Purukutsa’s Rasātala Victory; Triśaṅku and Hariścandra; Rohita and Śunaḥśepha
भूमे: पर्यटनं पुण्यं तीर्थक्षेत्रनिषेवणै: । रोहितायादिशच्छक्र: सोऽप्यरण्येऽवसत् समाम् ॥ १८ ॥
bhūmeḥ paryaṭanaṁ puṇyaṁ tīrtha-kṣetra-niṣevaṇaiḥ rohitāyādiśac chakraḥ so ’py araṇye ’vasat samām
Indra (Śakra) menasihati Rohita bahawa mengembara di bumi sambil menziarahi tīrtha dan tempat suci adalah amalan yang sangat berpahala. Mengikuti nasihat itu, Rohita tinggal di hutan selama setahun.
This verse says travel becomes truly pious when it involves resorting to and serving tīrthas and sacred kṣetras—pilgrimage is sanctifying when approached as devotional, reverential practice.
Within the Rohita narrative, Indra guides Rohita away from returning home, directing him toward forest-dwelling and pilgrimage-associated wandering, which prolongs his stay and shapes the unfolding dharmic trial in the story.
Make spiritual travel purposeful: visit sacred places with service, humility, and sādhana (hearing, chanting, prayer), rather than treating it as ordinary tourism—then the journey becomes spiritually fruitful.