Shloka 120
युधिष्ठिरस्य अर्जुनप्रेषण-युक्तिवर्णनम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rationale for Sending Arjuna and Request to Dhaumya
तत्र कोटिस्तु तीर्थानां विश्रुता भरतर्षभ । कूर्मरूपेण राजेन्द्र हासुरेण दुरात्मना,पुण्डरीकमवाप्रोति विष्णुलोकं॑ च गच्छति । भरतकुलतिलक! वहाँ तीर्थोकी विख्यात श्रेणीको एक दुरात्मा असुर कूर्मरूप धारण करके हरकर लिये जाता था। राजन! यह देख सर्वशक्तिमान् भगवान् विष्णुने उस तीर्थश्रेणीका उद्धार किया। युधिष्ठिर! वहाँ उस तीर्थकोटिमें स्नान करना चाहिये। ऐसा करनेवाले यात्रीको पुण्डरीकयज्ञका फल मिलता है और वह विष्णुलोकको जाता है
tatra koṭis tu tīrthānāṁ viśrutā bharatarṣabha | kūrmarūpeṇa rājendra hāsureṇa durātmanā | puṇḍarīkam avāpnoti viṣṇulokaṁ ca gacchati ||
Ali, ó touro entre os Bharatas, existe a célebre tīrtha-koṭi, uma multidão de passagens sagradas. Ó rei, um Asura perverso chamado Hāsura, assumindo a forma de uma tartaruga, costumava apoderar-se dela e levá-la consigo. Vendo isso, o todo-poderoso Senhor Viṣṇu resgatou e restaurou aquele conjunto sagrado. Ó Yudhiṣṭhira, deve-se banhar nessa tīrtha-koṭi; o peregrino que assim o faz obtém o mérito do sacrifício Puṇḍarīka e alcança o mundo de Viṣṇu.
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sacred places and righteous practices (like bathing at a tīrtha) are protected by divine order; sincere pilgrimage performed with faith yields great merit, comparable to major sacrifices, and leads toward higher spiritual destinations (here, Viṣṇuloka).
A notorious Asura named Hāsura, disguised as a tortoise, was stealing or dragging away a renowned cluster of pilgrimage sites; Viṣṇu intervenes to restore it, and the speaker instructs Yudhiṣṭhira that bathing there grants the merit of the Puṇḍarīka sacrifice and leads to Viṣṇu’s abode.