Brāhmaṇya-प्रश्नः — The Inquiry into Attaining Brāhmaṇya
Mataṅga–Gardabhī Itihāsa
आश्रमे कृत्तिकानां तु स्नात्वा यस्तर्पयेत् पितृन् । तोषयित्वा महादेवं निर्मला: स्वर्गमाप्तुयात्
āśrame kṛttikānāṃ tu snātvā yas tarpayet pitṝn | toṣayitvā mahādevaṃ nirmalāḥ svargam āpnuyāt ||
जो कृत्तिकांच्या आश्रमात स्नान करून पितरांचे तर्पण करतो आणि महादेवाला संतुष्ट करतो, तो पापमुक्त होऊन स्वर्गलोक प्राप्त करतो।
अजड्रिय उवाच
The verse teaches that pilgrimage practices—ritual bathing at a sacred site, offering tarpaṇa to one’s ancestors, and devotion that pleases Mahādeva—purify moral/ritual impurity and yield the fruit of heavenly attainment.
In the context of a tīrtha-yātrā (pilgrimage) description within Anuśāsana Parva’s dāna-dharma material, the speaker states the specific merit gained by bathing at the Kṛttikās’ hermitage and performing ancestral libations, coupled with worship that satisfies Śiva.