Tīrtha-yātrā: Phalaśruti and Sacred Geography from Lohitya to Prayāga
Pulastya’s Instruction
रुद्रकोट्यां तथा कूपे हृदेषु च महीपते । इलास्पदं च तत्रैव तीर्थ भरतसत्तम,राजन्! ये सब तीर्थ रुद्रकोटिमें, कूपमें और कुण्डोंमें हैं। भरतशिरोमणे! वहीं इलास्पदतीर्थ है, जिसमें स्नान और देवता-पितरोंका पूजन करनेसे मनुष्य कभी दुर्गतिमें नहीं पड़ता और वाजपेययज्ञका फल पाता है
ghulasty uvāca | rudrakoṭyāṃ tathā kūpe hṛdeṣu ca mahīpate | ilāspadaṃ ca tatraiva tīrtha bharatasattama ||
Ghūlastya disse: “Ó rei, esses lugares sagrados de banho encontram-se em Rudrakoṭī, no poço e nos tanques. E ali mesmo, ó melhor dos Bhāratas, há também o tīrtha chamado Ilāspada.”
घुलस्त्य उवाच
The verse situates specific tīrthas and highlights the dharmic idea that disciplined pilgrimage—especially bathing and proper worship—supports moral and spiritual well-being, protecting one from downfall and generating great merit.
A speaker named Ghulasty is guiding a king through a catalogue of sacred places, identifying where certain tīrthas are located—Rudrakoṭī, a well, pools—and pointing out the tīrtha called Ilāspada as being present there.