Shloka 46
Saptasārasvata-tīrtha-prasaṅgaḥ | The Saptasārasvata Pilgrimage Account and the Maṅkaṇaka Narrative
अभिगच्छन्ति तत् तीर्थ पुण्यं ब्राह्मणसेवितम् । जनेश्वर! वहाँ उस ब्राह्मणसेवित पुण्यतीर्थमें गन्धरवॉसहित देवता भी प्रतिमास आया करते हैं,पुरुषसिंह! तीर्थसेवनके लोभसे वे ब्रह्मर्षिणण समन्तपंचक तीर्थतक सरस्वती नदीके तटपर ठहर गये ।। जुद्वतां तत्र तेषां तु मुनीनां भावितात्मनाम् | स्वाध्यायेनातिमहता बभूवु: पूरिता दिश: वहाँ होम करते हुए पवित्रात्मा मुनियोंके अत्यन्त गम्भीर स्वरसे किये जानेवाले स्वाध्यायके शब्दसे सम्पूर्ण दिशाएँ गूँज उठी थीं
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
abhigacchanti tat tīrthaṁ puṇyaṁ brāhmaṇasevitam |
janeśvara! tatra brāhmaṇasevite puṇyatīrthe gandharvaiḥ sahitā devatā api pratimāsaṁ āyānti, puruṣasiṁha! |
tīrthasevanalobhena te brahmarṣayaḥ samantapañcake tīrthe sarasvatīnadītīre nyavasan ||
yajvatāṁ tatra teṣāṁ tu munīnāṁ bhāvitātmanām |
svādhyāyenātimahatā babhūvuḥ pūritā diśaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai tuan manusia, mereka mendatangi ford suci itu—sebuah tīrtha yang mulia, disucikan oleh khidmat para brāhmaṇa. Di tempat suci yang dihormati para brāhmaṇa itu, wahai singa di antara manusia, bahkan para dewa—bersama para Gandharva—datang bulan demi bulan. Tertarik oleh hasrat meraih pahala kunjungan tīrtha, para brahmarṣi itu tinggal di tebing Sungai Sarasvatī, di tīrtha bernama Samantapañcaka. Dan ketika para resi yang telah disucikan itu menunaikan upacara mereka, gema lantang bacaan Veda (svādhyāya) yang mendalam memenuhi segala penjuru.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage elevates tīrtha-sevā and svādhyāya as dharmic disciplines: holy places gain sanctity through the sustained presence, ritual, and Vedic recitation of purified sages, and even the gods are portrayed as honoring such centers of spiritual practice.
Vaiśampāyana describes a renowned pilgrimage site—Samantapañcaka on the Sarasvatī—where brahmarṣis reside for the sake of tīrtha-merit; as they perform rites and chant the Veda, the powerful sound of their svādhyāya fills all directions, and the gods with Gandharvas are said to visit there monthly.