Shloka 109
Dhaumya’s Enumeration of Eastern Tīrthas
Prācī-diś Tīrtha-kathana
स्नाति तीर्थेषु कौरव्य न च वक्रमतिर्नर: | त्वया तु सम्यग्वृत्तेन नित्यं धर्मार्थदर्शिना
snāti tīrtheṣu kauravya na ca vakramatir naraḥ | tvayā tu samyagvṛttena nityaṁ dharmārthadarśinā
Pulastya berkata: “Wahai zuriat keturunan Kuru, seseorang boleh mandi di tīrtha—tempat penyeberangan suci—namun fikiran yang bengkok tidak semestinya lenyap kerananya. Tetapi dalam halmu—kerana tingkah lakumu benar-benar lurus dan kerana engkau sentiasa menilai dharma (yang benar) dan artha (yang bermanfaat)—tujuan penyucian tercapai melalui budi pekerti, bukan semata-mata melalui upacara.”
पुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual acts like bathing at tīrthas do not automatically remove inner crookedness; genuine purification and merit come from samyak-vṛtti—steady right conduct—and clear discernment of dharma and artha.
The sage Pulastya addresses a Kuru-descended interlocutor, contrasting external pilgrimage rites with inner moral transformation, and commends the listener’s upright, dharma-guided way of life as the true source of purity.