Shloka 110
Tīrtha-yātrā: Phalaśruti and Sacred Geography from Lohitya to Prayāga
Pulastya’s Instruction
तीर्थयात्रां पुरस्कृत्य कुरुक्षेत्र गता: पुरा । ततः कुञ्ज: सरस्वत्या: कृतो भरतसत्तम,कुरुश्रेष्ठ! तत्पश्चात् नैमिषकुठ्जकी यात्रा करे। राजेन्द्र! कहते हैं, नैमिषारण्यके निवासी तपस्वी ऋषि पहले कभी तीर्थयात्राके प्रसंगसे कुरुक्षेत्रमें गये थे। भरतश्रेष्ठ] उसी समय उन्होंने सरस्वतीकुंजका निर्माण किया था (वही नैमिषकुंज कहलाता है)
ghūlastya uvāca | tīrthayātrāṃ puraskṛtya kurukṣetraṃ gatāḥ purā | tataḥ kuñjaḥ sarasvatyāḥ kṛto bharatasattama kuruśreṣṭha | tatpaścāt naimiṣakuñjakī yātrā kare | rājendra kathayanti naimiṣāraṇyake nivāsinaḥ tapasvino ṛṣayaḥ pūrvaṃ kadācit tīrthayātrāprasangena kurukṣetreṃ gatāḥ | bharataśreṣṭha tasmin kāle te sarasvatīkuñjasya nirmāṇaṃ kṛtavantaḥ (sa eva naimiṣakuñja iti khyātaḥ) |
Disse Ghūlastya: “Há muito tempo, pondo à frente a peregrinação (tīrthayātrā), os sábios ascetas que habitavam Naimiṣāraṇya foram a Kurukṣetra. Ó melhor dos Bhāratas, ó primeiro entre os Kurus, foi então que estabeleceram um bosque sagrado junto ao Sarasvatī. Depois disso, deve-se empreender a peregrinação a esse bosque de Naimiṣa. Ó rei, conta-se que esse mesmo bosque do Sarasvatī, criado por aqueles tapasvins naquele tempo, passou a chamar-se ‘Naimiṣakuñja’.”
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores dharma through tīrthayātrā: sacred travel is not merely movement but a disciplined, tradition-bearing act that connects communities of sages and preserves holy sites. Establishing and remembering tīrthas (like the Sarasvatī-grove) is presented as a meritorious cultural duty that sustains spiritual geography for later seekers.
The speaker recounts an old tradition: sages from Naimiṣāraṇya once went on pilgrimage to Kurukṣetra and, during that journey, established a grove on the Sarasvatī. That grove became known as Naimiṣakuñja, and the text recommends undertaking a pilgrimage to it thereafter.