Tīrtha-yātrā: Phalaśruti and Sacred Geography from Lohitya to Prayāga
Pulastya’s Instruction
सोमतीर्थे नर: स्नात्वा तीर्थसेवी नराधिप
Somatīrthe naraḥ snātvā tīrthasevī narādhipa
ಹೇ ನರಾಧಿಪ! ಸೋಮತೀರ್ಥದಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ನಾನ ಮಾಡಿ, ತೀರ್ಥಸೇವೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಿರತನಾಗಿರುವ ಮನುಷ್ಯನು—
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Reverent pilgrimage—especially ritual bathing at a tīrtha and sustained devotion to sacred observances—is presented as a purifier that supports dharmic living and moral self-discipline.
A speaker (Ghūlastya) addresses a king and begins describing the spiritual benefit of bathing at the sacred place Somatīrtha, as part of a broader tīrtha-mahātmya (praise of pilgrimage sites) section in the Vana Parva.