Shloka 26
युधिष्ठिरस्य अर्जुनप्रेषण-युक्तिवर्णनम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rationale for Sending Arjuna and Request to Dhaumya
ततो गच्छेत धर्मज्ञ नमस्कृत्य महागिरिम्,धर्मज्ञ! वहाँसे महापर्वत हिमालयको नमस्कार करके गंगाद्वार (हरिद्वार)-की यात्रा करे, जो स्वर्गद्वारके समान है; इसमें संशय नहीं है। वहाँ एकाग्रचित्त हो कोटितीर्थमें स्नान करे
tato gacchet dharmajña namaskṛtya mahāgirim | dharmajña! vahāṁse mahāparvata himālayako namaskāra karke gaṅgādvāra (haridvāra)-kī yātrā kare, jo svargadvārake samāna hai; isameṁ saṁśaya nahīṁ hai | vahāṁ ekāgracitta ho koṭitīrthameṁ snāna kare |
Then, O knower of dharma, having bowed in reverence to the great mountain—Himālaya—one should proceed to Gaṅgādvāra (Haridwar), a gateway likened to the very entrance of heaven; of this there is no doubt. There, with a focused and undistracted mind, one should bathe at Koṭitīrtha.
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is practiced through reverence and disciplined action: honoring sacred places (Himālaya, Gaṅgādvāra) and performing purificatory rites with ekāgratā (one-pointed attention). The verse links outer pilgrimage with inner mental focus, implying that merit depends not only on travel but on mindful, respectful conduct.
The speaker gives a step-by-step instruction for a tīrtha-yātrā: first bow to the great mountain Himālaya, then travel to Gaṅgādvāra (Haridwar), praised as heaven’s gateway, and finally bathe at the sacred Koṭitīrtha with concentrated mind.