Shloka 86
युधिष्ठिरस्य अर्जुनप्रेषण-युक्तिवर्णनम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rationale for Sending Arjuna and Request to Dhaumya
ब्रह्मणा तत्र सरसि यूपश्रेष्ठ: समुच्छित: । यूपं प्रदक्षिणं कृत्वा वाजपेयफलं लभेत्,ब्रह्माजीने उस सरोवरमें एक श्रेष्ठ यूपकी स्थापना की थी। उसकी परिक्रमा करनेसे मानव वाजपेययज्ञका फल पा लेता है
brahmaṇā tatra sarasi yūpaśreṣṭhaḥ samucchritaḥ | yūpaṃ pradakṣiṇaṃ kṛtvā vājapeyaphalaṃ labhet |
Ghūlastya said: “There, in that lake, Brahmā had set up an excellent sacrificial post (yūpa). By circumambulating that yūpa in reverence, a person attains the merit equivalent to the Vājapeya sacrifice.” The passage underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring ethic that sincere, disciplined acts of reverence at sanctified places can yield great spiritual fruit, especially for those unable to perform costly royal rites.
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Reverent practice (pradakṣiṇā) performed with faith at a sanctified object can confer great merit, even comparable to major sacrifices like the Vājapeya—highlighting accessibility of dharmic merit beyond wealth-intensive rituals.
The speaker describes a sacred lake where Brahmā established a superior sacrificial post; the text states that anyone who circumambulates this yūpa gains the fruit of performing the Vājapeya sacrifice.