Shloka 136
Agastya–Lopāmudrā: Marriage, Austerity, and Conditions for Conjugal Union (लोमशकथितम्)
ऋषियज्ञेन महता यत्राक्षयवटो महान् । पिनाकपाणि भगवान् महादेव उस तीर्थमें नित्य निवास करते हैं। वहाँ वीर पाण्डवोंने उन दिनों चातुर्मास्यव्रत ग्रहण करके महान् ऋषियज्ञ अर्थात् वेदादि सतशास्त्रोंके स्वाध्यायद्वारा भगवान्की आराधना की। वहीं महान् अक्षयवट है
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca | ṛṣiyajñena mahatā yatrākṣayavaṭo mahān | pinākapāṇi bhagavān mahādevaḥ tatra tīrthe nityaṃ nivāsati |
Vaiśaṃpāyana disse: Naquele vau sagrado, onde se ergue o grande Akṣayavaṭa—o “baniano imperecível”—habita perpetuamente o Bem-aventurado Senhor Mahādeva, portador do arco Pināka. Ali, naqueles dias, os heroicos Pāṇḍavas assumiram o voto do Cāturmāsya e adoraram o Senhor por meio de um grande ‘ṛṣi-yajña’: o estudo disciplinado e a recitação dos Vedas e de outras escrituras verídicas, honrando o saber sagrado como oferenda, e não em busca de ganho mundano.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage elevates svādhyāya (disciplined study of sacred truth) as a genuine yajña—an ethical offering that purifies the mind, strengthens restraint, and aligns one’s life with dharma, especially during periods of hardship.
At a tīrtha marked by the great Akṣayavaṭa, where Śiva is said to dwell, the Pāṇḍavas observe the Cāturmāsya vow and perform a ‘ṛṣi-yajña’ by worshipping through Vedic and śāstric study/recitation.