श्रीराम उवाच । भगवन्यानि तीर्थानि सेवितानि त्वया विभो । एतेषां परमं तीर्थं तन्ममाचक्ष्व मानद
śrīrāma uvāca | bhagavanyāni tīrthāni sevitāni tvayā vibho | eteṣāṃ paramaṃ tīrthaṃ tanmamācakṣva mānada
ശ്രീരാമൻ പറഞ്ഞു— ഭഗവനേ, വിഭോ! നിങ്ങൾ സേവിച്ചു ആരാധിച്ച അനേകം തീർത്ഥങ്ങളിൽ പരമമായ തീർത്ഥം ഏതാണ്, മാനദാ, എനിക്ക് പറഞ്ഞു തരിക।
Śrī Rāma
Listener: Vasiṣṭha
Scene: Śrī Rāma, composed and reverent, questions the sage about the highest tīrtha; a forest-āśrama setting with ascetics, water-pot (kamaṇḍalu), and prayerful posture.
A sincere seeker should approach a realized guide and inquire about the highest means of purification through tīrtha and dharma.
This verse introduces the inquiry; the specific tīrtha is identified in the subsequent verses (notably the Narmadā and Gaṅgā).
No ritual is prescribed here; it is a request for authoritative instruction about the सर्वोत्तम तीर्थ (supreme tīrtha).