’s tīrtha-oriented narration, identifying Devavana and locating it by two rivers—Bāhudā and Nandā—flowing on the mountain top, thereby guiding the listener’s mental map of pilgrimage sites.