Shloka 37
Tīrtha-yātrā: Phalaśruti and Sacred Geography from Lohitya to Prayāga
Pulastya’s Instruction
हृदाक्ष तव तीर्थत्वं गमिष्यन्ति न संशय: । हृदेषु तेषु यः स्नात्वा पितृन् संतर्पयिष्यति,“तुम्हारे बनाये हुए ये कुण्ड तीर्थस्वरूप होंगे, इसमें संशय नहीं है। जो इन कुण्डोंमें नहाकर पितरोंका तर्पण करेंगे, उन्हें तृप्त हुए पितर ऐसा वर देंगे, जो इस भूतलपर दुर्लभ है। वे उसके लिये मनोवाजञ्छित कामना और सनातन स्वर्गलोक सुलभ कर देंगे!
hṛdākṣa tava tīrthatvaṃ gamiṣyanti na saṃśayaḥ | hṛdeṣu teṣu yaḥ snātvā pitṝn saṃtarpayiṣyati |
Ghūlastya said: “O Hṛdākṣa, there is no doubt that the ponds you have made will attain the status of sacred pilgrimage-sites. Whoever bathes in these pools and offers libations to the ancestors will have those satisfied forefathers grant a boon that is rare upon this earth—fulfilment of cherished desires and ready access to the eternal heaven.”
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Acts that support sacred spaces and proper ancestral rites (snāna and pitṛ-tarpaṇa) are presented as dharmic deeds that generate lasting merit, bringing both worldly fulfilment (desired aims) and otherworldly reward (svarga).
A speaker named Ghūlastya addresses Hṛdākṣa, praising the ponds he has created and declaring that they will become recognized tīrthas; those who bathe there and satisfy the ancestors through offerings will receive rare boons from the pleased pitṛs.