Tīrtha-yātrā: Phalaśruti and Sacred Geography from Lohitya to Prayāga
Pulastya’s Instruction
देवान् पितृन् समुद्दिश्य तस्य धर्मफलं महत् | एकस्मिन् भोजिते विप्रे कोटिर्भवति भोजिता
devān pitṝn samuddiśya tasya dharmaphalaṁ mahat | ekasmin bhojite vipre koṭir bhavati bhojitā ||
神々と祖霊を敬う意図をもって食を施すなら、その功徳ははかり知れず大きくなる。そのような心でたとえ一人のブラーフマナに食を供しても、それは一倶胝(千万)に施したのと等しい――これほどまでに、その行いのダルマの果は大いなるものとなる。
घुलस्त्य उवाच
The verse teaches that the intention of dedicating an act to the gods and ancestors greatly magnifies its dharmic merit; feeding even one worthy brāhmaṇa with such dedication is counted as feeding an immense multitude.
A speaker (here attributed as ‘Ghulasṭya’) explains the religious-ethical value of feeding a brāhmaṇa as an offering connected to devas and pitṛs, emphasizing how a single act of hospitality can yield vast merit.