Shloka 56

युधिष्ठिरस्य अर्जुनप्रेषण-युक्तिवर्णनम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rationale for Sending Arjuna and Request to Dhaumya

Devanagari script

जो छठे समय उपवासपूर्वक एक मासतक महालयतीर्थमें निवास करता है, वह सब पापोंसे शुद्धचित्त हो प्रचुर सुवर्णराशि प्राप्त करता है। साथ ही दस पहलेकी और दस बादकी पीढ़ियोंका उद्धार कर देता है ।।

Transliteration

yaḥ ṣaṣṭhe samaye upavāsa-pūrvakaṃ eka-māsatakaṃ mahālayatīrthe nivāsaṃ karoti, sa sarva-pāpebhyaḥ śuddha-cittaḥ bhūtvā pracura-suvarṇa-rāśiṃ prāpnoti; sārdhaṃ ca daśa pūrvakīnāṃ daśa cāparakīnāṃ pīḍhīnāṃ uddhāraṃ karoti. atha vetasikāṃ gatvā pitāmaha-niṣevitām, aśvamedham avāpnoti, gacched auśanasīṃ gatim; tataḥ paścāt brahmājī-kṛta-niṣevitāyāṃ vetasikā-tīrthe gatvā manuṣyaḥ aśvamedha-yajñasya phalaṃ prāpnoti śukrācārya-lokaṃ ca gacchati.

Translation

ຄູລັດສະຕະຍາ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ຜູ້ໃດ ໃນເວລາທີ່ຫົກຕາມກຳນົດ ຖືອົດອາຫານ ແລ້ວພັກອາໄສຢູ່ທີ່ທ່ານ້ຳສັກສິດ ມະຫາລະຍະ (Mahālaya tīrtha) ເຕັມໜຶ່ງເດືອນ ຈະບໍລິສຸດຈາກບາບທັງປວງ ໄດ້ຮັບຄຳເປັນກອງຫຼາຍ ແລະຍັງຊ່ວຍໃຫ້ພົ້ນທຸກແກ່ສິບຊົນລຸ້ນກ່ອນ ແລະສິບຊົນລຸ້ນຫຼັງ. ຕໍ່ຈາກນັ້ນ ໄປຍັງ ເວຕະສິກາ (Vetasikā) ທີ່ປິຕາມະຫາ (Pitāmaha) ເຄີຍໄປສະຫວັດດີ ຈະໄດ້ບຸນຜົນເທົ່າກັບພິທີ ອັສວະເມດ (Aśvamedha) ແລະເຂົ້າສູ່ເສັ້ນທາງໄປຫາ ອໍຊະນະສະ (Auśanasa/Śukra). ຫຼັງຈາກນັ້ນ ທີ່ທີຣຖະ ເວຕະສິກາ ອັນແມ່ນແຕ່ ພຣະພຣົມ (Brahmā) ຍັງເຄົາລົບ ຜູ້ຄົນຈະໄດ້ຮັບຜົນຂອງອັສວະເມດ ແລະໄປຮອດໂລກຂອງ ສຸກຣາຈາຣຍະ (Śukrācārya)»

Word by Word

• अथ: then/thereupon
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• वेतसिकाम्: to Vetasikā (tīrtha/place-name)
• वेतसिकाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेतसिका
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• गत्वा: having gone
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral)

• पितामह: by the grandsire (Brahmā)
• पितामह: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (as first member in compound), Singular

• निषेविताम्: frequented/served
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि-सेव्
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• पितामहनिषेविताम्: frequented by Brahmā (the grandsire)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पितामह-निषेवित
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• अश्वमेधम्: Aśvamedha (sacrifice/its fruit)
• अश्वमेधम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अवाप्नोति: obtains/attains
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव-आप्
• Form: Present, Indicative, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• गच्छेत्: would go/should go
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम्
• Form: Present, Optative, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• औशनसीम्: of Uśanas (Śukra), belonging to Śukra
• Type: Adjective
• Root: औशनसी
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• गतिम्: path/state/destination
• गतिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

घुलस्त्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Ghūlastya (speaker)
• Mahālaya-tīrtha
• Vetasikā-tīrtha
• Pitāmaha (Brahmā)
• Brahmā
• Aśvamedha (horse-sacrifice)
• Auśanasa (Śukra)
• Śukrācārya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that disciplined austerity (fasting) combined with sustained residence at a sacred tīrtha is portrayed as powerfully purifying, yielding both personal merit (inner purification and prosperity) and transgenerational benefit (uplift of ancestors and descendants). It also equates tīrtha-observance with the highest royal sacrifice (Aśvamedha), emphasizing ethical self-restraint over costly ritual display.

What is happening in the narrative?

A speaker named Ghūlastya is describing the fruits of specific pilgrimage observances: staying a month at Mahālaya with a prescribed fast, then visiting the Vetasikā tīrtha associated with Pitāmaha/Brahmā. These acts are said to confer Aśvamedha-level merit and lead to an exalted posthumous destination identified with Śukra (Śukrācārya).