Shloka 110
Pulastya’s Tīrtha Enumeration: Sarasvatī, Naimiṣa, Gayā, and Associated Phalaśruti
Chapter 82
गमनादेव राजेन्द्र दीर्घसत्रमरिंदम । राजसूयाश्चदमेधाभ्यां फलं प्राप्नोति भारत,शत्रुओंका दमन करनेवाले भरतवंशी राजेन्द्र! वहाँकी यात्रा करने मात्रसे मनुष्य राजसूय और अश्वमेध यज्ञोंक समान फल पाता है
gamanād eva rājendra dīrghasatram arindama | rājasūyāśvamedhābhyāṁ phalaṁ prāpnoti bhārata ||
Ghūlastya said: “O king, crusher of foes—O descendant of Bharata—by merely undertaking the journey to that sacred place, a person attains the same merit as that gained from the Rājasūya and the Aśvamedha sacrifices. The teaching is that sincere pilgrimage and reverent approach to a holy tīrtha can confer great spiritual fruit, comparable to the most exalted royal rites.”
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates tīrtha-yātrā (pilgrimage): sincere travel to a sacred place can yield merit comparable to the grand royal sacrifices (Rājasūya and Aśvamedha), emphasizing accessibility of spiritual attainment beyond costly rites.
A speaker named Ghūlastya addresses a kingly Bhārata hero, praising a particular sacred destination and declaring that merely going there grants the fruit of major sacrifices, as part of the Vana Parva’s tīrtha-mahātmya (glorification of holy places).