Shloka 3
त्रिवर्गमूलनिश्चयः — Determining the Roots of Dharma, Artha, and Kāma
Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 123
तत्र शुद्ध हिमवतो मेरौ कनकपर्वते । यत्र मुज्जावटे रामो जटाहरणमादिशत्,राजेन्द्र! वह स्थान सुवर्णमय पर्वत सुमेरुके समीपवर्ती हिमालयके शिखरपर है, जहाँ मुंजावटमें परशुरामजीने अपनी जटाएँ बाँधनेका आदेश दिया था। तभीसे कठोर व्रतका पालन करनेवाले ऋषियोंने उस रुद्रसेवित प्रदेशको मुंजपृष्ठ नाम दे दिया
tatra śuddhe himavato merau kanakaparvate | yatra muñjāvaṭe rāmo jaṭāharaṇam ādiśat, rājendra |
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai raja yang terbaik, ada suatu wilayah yang suci dan murni di Himavat, dekat Meru, pada gunung keemasan. Di sana, di Muñjāvaṭa, Rāma (Paraśurāma) pernah memerintahkan agar rambut gimbalnya (jaṭā) diikat dan disusun. Sejak saat itu, para Ṛṣi yang teguh dalam laku tapa dan ikrar keras, memandangnya sebagai tanah yang disucikan oleh kehadiran Rudra (Śiva), lalu menamakan kawasan itu Muñjapṛṣṭha.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how places become sanctified through the presence and acts of great ascetics and deities: an austere act associated with Paraśurāma and the perceived attendance of Rudra leads sages to recognize, preserve, and name the region as sacred—linking dharma to memory, restraint, and holy geography.
Bhīṣma describes to the king a pure Himalayan locale near Meru on a ‘golden mountain,’ identifying it as Muñjāvaṭa where Paraśurāma issued an instruction concerning his matted locks. Because the area is regarded as connected with Rudra and frequented by austere sages, it came to be known as Muñjapṛṣṭha.