Shloka 30
Dhaumya’s Enumeration of Eastern Tīrthas
Prācī-diś Tīrtha-kathana
गायत्रीं पठते यस्तु योनिसंकरजस्तथा । गाथा च गाथिका चापि तस्य सम्पद्यते नूप,राजन! जो वर्णसंकर योनिमें उत्पन्न हुआ है, वह यदि गायत्रीमन्त्रका पाठ करता है तो उसके मुखसे वह गाथा या गीतकी तरह स्वर और वर्णोके नियमसे रहित होकर निकलती है; अर्थात् वह गायत्रीका उच्चारण ठीक नहीं कर सकता
gāyatrīṃ paṭhate yas tu yonisaṅkarajas tathā | gāthā ca gāthikā cāpi tasya sampadyate nṛpa rājān |
Pulastya said: “O king, one born from a mixed lineage—if he attempts to recite the Gāyatrī—his utterance turns into something like a mere song or ballad, lacking the disciplined rules of sacred sound. In other words, he is unable to pronounce the Gāyatrī correctly.”
पुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses that sacred Vedic recitation is not merely verbal repetition but requires proper training, discipline of sound, and adherence to prescribed rules; without the requisite qualification and formation, the mantra degenerates into ordinary song-like speech.
Pulastya is instructing a king within a dharma-discourse, using the example of Gāyatrī recitation to comment on qualification for Vedic practice and the consequences of lacking the traditional preparation for correct mantra-utterance.