Shloka 7
युधिष्ठिरस्य अर्जुनप्रेषण-युक्तिवर्णनम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rationale for Sending Arjuna and Request to Dhaumya
प्लक्षाद्वेवी खुता राजन् महापुण्या सरस्वती । तत्राभिषेकं कुर्वीत वल्मीकान्नि:सृते जले,उस वनमें प्रवेश करते ही मानव सब पापोंसे मुक्त हो जाता है। उससे आगे सरिताओंमें श्रेष्ठ और नदियोंमें उत्तम नदी परम पुण्यमयी सरस्वतीदेवीका उदगम स्थान है, जहाँ वे प्लक्ष (पकड़ी) नामक वृक्षकी जड़से टपक रही हैं। राजन! वहाँ बाँबीसे निकले हुए जलमें स्नान करना चाहिये
plakṣād devī kṣutā rājan mahāpuṇyā sarasvatī | tatrābhiṣekaṃ kurvīta valmīkān niḥsṛte jale ||
Ghūlastya disse: “Ó Rei, da árvore Plakṣa a deusa Sarasvatī—supremamente santa—irrompe. Ali deve-se realizar as abluções (abhiṣeka), banhando-se na água que brota de um formigueiro. Entrar nesta floresta por si só liberta o homem dos pecados; e além dela está esta fonte sacratíssima do rio, onde se prescrevem a purificação e a renovação do compromisso com o dharma.”
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that certain tīrthas (sacred places) are approached with reverence and disciplined action: bathing (abhiṣeka) at the holy source of Sarasvatī is prescribed as a means of purification and moral renewal, reinforcing commitment to dharma.
Ghūlastya is guiding the king through a sacred landscape, identifying the origin-place of the goddess-river Sarasvatī near a plakṣa tree and instructing him to bathe in the water that emerges from an anthill, a specific ritual act within the broader tīrtha-yātrā account.