Shloka 37

Tīrtha-yātrā: Phalaśruti and Sacred Geography from Lohitya to Prayāga

Pulastya’s Instruction

Devanagari script

हृदाक्ष तव तीर्थत्वं गमिष्यन्ति न संशय: । हृदेषु तेषु यः स्नात्वा पितृन्‌ संतर्पयिष्यति,“तुम्हारे बनाये हुए ये कुण्ड तीर्थस्वरूप होंगे, इसमें संशय नहीं है। जो इन कुण्डोंमें नहाकर पितरोंका तर्पण करेंगे, उन्हें तृप्त हुए पितर ऐसा वर देंगे, जो इस भूतलपर दुर्लभ है। वे उसके लिये मनोवाजञ्छित कामना और सनातन स्वर्गलोक सुलभ कर देंगे!

Transliteration

hṛdākṣa tava tīrthatvaṃ gamiṣyanti na saṃśayaḥ | hṛdeṣu teṣu yaḥ snātvā pitṝn saṃtarpayiṣyati |

Translation

हे हृदाक्ष! तू निर्माण केलेले हे कुंड निःसंशय तीर्थरूप होतील. जो या कुंडांत स्नान करून पितरांना तर्पण करील—

Word by Word

हृदाक्षO Hṛdākṣa (name/address)

तवof you/your

तीर्थत्वम्the state of being a sacred ford/pilgrimage-place

गमिष्यन्तिwill attain / will come to

नnot

संशयःdoubt

हृदेषुin the ponds/lakes

तेषुin those

यःwho

स्नात्वाhaving bathed

पितॄन्the ancestors (pitṛs)

संतर्पयिष्यतिwill satisfy/propitiate (by offerings)

Speaker

घुलस्त्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

Ghūlastya

Hṛdākṣa

tīrtha (sacred ford/pilgrimage-site)

hṛda (ponds/pools)

pitṛs (ancestors/forefathers)

svarga (heaven) (implied by the accompanying sense)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Acts that support sacred spaces and proper ancestral rites (snāna and pitṛ-tarpaṇa) are presented as dharmic deeds that generate lasting merit, bringing both worldly fulfilment (desired aims) and otherworldly reward (svarga).

What is happening in the narrative?

A speaker named Ghūlastya addresses Hṛdākṣa, praising the ponds he has created and declaring that they will become recognized tīrthas; those who bathe there and satisfy the ancestors through offerings will receive rare boons from the pleased pitṛs.