Shloka 92
Tīrtha-yātrā: Phalaśruti and Sacred Geography from Lohitya to Prayāga
Pulastya’s Instruction
व्यासेन नृपशार्दूल द्विजार्थमिति न: श्रुतम् । सर्वतीर्थेषु स सनाति मिश्रके सनाति यो नर:,राजेन्द्र! तत्पश्चात् परम उत्तम मिश्रकतीर्थमें जाय। महाराज! वहाँ महात्मा व्यासने द्विजोंके लिये सभी तीर्थोका सम्मिश्रण किया है; यह बात मेरे सुननेमें आयी है। जो मनुष्य मिश्रकतीर्थमें स्नान करता है, उसका वह स्नान सभी तीर्थोर्में स्नान करनेके समान है
ghulastya uvāca | vyāsena nṛpaśārdūla dvijārtham iti naḥ śrutam | sarvatīrtheṣu sa snāti miśrake snāti yo naraḥ, rājendra! tatpaścāt param uttama-miśrakatīrthaṃ evaṃ jāyate | mahārāja! tatra mahātmā vyāsena dvijānāṃ kṛte sarvatīrthānāṃ sammiśraṇaṃ kṛtam; iti me śrutam | yo manuṣyo miśrakatīrthe snānaṃ karoti, tasya tat snānaṃ sarvatīrtheṣu snānasamaṃ bhavati |
Disse Ghulastya: “Ó tigre entre os reis, ouvimos que o sábio Vyāsa, para o benefício dos duas-vezes-nascidos, reuniu num só lugar o mérito de todos os tīrthas. Ó melhor dos reis, quem se banha em Miśraka é como se tivesse se banhado em cada tīrtha. Por isso Miśraka é tido como um local de peregrinação supremamente excelente: o banho ali concede o mesmo fruto que banhar-se em todos os lugares santos.”
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that certain tīrthas are revered as ‘equivalent’ to many others: bathing at Miśraka is said to confer the same merit as bathing at all sacred places, emphasizing accessibility of religious merit and the special sanctity attributed to a site established (or praised) by Vyāsa for the benefit of the dvijas.
A speaker named Ghulastya addresses a king, reporting a received tradition: Vyāsa is believed to have combined the efficacy of all tīrthas into the Miśraka-tīrtha, so that a single ritual bath there equals bathing everywhere.