Pulastya’s Tīrtha Enumeration: Sarasvatī, Naimiṣa, Gayā, and Associated Phalaśruti
Chapter 82
विष्णोर्दुर्वाससा यत्र वरो दत्तो युधिष्िर । वरदाने नर: स्नात्वा गोसहस्रफलं लभेत्
viṣṇor durvāsasā yatra varo datto yudhiṣṭhira | varadāne naraḥ snātvā gosahasraphalaṁ labhet ||
Ghūlastya disse: “Ó Yudhiṣṭhira, naquele lugar onde Viṣṇu concedeu uma dádiva por meio de Durvāsas, o homem que se banha no vau que concede bênçãos, Varadāna, obtém mérito igual ao de doar mil vacas.”
घुलस्त्य उवाच
The verse teaches that contact with a sanctified tīrtha—especially one associated with divine grace and a sage’s mediation—can yield great spiritual merit, comparable to major acts of charity, encouraging disciplined pilgrimage and reverent practice.
In the context of the tīrtha-yātrā descriptions of Vana Parva, the speaker points out a specific sacred bathing place linked to a boon involving Viṣṇu and the sage Durvāsas, and explains the religious ‘fruit’ (phala) obtained by bathing there.