Tīrtha-yātrā: Phalaśruti and Sacred Geography from Lohitya to Prayāga
Pulastya’s Instruction
व्यासेन नृपशार्दूल द्विजार्थमिति न: श्रुतम् । सर्वतीर्थेषु स सनाति मिश्रके सनाति यो नर:,राजेन्द्र! तत्पश्चात् परम उत्तम मिश्रकतीर्थमें जाय। महाराज! वहाँ महात्मा व्यासने द्विजोंके लिये सभी तीर्थोका सम्मिश्रण किया है; यह बात मेरे सुननेमें आयी है। जो मनुष्य मिश्रकतीर्थमें स्नान करता है, उसका वह स्नान सभी तीर्थोर्में स्नान करनेके समान है
ghulastya uvāca | vyāsena nṛpaśārdūla dvijārtham iti naḥ śrutam | sarvatīrtheṣu sa snāti miśrake snāti yo naraḥ, rājendra! tatpaścāt param uttama-miśrakatīrthaṃ evaṃ jāyate | mahārāja! tatra mahātmā vyāsena dvijānāṃ kṛte sarvatīrthānāṃ sammiśraṇaṃ kṛtam; iti me śrutam | yo manuṣyo miśrakatīrthe snānaṃ karoti, tasya tat snānaṃ sarvatīrtheṣu snānasamaṃ bhavati |
नृपशार्दूल! आम्ही ऐकले आहे की द्विजांच्या हितासाठी व्यासांनी (मिश्रकात) सर्व तीर्थांचे पुण्य एकत्र केले आहे. जो मनुष्य मिश्रकात स्नान करतो, तो जणू सर्व तीर्थांत स्नान करतो.
घुलस्त्य उवाच
The verse teaches that certain tīrthas are revered as ‘equivalent’ to many others: bathing at Miśraka is said to confer the same merit as bathing at all sacred places, emphasizing accessibility of religious merit and the special sanctity attributed to a site established (or praised) by Vyāsa for the benefit of the dvijas.
A speaker named Ghulastya addresses a king, reporting a received tradition: Vyāsa is believed to have combined the efficacy of all tīrthas into the Miśraka-tīrtha, so that a single ritual bath there equals bathing everywhere.