Shloka 101
Dhaumya’s Enumeration of Eastern Tīrthas
Prācī-diś Tīrtha-kathana
श्रीमत् स्वर्ग्य तथा पुण्यं सपत्नशमनं शिवम् | मेधाजननमग्रयं वै तीर्थवंशानुकीर्तनम्,यह तीर्थसमूहोंकी महिमाका वर्णन परम उत्तम, सम्पत्तिदायक, स्वर्गप्रद, पुण्यकारक, शत्रुओंका निवारण करनेवाला, कल्याणकारक तथा मेधाशक्तिको उत्पन्न करनेवाला है
śrīmat svargyaṃ tathā puṇyaṃ sapatnaśamanaṃ śivam | medhājananam agryaṃ vai tīrthavaṃśānukīrtanam ||
Pulastya said: “This recitation of the lineages and traditions of the sacred pilgrimage-fords (tīrthas) is supremely excellent—prosperity-giving, heaven-bestowing, merit-producing, a pacifier of rivals and enemies, auspicious and welfare-bringing, and a generator of insight and intellectual clarity.”
पुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Remembering and recounting the sacred tīrthas is presented as a dharmic practice that yields both inner and outer fruits: it generates puṇya (merit) and svarga (heavenly reward), promotes auspicious welfare (śiva), calms hostility (sapatna-śamana), and cultivates medhā—clarity, insight, and intellectual strength.
Pulastya, speaking as an authoritative sage, praises the act of narrating the tīrthas’ traditions and greatness. This functions as a framing statement within the tīrtha-mahātmya context of the Vana Parva, elevating the forthcoming (or ongoing) description of pilgrimage sites as spiritually potent instruction.