Saptasārasvata-tīrtha-prasaṅgaḥ | The Saptasārasvata Pilgrimage Account and the Maṅkaṇaka Narrative
समन्तपजञ्चकं यावत्तावत्ते द्विजसत्तमा: । तीर्थलोभान्नरव्याप्र नद्यास्तीरं समाश्रिता:
Samantapañcakaṃ yāvattāvatt te dvijasattamāḥ | tīrthalobhān naravyāghra nadyās tīraṃ samāśritāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Ó tigre entre os homens, até onde se estende a região chamada Samantapañcaka, até ali mesmo aqueles mais eminentes entre os duas-vezes-nascidos, impelidos pelo desejo dos tīrthas de banho sagrado, buscaram abrigo ao longo da margem do rio.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse highlights the powerful pull of tīrthas in dharmic life: learned people seek sacred places for purification and merit, suggesting that even amid the war’s grim context, ritual and moral restoration through pilgrimage remains a valued path.
Vaiśampāyana describes how eminent Brahmins, eager to reach holy fords, spread out and settled along the riverbank throughout the region known as Samantapañcaka, indicating a movement toward sacred sites in the Kurukṣetra area.