Shloka 9

Udīcī-diśi Tīrtha-kīrtana

Northern Sacred Places Enumeration

Devanagari script

एकत:ः सरित: सर्वा गड़ाद्या: सलिलोच्चया: । पयोष्णी चैकत: पुण्या तीर्थेभ्यो हि मता मम,एक ओर अगाध जलराशिसे भरी हुई गंगा आदि सम्पूर्ण नदियाँ हों और दूसरी ओर केवल पुण्यसलिला पयोष्णी नदी हो तो वही अन्य सब नदियोंकी अपेक्षा श्रेष्ठ है; ऐसा मेरा विचार है

Transliteration

ekataḥ saritaḥ sarvā gaṅgādyāḥ salilocchayāḥ | payoṣṇī caikataḥ puṇyā tīrthebhyo hi matā mama ||

Translation

ドゥハウミヤは言った。「たとえ一方に、ガンガーのごとき深く豊かな水を湛えて満ちあふれる諸河川がすべて集まり、他方にただ聖なるパヨーシュニー（Payoṣṇī）河のみがあるとしても、我が判断では、功徳をもたらすティールタ（tīrtha）としてはパヨーシュニー一つが他のすべてに勝る。量や外見の壮麗さが霊的卓越を定めるのではない。清浄さとティールタの力こそがそれを定めるのだ。」

Word by Word

एकतःon one side

सरितःrivers

सर्वाःall

गङ्गाद्याःbeginning with the Ganga (etc.)

सलिलोच्चयाःhaving a great mass of water

पयोष्णीthe river Payoṣṇī

चand

एकतःon the other side

पुण्याholy, meritorious

तीर्थेभ्यःfrom/than the sacred fords (pilgrimage places)

हिindeed, for

मताis considered

ममof me, my

Speaker

धौम्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

ध

धौम्य (Dhaumya)

ग

गङ्गा (Gaṅgā)

प

पयोष्णी (Payoṣṇī)

स

सरितः (rivers)

त

तीर्थ (tīrtha)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Spiritual excellence is not measured by size or abundance (many great rivers with deep waters) but by sanctity and tīrtha-power; a single truly holy place can surpass many outwardly grand ones.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhaumya, speaking in the Vana Parva context of sacred places and pilgrimage, asserts the special superiority of the Payoṣṇī river as a tīrtha, even when compared against all major rivers like the Gaṅgā.