Shloka 53
Pulastya’s Tīrtha Enumeration: Sarasvatī, Naimiṣa, Gayā, and Associated Phalaśruti
Chapter 82
तर्पयित्वा पितृन् देवानग्निष्टोमफलं लभेत् | वहाँसे त्रिभुवनविख्यात नर्मदा नदीके तटपर जाकर देवताओं और पितरोंका तर्पण करनेसे अग्निष्टोम-यज्ञका फल प्राप्त होता है ।। ५२ $ ।। दक्षिणं सिन्धुमासाद्य ब्रह्मचारी जितेन्द्रिय:
tarpayitvā pitṝn devān agniṣṭomaphalaṁ labhet |
Ghūlastya said: “Having offered libations (tarpana) to the Pitṛs and to the gods, one attains the merit equivalent to the Agniṣṭoma sacrifice.” The passage frames pilgrimage and ritual gratitude as an ethically potent act: honoring divine and ancestral obligations is presented as a dharmic substitute for costly Vedic rites, making spiritual merit accessible through disciplined, reverent conduct.
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that fulfilling obligations to ancestors and gods through tarpana is a powerful dharmic act, yielding merit comparable to a major Vedic sacrifice (Agniṣṭoma). It emphasizes accessible righteousness: reverent ritual duty can substitute for expensive rites when performed with proper intent.
A speaker (Ghūlastya) is describing the spiritual benefits of specific sacred actions—here, offering libations to the Pitṛs and the gods—presenting it as a recognized source of great religious merit within the broader pilgrimage-and-merit discourse of the Vana Parva.