Shloka 52
Tīrtha-yātrā: Phalaśruti and Sacred Geography from Lohitya to Prayāga
Pulastya’s Instruction
कुरुश्रेष्ठ! तीर्थयात्री पुरुष शंखिनीतीर्थमें जाकर वहाँ देवीतीर्थमें स्नान करनेसे उत्तम रूप प्राप्त करता है ।। ततो गच्छेत राजेन्द्र द्वारपालमरन्तुकम् । तच्च तीर्थ सरस्वत्यां यक्षेन्द्रस्य महात्मन:
kuruśreṣṭha! tīrthayātrī puruṣaḥ śaṅkhinītīrthaṃ gatvā tatra devītīrthe snānena uttamaṃ rūpaṃ prāpnoti || tato gacchet rājendra dvārapālam arantukam | tac ca tīrthaṃ sarasvatyāṃ yakṣendrasya mahātmanaḥ ||
Ghūlastya disse: “Ó melhor dos Kurus, o homem que empreende a peregrinação e vai ao vau de Śaṅkhinī, banhando-se ali no Devī-tīrtha, obtém uma forma excelente e radiante. Depois disso, ó rei, deve seguir para o lugar sagrado chamado Dvārapāla (também conhecido como Arantuka). Esse vau santo fica no Sarasvatī e está associado ao grande senhor dos Yakṣas.”
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the dharmic value of tīrtha-yātrā: disciplined pilgrimage and ritual bathing at sacred fords is portrayed as a means to purification and the attainment of auspicious qualities (here, ‘excellent form’), encouraging ethical self-cultivation through sacred practice.
Ghūlastya continues instructing the king on a sequence of pilgrimage sites: first Śaṅkhinī-tīrtha and the Devī-tīrtha (where bathing yields a boon), then the next destination—Dvārapāla/Arantuka—located on the Sarasvatī and linked with a great Yakṣa-lord.