Shloka 15
Account of Various Sacred Tīrthas
Pilgrimage Merits and Prayāga Supremacy
मतंगस्य तु केदारं तत्रैव भरतर्षभ । तत्र स्नात्वा नरो राजन्गोसहस्रफलं लभेत्
mataṃgasya tu kedāraṃ tatraiva bharatarṣabha | tatra snātvā naro rājangosahasraphalaṃ labhet
ஓ பாரதசிறந்தவனே! அங்கேயே மதங்கரின் கேதாரம் உள்ளது. ஓ அரசே, அங்கே நீராடும் மனிதன் ஆயிரம் பசுதானத்தின் பலனைப் பெறுவான்.
Unspecified narrator addressing a king (rājan) and Bharata-hero (bharatarṣabha) within a tīrtha-māhātmya dialogue
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: tirtha
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तत्रैव = तत्र + एव; राजन्गोसहस्रफलं = राजन् + गोसहस्रफलम्
FAQs
It locates a specific tīrtha—“Mataṅga’s Kedāra”—and treats it as a recognized pilgrimage site where ritual bathing is prescribed as spiritually efficacious.
It equates the merit of bathing at the tīrtha with the famed charitable act of gifting a thousand cows, showing how tīrtha-snānā is presented as a potent ritual act comparable to major dāna.
The comparison encourages accessible righteousness: even those unable to perform grand donations can pursue spiritual merit through disciplined pilgrimage and sacred bathing at revered sites.