Shloka 23
बदरपाचन-तीर्थमाहात्म्यम् | Badarapācana Tīrtha Māhātmya
Indratīrtha and the Austerities of Srucāvatī & Arundhatī
तत्राप्लुत्य ततो ब्रह्मा सह देवै: प्रभु: पुरा,ससर्ज तीर्थानि तथा देवतानां यथाविधि । पूर्वकालमें देवताओंसहित भगवान् ब्रह्माने वहाँ स्नान करके विधिपूर्वक देवतीर्थोंकी रचना की थी
tatrāplutya tato brahmā saha devaiḥ prabhuḥ purā | sasarja tīrthāni tathā devatānāṃ yathāvidhi ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Pada zaman purba, di tempat itu, Tuhan Brahmā, Sang Penguasa, bersama para dewa telah mandi, lalu menurut tatacara yang ditetapkan mendirikan tīrtha—tempat penyeberangan suci—serta tempat mandi ilahi, menyucikan kawasan itu melalui pentahbisan yang teratur dan berlandaskan aturan.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sacredness is not merely a matter of place but of dharmic order: even divine acts of consecration are performed yathāvidhi—according to prescribed rule—highlighting the Mahābhārata’s emphasis on disciplined, lawful practice as the basis of religious merit.
The narrator states that in ancient times Brahmā, accompanied by the gods, bathed at that location and then established the tīrthas—divine pilgrimage/bathing sites—through proper ritual procedure, explaining the origin and authority of the sacred spot being described.