Shloka 4
अध्याय ९० — लोमशोपदेशः तथा तीर्थयात्रानिश्चयः
Lomaśa’s Counsel and the Resolve for Pilgrimage
यत्र पुण्यतरं तीर्थ प्लक्षावतरणं शुभम् । यत्र सारस्वतैरिष्टवा गच्छन्त्यव भृथैद्धिजा:,उधर ही अत्यन्त पुण्यमय प्लक्षावतरण नामक मंगलकारक तीर्थ है; जहाँ ब्राह्मणगणण यज्ञ करके सरस्वतीके जलसे अवभूथस्नान करते और अपने स्थानको जाते हैं
yatra puṇyataraṁ tīrthaṁ plakṣāvataraṇaṁ śubham | yatra sārasvatair iṣṭvā gacchanty avabhṛthaiḥ dvijāḥ ||
Dhaumya said: “There is a most holy ford, the auspicious pilgrimage-place called Plakṣāvataraṇa. There, after performing sacrifices in the Sarasvatī region, the twice-born (Brahmins) complete the rite with the avabhṛtha bath and then depart to their respective homes.”
धौम्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dharmic value of tīrtha-yātrā and Vedic sacrifice: sacred places and properly completed rites (culminating in the avabhṛtha bath) are portrayed as powerful means of purification and accruing merit.
Dhaumya is describing a specific holy site—Plakṣāvataraṇa—praising its auspiciousness and explaining that Brahmins perform sacrifices associated with the Sarasvatī and conclude them with the avabhṛtha bath before returning home.