Shloka 18
Tīrtha-yātrā: Phalaśruti and Sacred Geography from Lohitya to Prayāga
Pulastya’s Instruction
ततो गच्छेत धर्मज्ञ वाराहं तीर्थमुत्तमम् विष्णुरवाराहरूपेण पूर्व यत्र स्थितो5$भवत्
tato gacchet dharmajña varāhaṁ tīrtham uttamam | viṣṇur avarāharūpeṇa pūrvaṁ yatra sthito 'bhavat ||
Then, O knower of dharma, one should proceed to the excellent sacred ford called Varāha-tīrtha—where in former times Viṣṇu abided, having assumed the form of the Boar. The instruction frames pilgrimage as a disciplined movement toward places sanctified by divine presence, reinforcing reverence, right conduct, and remembrance of dharma through sacred geography.
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that a dharma-minded person should undertake pilgrimage with discernment, seeking out tīrthas made authoritative by divine presence; remembrance of Viṣṇu’s Varāha form anchors ethical life in reverence, restraint, and right orientation toward the sacred.
The speaker gives sequential guidance in a tīrtha-yātrā context, directing the listener next to Varāha-tīrtha and explaining its sanctity by recalling that Viṣṇu once dwelt there in the Boar incarnation.