Shloka 114

Tīrtha-yātrā: Phalaśruti and Sacred Geography from Lohitya to Prayāga

Pulastya’s Instruction

Devanagari script

ततो गच्छेन्नरश्रेष्ठ सोमतीर्थमनुत्तमम्‌

Transliteration

tato gacchennaraśreṣṭha somatīrtham anuttamam

Translation

Then, O best of men, one should proceed to Soma-tīrtha, that unsurpassed sacred ford. The instruction frames pilgrimage as a disciplined, value-bearing journey—moving from one holy place to the next with reverence and self-restraint, seeking purification and merit rather than mere travel.

Word by Word

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततस्
• Form: Avyaya (ablatival adverb: 'from that/then')

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम्
• Form: Vidhi-lin (optative), parasmaipada, prathama-purusha, ekavacana

• नरश्रेष्ठः: the best of men
• नरश्रेष्ठः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरश्रेष्ठ
• Form: Pumlinga, prathama vibhakti, ekavacana

• सोमतीर्थम्: the Soma-tirtha (pilgrimage ford)
• सोमतीर्थम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोमतीर्थ
• Form: Napumsakalinga, dvitiya vibhakti, ekavacana

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed; excellent
• अनुत्तमम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम
• Form: Napumsakalinga, dvitiya vibhakti, ekavacana

Speaker

घुलस्त्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Soma-tīrtha

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches a dharmic orientation to pilgrimage: one should deliberately proceed to an eminent tīrtha, treating the journey as a means of inner purification and the accumulation of merit, guided by reverence and restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

A speaker continues a sequential itinerary of sacred places, instructing the listener (addressed as “best of men”) to go next to Soma-tīrtha, praised here as an unsurpassed holy ford.