Shloka 9
Merits of Vitastā, Devikā, Rudrakoṭī and Sarasvatī Sacred Fords
अथ गच्छेत राजेंद्र देविकां लोकविश्रुताम् । प्रसूतिर्यत्र विप्राणां श्रूयते भरतर्षभ
atha gaccheta rājeṃdra devikāṃ lokaviśrutām | prasūtiryatra viprāṇāṃ śrūyate bharatarṣabha
അതിനുശേഷം, ഹേ രാജേന്ദ്രാ, ലോകപ്രസിദ്ധമായ ദേവികാ നദിയിലേക്കു പോകണം. ഹേ ഭാരതശ്രേഷ്ഠാ, അവിടെയാണ് വിപ്രന്മാരുടെ ഉദ്ഭവം സംഭവിച്ചതെന്ന് ശ്രുതിയുണ്ട്.
Uncertain from single-verse context (within Svarga-khaṇḍa, commonly framed as Pulastya instructing Bhīṣma).
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: river
Sandhi Resolution Notes: प्रसूतिर्यत्र = प्रसूतिः + यत्र; राजेंद्र = राजेन्द्र; भरतर्षभ = भरतर्षभ (समास).
FAQs
It points the listener toward a specific tīrtha named Devikā, described as “world-renowned,” showing how the Padma Purāṇa maps spiritual merit onto particular rivers/places as destinations for pilgrimage.
Indirectly: by prescribing a pilgrimage to a famed sacred site, it supports devotional practice through tīrtha-yātrā (reverent travel to holy places), a common ancillary discipline within Purāṇic bhakti culture.
It conveys respect for sacred tradition (śruti/itihāsa-smṛti reports: “it is heard”) and encourages disciplined, purposeful action—undertaking pilgrimage not as tourism but as a reverent observance tied to remembered sacred history.