Shloka 58
मातृतीर्थ च तत्रैव यत्र स्नातस्य भारत | प्रजा विवर्धते राजन्नतन्वीं श्रियमश्नुते
mātṛtīrthaṃ ca tatraiva yatra snātasya bhārata | prajā vivardhate rājann atanvīṃ śriyam aśnute ||
“And there, indeed, is the sacred ford called Mātṛtīrtha: O Bhārata, for one who bathes there, his people prosper; and, O king, he attains an unfailing, ever-enduring prosperity.”
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links righteous pilgrimage and ritual purification (bathing at a tīrtha) with ethical kingship: the king’s merit is shown not merely in personal gain but in the flourishing of his subjects, culminating in stable, non-waning prosperity.
During the Pāṇḍavas’ forest period, a guide/speaker is describing the greatness of particular sacred sites. Here he points out Mātṛtīrtha and states the fruits of bathing there—growth of one’s people and enduring fortune for the ruler.