Shloka 366
Dhaumya’s Enumeration of Eastern Tīrthas
Prācī-diś Tīrtha-kathana
त्रिरात्रमुषितः स्नात्वा अश्वमेधफलं लभेत् । कुशप्लवनतीर्थमें जाकर स्नान करके ब्रह्मचर्यपालनपूर्वक एकाग्रचित्त हो तीन रात निवास करनेवाला पुरुष अश्वमेधयज्ञका फल पाता है
trirātram uṣitaḥ snātvā aśvamedha-phalaṁ labhet | kuśaplavana-tīrthe gatvā snātvā brahmacarya-pālana-pūrvakam ekāgra-citto bhūtvā trirātraṁ nivāsī puruṣaḥ aśvamedha-yajñasya phalaṁ prāpnoti |
Pulastya berkata: “Sesiapa yang pergi ke tempat penyeberangan suci bernama Kuśaplavana, mandi di sana, lalu—setelah terlebih dahulu memegang ikrar brahmacarya—tinggal selama tiga malam dengan fikiran terpusat, memperoleh pahala setara dengan korban suci Aśvamedha.”
पुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that disciplined pilgrimage—bathing at a sacred tīrtha, maintaining brahmacarya, and staying with focused mind—can yield merit comparable to a grand royal sacrifice, emphasizing inner restraint and sincerity over mere external grandeur.
Pulastya is describing the spiritual efficacy of a specific pilgrimage site, Kuśaplavana, prescribing a three-night observance with ritual bathing and ethical self-control, and stating the resulting reward in terms familiar to epic audiences: the fruit of the Aśvamedha.