Shloka 16
Ārṣṭiṣeṇa’s Siddhi and the Tīrtha-Boons; Sindhudvīpa–Devāpi Brāhmaṇya; Viśvāmitra’s Tapas Begins
सतु शुश्राव विप्रेन्द्र मुनीनां वचनं महत् । सरस्वत्यास्तीर्थवरं ख्यातमौशनसं तदा
sa tu śuśrāva viprendra munīnāṃ vacanaṃ mahat | sarasvatyās tīrthavaraṃ khyātamauśanasaṃ tadā ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then he heard, O best of Brahmins, the weighty words of the sages—about that time-honoured, renowned, and most excellent sacred ford on the Sarasvatī, known as Auśanasa. The narrative underscores the authority of seers’ counsel and the ethical turn toward purification and right guidance through revered tīrthas.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that the counsel of sages is ‘mahat’—weighty and authoritative—and that revered tīrthas (sacred fords) like the Auśanasa on the Sarasvatī function as ethical and spiritual reference-points, guiding conduct toward purification and dharmic orientation.
Vaiśaṃpāyana narrates that a figure in the story hears the sages speaking about a famous and excellent pilgrimage spot on the Sarasvatī called Auśanasa, setting up attention to that tīrtha’s significance and the guidance associated with it.