राजोवाच । शंखतीर्थं कथं ज्ञेयं मया ब्राह्मणसत्तमाः । कथं चैव समुत्पन्नं वदध्वं मम विस्तरात्
rājovāca | śaṃkhatīrthaṃ kathaṃ jñeyaṃ mayā brāhmaṇasattamāḥ | kathaṃ caiva samutpannaṃ vadadhvaṃ mama vistarāt
王は言った。「おお、最勝のバラモンたちよ、我はいかにしてシャンカティールタ(Śaṅkhatīrtha)を見分けるべきか。さらに、それはいかにして生じたのか。詳しく我に語れ。」
King (Rājā)
Tirtha: Śaṅkhatīrtha
Type: tirtha
Listener: Rājā (king)
Scene: A king, hands folded, addresses a seated circle of venerable Brahmins near a hermitage or ghāṭa; the mood is formal and inquisitive, with scrolls or water-vessels indicating sacred instruction.
A righteous ruler seeks precise knowledge of sacred places and their origins, showing reverence for dharma and tīrtha-tradition.
Śaṅkhatīrtha—its identification and origin are requested.
None; the verse transitions into the tīrtha’s origin narrative (utpatti-kathā).