Shloka 28
Dhaumya’s Enumeration of Eastern Tīrthas
Prācī-diś Tīrtha-kathana
उष्य द्वादशरात्रं तु पूतात्मा च भवेन्नर: । तत एव च गायद्र्या: स्थानं त्रैलोक्यपूजितम्,वहाँ बारह रात निवास करनेसे मनुष्यका अन्त:ःकरण पवित्र हो जाता है। वहीं गायत्रीका त्रिलोक-पूजित स्थान है
uṣya dvādaśarātraṃ tu pūtātmā ca bhaven naraḥ | tata eva ca gāyatryāḥ sthānaṃ trailokyapūjitam ||
Pulastya said: 'By dwelling here for twelve nights, a man’s inner being becomes purified. Indeed, this very place is the Gayatrī’s sacred seat, revered and worshipped throughout the three worlds.'
पुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sustained residence/observance at a sanctified tīrtha for a fixed period (twelve nights) is presented as a discipline that purifies the inner self; the sanctity is grounded in the site’s association with Gayatrī, revered across all realms.
Pulastya, in the context of describing holy places and their fruits in the Vana Parva, points out that staying at this particular sacred spot for twelve nights purifies a person, and identifies it as the celebrated seat of Gayatrī.