Shloka 2
Dhaumya’s Enumeration of Eastern Tīrthas
Prācī-diś Tīrtha-kathana
रामस्य च प्रभावेण तीर्थ राजन् कृतं पुरा । तल्लौहित्यं समासाद्य विन्द्याद् बहु सुवर्णकम्,राजन! पूर्वकालमें श्रीरामके प्रभावसे जो तीर्थ प्रकट हुआ उसका नाम लौहित्यतीर्थ है। उसमें जाकर स्नान करनेसे मनुष्यको बहुत-सी सुवर्णराशि प्राप्त होती है
rāmasya ca prabhāveṇa tīrtha rājan kṛtaṃ purā | tal-lauhityaṃ samāsādya vindyād bahu suvarṇakam ||
Pulastya said: “O King, in ancient times a sacred ford was established through the power of Rama. It is known as Lauhitya-tīrtha. By reaching it and bathing there, a person is said to obtain abundant gold.”
पुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the Mahābhārata’s tīrtha-ethic: sacred places, established or sanctified by great beings, are approached with faith and disciplined conduct; bathing there is portrayed as yielding tangible and intangible rewards, encouraging pilgrimage as a dharmic practice.
Pulastya is guiding the king through a catalogue of pilgrimage sites. Here he points to Lauhitya-tīrtha, said to have arisen through Rāma’s power, and states the traditional fruit of visiting and bathing there—gaining abundant gold.