Shloka 16
Plakṣāvataraṇa–Yamunā Tīrtha and Prajāpati’s Vedī
Kurukṣetra Threshold
असकृत् कृष्णसारुजूं धर्मेणाप्य च मेदिनीम् । अन्रैव पुरुषव्याप्र मरुत्त: सत्रमुत्तमम्,राजन! राजा भरतने धर्मपूर्वक वसुधाका राज्य पाकर यहीं बहुत-से यज्ञ किये थे और यहीं अश्वमेधयज्ञके उद्देश्यसे उन्होंने अनेक बार कृष्णमृगके समान रंगवाले यज्ञसम्बन्धी श्यामकर्ण अश्वकों भूतलपर भ्रमणके लिये छोड़ा था। नरश्रेष्ठ इसी तीर्थमें ऋषिप्रवर संवर्तसे सुरक्षित हो महाराज मरुत्तने उत्तम यज्ञका अनुष्ठान किया। राजेन्द्र! यहाँ स्नान करके शुद्ध हुआ मनुष्य सम्पूर्ण लोकोंको प्रत्यक्ष देखता है और पापसे मुक्त हो पवित्र हो जाता है; अतः तुम इसमें भी स्नान करो
asakṛt kṛṣṇasārārujāṃ dharmeṇāpy ca medinīm | atraiva puruṣavyāghra maruttaḥ satram uttamam, rājan |
“Many times, O tiger among men, King Marutta performed here an excellent sacrificial session (satra), protected by the foremost sage Saṃvarta. And here, O king, the earth was also repeatedly enjoyed/ruled in accordance with dharma—so that (in connection with sacrifice) horses of dark ears, resembling the hue of the black antelope, were again and again released to roam upon the ground for the purpose of the Aśvamedha. By bathing here a man becomes purified: he beholds all the worlds as if directly, is freed from sin, and becomes holy. Therefore you too should bathe in this tīrtha.”
लोगश उवाच
Educational Q&A
Righteous rule and sacrificial duty (dharma-yukta rājadharma) are linked with inner purification: bathing at a sanctified tīrtha, associated with great dharmic acts, is presented as a means to cleanse sin and gain elevated vision/insight.
The speaker praises a particular tīrtha by recalling how King Marutta, under the protection of the sage Saṃvarta, performed an outstanding satra there, and how royal Aśvamedha-related horses were released in that region. The listener is urged to bathe there to obtain purification and spiritual benefit.