Shloka 20
Tīrtha-yātrā: Phalaśruti and Sacred Geography from Lohitya to Prayāga
Pulastya’s Instruction
स््नात्वा फलमवाप्रोति राजसूयस्य मानव: । राजेन्द्र! तदनन्तर जयन्तीमें सोमतीर्थके निकट जाय, वहाँ स्नान करनेसे मनुष्य राजसूययज्ञका फल पाता है ।। १९ # || एकहंसे नर: स्नात्वा गोसहस्रफलं लभेत्,एकहंसतीर्थमें स्नान करनेसे मनुष्य सहस्र गोदानका फल पाता है। नरेश्वर! कृतशौचतीर्थमें जाकर तीर्थसेवी मनुष्य पुण्डरीकयागका फल पाता और शुद्ध हो जाता है
snātvā phalam avāpnoti rājasūyasya mānavaḥ | rājendra! tad-anantaraṁ jayantīm̐ somatīrthasya nikaṭaṁ yāyāt, tatra snānena manuṣyo rājasūya-yajñasya phalaṁ prāpnoti || ekahaṁse naraḥ snātvā go-sahasra-phalaṁ labhet | nareśvara! kṛtaśauca-tīrthaṁ gatvā tīrtha-sevī manuṣyaḥ puṇḍarīka-yāgasya phalaṁ prāpya śuddho bhavati ||
Ghulasthya disse: «Ao banhar-se neste lugar sagrado, o homem alcança o mérito do sacrifício Rājasūya. Ó rei dos reis, depois disso deve ir a Jayantī, perto do Soma-tīrtha; banhar-se ali concede o fruto do rito Rājasūya. E ao banhar-se no Ekahaṁsa-tīrtha, o homem obtém mérito igual ao de doar mil vacas. Ó senhor dos homens, tendo ido ao Kṛtaśauca-tīrtha, o peregrino devotado aos lugares santos alcança o fruto do sacrifício Puṇḍarīka e torna-se purificado.»
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage teaches that sincere pilgrimage and ritual bathing at specific tīrthas can confer the same ethical-religious merit as major royal sacrifices and large-scale gifts, emphasizing purification, devotion, and accessible paths to puṇya beyond elite ritual performance.
A guide/speaker (Ghulasthya) instructs the king about a sequence of sacred sites—Jayantī near Soma-tīrtha, Ekahaṁsa-tīrtha, and Kṛtaśauca-tīrtha—describing the spiritual rewards obtained by bathing there, equating them with renowned yajñas and dāna.