Shloka 82
युधिष्ठिरस्य अर्जुनप्रेषण-युक्तिवर्णनम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rationale for Sending Arjuna and Request to Dhaumya
ततो गयां समासाद्य ब्रह्मचारी समाहित: । अश्वमेधमवाप्रोति कुलं चैव समुद्धरेत्,तदनन्तर गयातीर्थमें जाकर ब्रह्मचर्यपालनपूर्वक एकाग्रचित्त हो मनुष्य अश्वमेधयज्ञका फल पाता और अपने कुलका उद्धार कर देता है
tato gayāṃ samāsādya brahmacārī samāhitaḥ | aśvamedham avāpnoti kulaṃ caiva samuddharet ||
Thereafter, having reached Gayā, a person who maintains brahmacarya and remains mentally collected attains the merit equivalent to an Aśvamedha sacrifice and, moreover, brings uplift and deliverance to his lineage. The passage underscores disciplined self-restraint and focused devotion at a sacred place as a means of both personal spiritual gain and ancestral benefit.
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that disciplined conduct (brahmacarya) and a focused mind, when applied in a sacred context like Gayā, generate profound spiritual merit—so great it is compared to the Aśvamedha—and that such merit can extend beyond the individual to benefit and uplift one’s lineage.
The speaker is describing the fruit of going to the pilgrimage site Gayā: if one arrives there and practices brahmacarya with mental concentration, one gains Aśvamedha-like merit and is said to redeem or elevate one’s family line.