Shloka 102
Tīrtha-yātrā: Phalaśruti and Sacred Geography from Lohitya to Prayāga
Pulastya’s Instruction
अर्चयित्वा महादेवमश्वमेधफलं लभेत् । देव्यास्तीर्थे नर: स्नात्वा गोसहस्रफलं लभेत्,वहाँ महादेवजीकी पूजा करके मनुष्य अश्वमेध-यज्ञका फल पाता है। देवीतीर्थमें स्नान करनेसे मनुष्यको सहस्र गोदानका फल मिलता है
arcayitvā mahādevam aśvamedha-phalaṁ labhet | devyās tīrthe naraḥ snātvā go-sahasra-phalaṁ labhet ||
By worshipping Mahādeva there, a person attains the merit of an Aśvamedha sacrifice. And by bathing at the Goddess’s sacred ford, a person gains the merit equivalent to gifting a thousand cows—thus the narrative extols devotion and pilgrimage as powerful, accessible paths to religious merit.
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that sincere worship and sacred bathing at a tīrtha can confer immense religious merit, comparable to grand royal sacrifices and major acts of charity—highlighting accessible forms of dharma for ordinary people.
A speaker (here attributed as “Ghulastya”) describes the spiritual efficacy of a particular sacred place: worship of Mahādeva yields Aśvamedha-like merit, and bathing at the Goddess’s tīrtha yields the merit of donating a thousand cows.