Shloka 183
Dhaumya’s Enumeration of Eastern Tīrthas
Prācī-diś Tīrtha-kathana
अश्वमेधमवाप्रोति पूजयित्वा वृषध्वजम् | श्रीपर्वतपर जाकर वहाँकी नदीके तटपर स्नान करे। वहाँ भगवान् शंकरकी पूजा करके मनुष्यको अश्वमेधयज्ञका फल प्राप्त होता है
aśvamedham avāpnoti pūjayitvā vṛṣadhvajam | śrīparvatapara gatvā tatra nadyāḥ taṭe snānaṃ kuryāt | tatra bhagavantaṃ śaṅkaraṃ pūjayitvā manuṣyo 'śvamedhayajñasya phalaṃ prāpnoti ||
Pulastya berkata: “Seseorang memperoleh pahala Aśvamedha dengan memuja Vṛṣadhvaja (Śiva). Pergilah ke Śrīparvata dan mandi di tebing sungai di sana. Di tempat itu, dengan menyembah Tuhan Śaṅkara, manusia meraih buah korban suci Aśvamedha.”
पुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that wholehearted worship of Śiva at a sacred tīrtha—combined with purifying acts like river-bathing—can confer the same spiritual merit as the grand Aśvamedha sacrifice, highlighting devotion and accessible dharmic practice over expensive ritual display.
Pulastya is describing a tīrtha-observance: one should go to Śrīparvata, bathe at the riverbank there, and worship Śaṅkara; by doing so, the pilgrim gains the fruit traditionally attributed to performing an Aśvamedha.