Shloka 48
Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
पितरश्न महाभागा: पूजयन्ति सम तं मुनिम् । उनका यह प्रश्न सुनकर सम्पूर्ण देवता, तपोधन ऋषि तथा महाभाग पितर विद्युत्प्रभ मुनिकी भूरि-भूरि प्रशंसा करने लगे ।।
pitaraś ca mahābhāgāḥ pūjayanti sma taṃ munim | śakra uvāca: kurukṣetraṃ gayāṃ caiva gaṅgāṃ prabhāsaṃ puṣkarāṇi ca |
Os bem-aventurados Pitṛs (pais ancestrais) honravam aquele sábio com reverência. Ao ouvirem sua pergunta, todos os deuses, os rishis ricos no tesouro da austeridade e os afortunados Pitṛs louvaram repetidas vezes o muni, fulgurante como o relâmpago. Então Śakra (Indra) falou, nomeando célebres lugares sagrados: Kurukṣetra, Gayā, o Gaṅgā, Prabhāsa e Puṣkara.
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Honoring the worthy—especially sages—and remembering sacred tīrthas are presented as dharmic supports; reverence (pūjā) and sanctity (tīrtha-smaraṇa) reinforce ethical life and ancestral obligations.
The Pitṛs are shown venerating a sage; immediately after, Indra speaks and begins enumerating major holy places (Kurukṣetra, Gayā, Gaṅgā, Prabhāsa, Puṣkara), signaling a discussion centered on tīrthas and their religious-ethical significance.