Pulastya’s Tīrtha Enumeration: Sarasvatī, Naimiṣa, Gayā, and Associated Phalaśruti
Chapter 82
तत्र स्नात्वा च पीत्वा च रुद्रं देवगणैर्वृतम् जन्मप्रभूति यत् पापं तत् स्नातस्य प्रणश्यति
tatra snātvā ca pītvā ca rudraṃ devagaṇair vṛtam | janmaprabhūti yat pāpaṃ tat snātasya praṇaśyati ||
There, by bathing and drinking the sacred water, one beholds Rudra surrounded by the hosts of gods. Whatever sin has accrued from one’s very birth is destroyed for the person who bathes there—affirming the purifying power of holy places when approached with reverence and right intent.
घुलस्त्य उवाच
The verse teaches that sincere engagement with a sacred tīrtha—symbolized by bathing and drinking its water—can eradicate deep-seated moral impurity (pāpa) accumulated from birth, emphasizing purification through devotion and righteous approach.
The speaker describes a holy place where, after bathing and drinking, one is granted a vision of Rudra attended by divine hosts, and the act of bathing there is said to annihilate sins accrued since birth.