Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
पितरश्न महाभागा: पूजयन्ति सम तं मुनिम् । उनका यह प्रश्न सुनकर सम्पूर्ण देवता, तपोधन ऋषि तथा महाभाग पितर विद्युत्प्रभ मुनिकी भूरि-भूरि प्रशंसा करने लगे ।।
pitaraś ca mahābhāgāḥ pūjayanti sma taṃ munim | śakra uvāca: kurukṣetraṃ gayāṃ caiva gaṅgāṃ prabhāsaṃ puṣkarāṇi ca |
Para Pitṛ (leluhur) yang mulia sedang memuliakan resi itu dengan penuh hormat. Mendengar pertanyaan tersebut, seluruh dewa, para resi yang kaya dengan harta tapa, serta para Pitṛ yang diberkati, memuji-muji muni yang bercahaya laksana kilat itu. Lalu Śakra (Indra) bersabda, menyebut tirtha-tirtha termasyhur: Kurukṣetra, Gayā, Gaṅgā, Prabhāsa, dan Puṣkara.
शक्र उवाच
Honoring the worthy—especially sages—and remembering sacred tīrthas are presented as dharmic supports; reverence (pūjā) and sanctity (tīrtha-smaraṇa) reinforce ethical life and ancestral obligations.
The Pitṛs are shown venerating a sage; immediately after, Indra speaks and begins enumerating major holy places (Kurukṣetra, Gayā, Gaṅgā, Prabhāsa, Puṣkara), signaling a discussion centered on tīrthas and their religious-ethical significance.