Shloka 148
युधिष्ठिरस्य अर्जुनप्रेषण-युक्तिवर्णनम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rationale for Sending Arjuna and Request to Dhaumya
पितामहसरो गत्वा शैलराजसमीपत: । तत्राभिषेकं कुर्वाणो हाग्निष्टोममवाप्रुयात्,गिरिराज हिमालयके निकट पितामहसरोवरमें जाकर स्नान करनेवाले पुरुषको अग्निष्टोमयज्ञका फल मिलता है
pitāmaha-saraḥ gatvā śaila-rāja-samīpataḥ | tatrābhiṣekaṃ kurvāṇo hy agniṣṭomam avāpnuyāt ||
Ghūlastya disse: “Tendo ido ao lago sagrado chamado Pitāmaha-saras, junto ao rei das montanhas (o Himālaya), aquele que ali realiza o banho ritual alcança mérito equivalente ao sacrifício Agniṣṭoma.” A passagem ressalta a ética do Mahābhārata: a peregrinação sincera e a purificação em tīrthas venerados podem conceder grande fruto espiritual, incentivando disciplina e fé, e não mera ostentação.
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that sacred places (tīrthas) and sincere acts of purification—such as ritual bathing—can yield spiritual merit comparable to major Vedic sacrifices, emphasizing inner sincerity and disciplined practice as accessible paths to puṇya.
A speaker named Ghūlastya is describing the greatness of a particular pilgrimage site: the Pitāmaha lake near the Himālaya. He states that bathing there grants the fruit of the Agniṣṭoma sacrifice, as part of a broader tīrtha-māhātmya (praise of holy places).