Shloka 162
युधिष्ठिरस्य अर्जुनप्रेषण-युक्तिवर्णनम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rationale for Sending Arjuna and Request to Dhaumya
धर्मतीर्थ समासाद्य पुण्य ब्रह्मर्षिसेवितम् । वाजपेयमवाप्रोति विमानस्थश्व पूज्यते,परम पवित्र ब्रह्मर्षिसेवित धर्मतीर्थमें जाकर स्नान करनेवाला मनुष्य वाजपेययज्ञका फल पाता और विमानपर बैठकर पूजित होता है
dharmatīrthaṃ samāsādya puṇyaṃ brahmarṣi-sevitam | vājapeyam avāpnoti vimānasthaś ca pūjyate ||
Reaching the sacred Dharma-tīrtha—hallowed and frequented by great seer-sages—a person who bathes there attains the merit of the Vājapeya sacrifice; and, seated in a celestial aerial car, he is honored. The verse underscores that sincere purification at a sanctified place, upheld by the presence and practice of the righteous, can confer exalted spiritual reward comparable to elaborate ritual.
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bathing at a truly sanctified pilgrimage place—one upheld by dharmic tradition and the presence of great sages—can yield spiritual merit equal to major Vedic sacrifices, showing that purity of place and righteous intent can substitute for costly ritual.
The speaker is describing the extraordinary फल (spiritual result) of visiting and bathing at a particular Dharma-tīrtha: the pilgrim gains the merit of the Vājapeya sacrifice and is honored in a celestial vimāna, as part of a broader tīrtha-māhātmya (praise of pilgrimage sites) passage in the Vana Parva.