Shloka 69
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 ||
ದೇವರುಗಳನ್ನೂ ಪಿತೃಗಳನ್ನುೂ ಉದ್ದೇಶಿಸಿ ಅನ್ನದಾನ ಮಾಡಿದರೆ ಅದರ ಧರ್ಮಫಲ ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಮಹತ್ತಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಅಂಥ ಭಾವದಿಂದ ಒಬ್ಬ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣನಿಗಾದರೂ ಭೋಜನ ಮಾಡಿಸಿದರೆ, ಕೋಟಿ ಜನರಿಗೆ ಭೋಜನ ಮಾಡಿಸಿದಂತೆ ಪುಣ್ಯ ಲಭಿಸುತ್ತದೆ—ಅಷ್ಟು ಮಹತ್ತರ ಆ ಧರ್ಮಫಲ.
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.