Shloka 14
Brāhmaṇya-प्रश्नः — The Inquiry into Attaining Brāhmaṇya
Mataṅga–Gardabhī Itihāsa
अपां हृद उपस्पृश्य वाजिमेधफलं लभेत् | ब्रह्मचारी जितक्रोध: सत्यसंधस्त्वहिंसक:
apāṁ hṛda upaspṛśya vājimedha-phalaṁ labhet | brahmacārī jitakrodhaḥ satyasaṁdhas tv ahiṁsakaḥ |
ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಚಾರಿಯಾಗಿ, ಕ್ರೋಧವನ್ನು ಜಯಿಸಿ, ಸತ್ಯವ್ರತಸ್ಥನಾಗಿ, ಅಹಿಂಸಕನಾಗಿ ‘ಅಪಾಂ ಹೃದ’ (ಸಲಿಲಹದ) ತೀರ್ಥದಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ನಾನ ಮಾಡಿದವನು ಅಶ್ವಮೇಧ ಯಜ್ಞಫಲವನ್ನು ಪಡೆಯುತ್ತಾನೆ।
अजड्रिय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that sacred acts like bathing at a tīrtha yield their highest merit only when grounded in ethical virtues—brahmacarya (disciplined continence), mastery over anger, truthfulness, and non-violence—thereby prioritizing inner character over mere external ritual.
A speaker (Ajadriya) describes the spiritual efficacy of a specific pilgrimage site, Salilahada, stating that a properly qualified practitioner who bathes there attains the merit equivalent to performing the grand Aśvamedha sacrifice.