Shloka 26
युधिष्ठिरस्य अर्जुनप्रेषण-युक्तिवर्णनम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rationale for Sending Arjuna and Request to Dhaumya
ततो गच्छेत धर्मज्ञ नमस्कृत्य महागिरिम्
tato gacchet dharmajña namaskṛtya mahāgirim | dharmajña! vahāṁse mahāparvata himālayako namaskāra karke gaṅgādvāra (haridvāra)-kī yātrā kare, jo svargadvārake samāna hai; isameṁ saṁśaya nahīṁ hai | vahāṁ ekāgracitta ho koṭitīrthameṁ snāna kare |
ततो गच्छेद् धर्मज्ञो नमस्कृत्य महागिरिम् । हिमवन्तं नमस्कृत्वा गङ्गाद्वारं प्रयाति सः ॥ स्वर्गद्वारसमं तत्तु नात्र कार्या विचारणा । तत्र समाहितात्मा सन् कोटितीर्थे स्नानमाचरेत् ॥
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is practiced through reverence and disciplined action: honoring sacred places (Himālaya, Gaṅgādvāra) and performing purificatory rites with ekāgratā (one-pointed attention). The verse links outer pilgrimage with inner mental focus, implying that merit depends not only on travel but on mindful, respectful conduct.
The speaker gives a step-by-step instruction for a tīrtha-yātrā: first bow to the great mountain Himālaya, then travel to Gaṅgādvāra (Haridwar), praised as heaven’s gateway, and finally bathe at the sacred Koṭitīrtha with concentrated mind.