Shloka 160
Tīrtha-yātrā: Phalaśruti and Sacred Geography from Lohitya to Prayāga
Pulastya’s Instruction
तीर्थाभिषेकं कुर्वीत पितृदेवार्चने रत: । सर्वपापविशुद्धात्मा अग्निष्टोमफलं लभेत्,राजेन्द्र! वहाँसे उत्तम रेणुकातीर्थकी यात्रा करे। पहले उस तीर्थमें स्नान करे; फिर देवताओं और पितरोंकी पूजामें तत्पर हो जाय। उससे तीर्थयात्री सब पापोंसे शुद्ध हो अग्निष्टोमयज्ञका फल पाता है
tīrthābhiṣekaṃ kurvīta pitṛdevārcane rataḥ | sarvapāpaviśuddhātmā agniṣṭomaphalaṃ labhet, rājendra |
Ghūlastya disse: “Ó melhor dos reis, deve-se realizar o banho sagrado num tīrtha e, em seguida, dedicar-se ao culto dos deuses e dos antepassados (pitṛ). Purificado no espírito de todos os pecados, o peregrino alcança um mérito igual ao do sacrifício Agniṣṭoma.”
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Pilgrimage is not merely travel: it is completed by disciplined sacred bathing and sincere worship of both gods and ancestors; such integrated practice is said to cleanse moral impurity and yield merit comparable to a great Vedic sacrifice (Agniṣṭoma).
A speaker named Ghūlastya instructs a king about proper conduct at a sacred place: bathe ritually at the tīrtha, then engage in offerings and worship for deities and forefathers, promising the pilgrim the high sacrificial reward of Agniṣṭoma.