Shloka 12
Pulastya’s Tīrtha Enumeration: Sarasvatī, Naimiṣa, Gayā, and Associated Phalaśruti
Chapter 82
अक्रोधनश्न राजेन्द्र सत्यशीलो दृढव्रत: । आत्मोपमश्च भूतेषु स तीर्थफलमश्ञुते,राजन! जिसमें क्रोध न हो, जो सत्यवादी और दृढ़तापूर्वक व्रतका पालन करनेवाला हो तथा जो सब प्राणियोंके प्रति आत्मभाव रखता हो, वही तीर्थके फलका भागी होता है
akrodhanaś ca rājendra satyaśīlo dṛḍhavrataḥ | ātmopamaś ca bhūteṣu sa tīrthaphalam aśnute ||
Ghūlastya disse: “Ó melhor dos reis, o verdadeiro fruto da peregrinação é alcançado por aquele que está livre da ira, devotado à verdade, firme na disciplina dos votos e que considera todos os seres como iguais a si mesmo. Só tal pessoa se torna a legítima receptora do mérito de um tīrtha.”
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Pilgrimage bears real spiritual merit only when supported by inner virtues: freedom from anger, commitment to truth, steadfast observance of vows, and empathetic regard for all beings as oneself.
Ghūlastya addresses a king and reframes the value of visiting sacred places: the external act of going to a tīrtha is secondary to the pilgrim’s moral character, which alone makes one fit to receive the tīrtha’s fruit.