Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
पितरश्न महाभागा: पूजयन्ति सम तं मुनिम् । उनका यह प्रश्न सुनकर सम्पूर्ण देवता, तपोधन ऋषि तथा महाभाग पितर विद्युत्प्रभ मुनिकी भूरि-भूरि प्रशंसा करने लगे ।।
pitaraś ca mahābhāgāḥ pūjayanti sma taṃ munim | śakra uvāca: kurukṣetraṃ gayāṃ caiva gaṅgāṃ prabhāsaṃ puṣkarāṇi ca |
幸いある祖霊ピトリたちは、その牟尼を敬って供養していた。その問いを聞くや、すべての神々と、苦行の宝に富む仙人たち、そして大いなる福徳をもつ祖霊たちは、稲妻のごとく輝く牟尼を幾度も称賛した。そこでシャクラ(インドラ)は語り、名高き聖地—クルクシェートラ、ガヤー、ガンガー、プラバーサ、プシュカラ—の名を挙げた。
शक्र उवाच
Honoring the worthy—especially sages—and remembering sacred tīrthas are presented as dharmic supports; reverence (pūjā) and sanctity (tīrtha-smaraṇa) reinforce ethical life and ancestral obligations.
The Pitṛs are shown venerating a sage; immediately after, Indra speaks and begins enumerating major holy places (Kurukṣetra, Gayā, Gaṅgā, Prabhāsa, Puṣkara), signaling a discussion centered on tīrthas and their religious-ethical significance.