Shloka 1

Devanagari script

हम () अऑपआ अपा८ एकोननवतितमो<ध्याय: धौम्यद्वारा पश्चिम दिशाके तीर्थोंका वर्णन धौम्य उवाच आनर्तेषु प्रतीच्यां वै कीर्तयिष्यामि ते दिशि । यानि तत्र पवित्राणि पुण्यान्यायतनानि च,धौम्यजी कहते हैं--युधिष्ठटिर! अब मैं पश्चिम दिशाके आनर्तदेशमें जो-जो पवित्र तीर्थ और पुण्यस्वरूप देवालय हैं, उन सबका वर्णन करूँगा

Transliteration

Dhaumya uvāca: Ānarteṣu pratīcyāṃ vai kīrtayiṣyāmi te diśi | yāni tatra pavitrāṇi puṇyāny āyatanāni ca ||

Translation

Dhaumya said: “O Yudhiṣṭhira, I shall now recount to you the sacred places in the western quarter, in the land of Ānarta—those tīrthas and holy shrines that purify and confer merit.”

Word by Word

• {'Dhaumya uvāca': 'Dhaumya said', 'Ānarteṣu': 'in Ānarta (a western region)', 'pratīcyām': 'in the west

• western quarter', 'vai': 'indeed

• emphatic particle', 'kīrtayiṣyāmi': 'I will proclaim/recount', 'te': 'to you', 'diśi': 'direction, quarter', 'yāni': 'which

• those that', 'tatra': 'there', 'pavitrāṇi': 'purifying, sacred', 'puṇyāni': 'meritorious, auspicious', 'āyatanāni': 'abodes, shrines, holy seats', 'ca': 'and'}

Speaker

धौम्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhaumya
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Ānarta
• pratīcī diś (western direction)
• tīrtha
• āyatana (shrine/holy abode)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames tīrtha-yātrā as a dharmic practice: sacred places are described as ‘pavitra’ (purifying) and ‘puṇya’ (merit-giving), emphasizing ethical self-cultivation through reverent travel and remembrance of holy sites.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhaumya begins a new section of instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira, announcing that he will describe the tīrthas and holy shrines located in the western quarter, specifically in the land of Ānarta.