Shloka 58
Tīrtha-yātrā: Phalaśruti and Sacred Geography from Lohitya to Prayāga
Pulastya’s Instruction
मातृतीर्थ च तत्रैव यत्र स्नातस्य भारत | प्रजा विवर्धते राजन्नतन्वीं श्रियमश्नुते
mātṛtīrthaṃ ca tatraiva yatra snātasya bhārata | prajā vivardhate rājann atanvīṃ śriyam aśnute ||
आणि तेथेच ‘मातृतीर्थ’ही आहे. हे भारत! तेथे स्नान केल्याने त्याची प्रजा वाढते; आणि हे राजन्, तो अक्षय, अव्याहत समृद्धी प्राप्त करतो.
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links righteous pilgrimage and ritual purification (bathing at a tīrtha) with ethical kingship: the king’s merit is shown not merely in personal gain but in the flourishing of his subjects, culminating in stable, non-waning prosperity.
During the Pāṇḍavas’ forest period, a guide/speaker is describing the greatness of particular sacred sites. Here he points out Mātṛtīrtha and states the fruits of bathing there—growth of one’s people and enduring fortune for the ruler.