Shloka 46
Saptasārasvata-tīrtha-prasaṅgaḥ | The Saptasārasvata Pilgrimage Account and the Maṅkaṇaka Narrative
अभिगच्छन्ति तत् तीर्थ पुण्यं ब्राह्मणसेवितम् । जनेश्वर! वहाँ उस ब्राह्मणसेवित पुण्यतीर्थमें गन्धरवॉसहित देवता भी प्रतिमास आया करते हैं,पुरुषसिंह! तीर्थसेवनके लोभसे वे ब्रह्मर्षिणण समन्तपंचक तीर्थतक सरस्वती नदीके तटपर ठहर गये ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
abhigacchanti tat tīrthaṁ puṇyaṁ brāhmaṇasevitam |
janeśvara! tatra brāhmaṇasevite puṇyatīrthe gandharvaiḥ sahitā devatā api pratimāsaṁ āyānti, puruṣasiṁha! |
tīrthasevanalobhena te brahmarṣayaḥ samantapañcake tīrthe sarasvatīnadītīre nyavasan ||
yajvatāṁ tatra teṣāṁ tu munīnāṁ bhāvitātmanām |
svādhyāyenātimahatā babhūvuḥ pūritā diśaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Ó senhor dos homens, eles vão a esse vau sagrado, um tīrtha santo, frequentado e santificado pelo serviço dos brāhmaṇas. Ali, nesse lugar santo honrado pelos brāhmaṇas, até mesmo os deuses—acompanhados de Gandharvas—vêm mês após mês, ó leão entre os homens. Atraídos pelo desejo de obter o mérito de visitar um tīrtha, aqueles brahmarṣis permaneceram na margem do Sarasvatī, no tīrtha chamado Samantapañcaka. E, enquanto esses sábios purificados realizavam seus ritos, o poderoso som de sua profunda recitação védica (svādhyāya) fez ressoar todas as direções.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage elevates tīrtha-sevā and svādhyāya as dharmic disciplines: holy places gain sanctity through the sustained presence, ritual, and Vedic recitation of purified sages, and even the gods are portrayed as honoring such centers of spiritual practice.
Vaiśampāyana describes a renowned pilgrimage site—Samantapañcaka on the Sarasvatī—where brahmarṣis reside for the sake of tīrtha-merit; as they perform rites and chant the Veda, the powerful sound of their svādhyāya fills all directions, and the gods with Gandharvas are said to visit there monthly.