चित्रसेन उवाच । कस्मिन्देशे च तत्तीर्थं सत्यं कथयत द्विजाः । येनाभिवाञ्छिता सिद्धिः सफला मे भविष्यति
citrasena uvāca | kasmindeśe ca tattīrthaṃ satyaṃ kathayata dvijāḥ | yenābhivāñchitā siddhiḥ saphalā me bhaviṣyati
Citrasena berkata: “Di negeri manakah terletaknya tīrtha yang suci itu? Wahai para brāhmaṇa, katakanlah dengan benar—agar siddhi yang kuidamkan menjadi berhasil dan berbuah bagiku.”
Citrasena
Scene: A king (Citrasena) respectfully questioning seated sages in a forest hermitage, hands folded, seeking the true location of a siddhi-giving tīrtha; the atmosphere is anticipatory and devotional.
Spiritual success is sought through right guidance—asking the wise and following truthfully revealed tīrtha-instructions.
The verse introduces the inquiry; the tīrtha is specified in the sages’ reply (next verse).
The practical prescription is to seek the tīrtha’s location from qualified sages and undertake the journey accordingly.