Shloka 41
Dhaumya’s Enumeration of Eastern Tīrthas
Prācī-diś Tīrtha-kathana
दण्डकारण्यमासाद्य पुण्यं राजन्नुपस्पृशेत् । गोसहस्रफलं तस्य स्नातमात्रस्य भारत,राजन्! भरतनन्दन! जो दण्डकारण्यमें जाकर स्नान करता है, उसे स्नान करनेमात्रसे सहस्र गोदानका फल प्राप्त होता है
daṇḍakāraṇyam āsādya puṇyaṁ rājann upaspṛśet | gosahasraphalaṁ tasya snātamātrasya bhārata ||
Pulastya disse: “Ó rei, descendente de Bhārata, ao alcançar a sagrada floresta de Daṇḍaka, deve-se banhar ali. Pelo simples ato de banhar-se, obtém-se mérito igual ao dom de mil vacas.”
पुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that contact with a sanctified place through a simple act of ritual bathing can yield great spiritual merit—comparable to major charity—highlighting the purifying power of tīrtha-practice and the accessibility of dharmic merit through disciplined, reverent action.
Pulastya, speaking to a king addressed as ‘Bhārata,’ continues a discourse on sacred places and their rewards, stating that upon reaching Daṇḍakāraṇya, one should bathe; the mere bath grants the merit equivalent to donating a thousand cows.