Shloka 2
Avanti–Narmadā–Puṣkara Tīrtha-Kathana (धौम्यकथितं तीर्थवर्णनम्)
ब्राह्मणानुमतान् पुण्यानाश्रमान् भरतर्षभ । दिशस्तीर्थानि शैलांश्व शूणु मे वदतो5नघ
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: brāhmaṇānumatān puṇyān āśramān bharatarṣabha | diśas tīrthāni śailāṃś ca śṛṇu me vadataḥ anagha ||
Vaiśampāyana said: O bull among the Bharatas, listen, O sinless one, as I describe the sacred hermitages approved by the brāhmaṇas—along with the holy fords in every direction and the mountains. The narration turns toward a dharma-guided map of pilgrimage: places sanctified by tradition and ethical authority, meant to orient the listener toward merit, restraint, and reverence.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sacred places and disciplined hermitages are presented as ethically meaningful spaces: they are validated by brāhmaṇical tradition and are associated with puṇya (merit). The verse frames pilgrimage and listening to sacred instruction as a dharmic act that guides conduct toward purity, restraint, and reverence.
Vaiśampāyana transitions into a description of holy sites—hermitages, tīrthas, and mountains across the directions—inviting the listener (addressed as bharatarṣabha, anagha) to hear an organized account of sacred geography, typically as part of a broader tīrtha-yātrā or catalog of sanctified places in the Vana Parva.