Shloka 19
Pulastya’s Tīrtha Enumeration: Sarasvatī, Naimiṣa, Gayā, and Associated Phalaśruti
Chapter 82
अग्निष्टोमादिभिय्यजैरिष्टवा विपुलदक्षिणै: । न तत् फलमवाप्रोति तीर्थाभिगमनेन यत्,मनुष्य तीर्थयात्रासे जिस फलको पाता है, उसे प्रचुर दक्षिणावाले अग्निष्टोम आदि यज्ञोंद्वारा यजन करके भी नहीं पा सकता
agniṣṭomādibhir yajñair iṣṭvā vipuladakṣiṇaiḥ | na tat phalam avāpnoti tīrthābhigamanena yat, manuṣya |
Ghūlastya said: “Even after performing Agniṣṭoma and other sacrifices, lavishly endowed with abundant priestly fees, a person does not obtain that fruit which is gained by going to sacred fords (tīrthas). O man, the merit of pilgrimage surpasses even costly ritual offerings.”
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the spiritual merit gained through tīrtha-yātrā (pilgrimage to sacred places) can exceed the merit of even expensive Vedic sacrifices such as the Agniṣṭoma, emphasizing accessible, dharmic practice over purely costly ritual performance.
In the tīrtha-related discourse of Vana Parva, the speaker Ghūlastya praises the power of visiting sacred places, contrasting it with grand sacrificial rites to highlight the exceptional fruit of pilgrimage.