Shloka 8

Devanagari script

अर्चयित्वा पितृन्‌ देवानश्वमेधफलं लभेत्‌ । ईशानाध्युषितं नाम तत्र तीर्थ सुदुर्लभम्‌,वहाँ देवताओं तथा पितरोंकी पूजा करनेसे मनुष्यको अश्वमेधयज्ञका फल मिलता है। वहीं ईशानाध्युषित नामक परम दुर्लभ तीर्थ है

Transliteration

arcayitvā pitṝn devān aśvamedhaphalaṁ labhet | īśānādhyuṣitaṁ nāma tatra tīrthaṁ sudurlabham ||

Translation

అక్కడ పితృదేవతలను మరియు దేవతలను ఆరాధిస్తే అశ్వమేధ యజ్ఞఫలంతో సమానమైన పుణ్యం లభిస్తుంది. అదే ప్రాంతంలో ‘ఈశానాధ్యుషిత’ అనే అత్యంత దుర్లభమైన తీర్థం ఉంది; అది ఈశానుడు (శివుడు) అధిష్ఠానంతో పవిత్రమైనది.

Word by Word

अर्चयित्वाhaving worshipped

पितॄन्the ancestors (manes)

देवान्the gods

अश्वमेधफलम्the fruit/result of the Aśvamedha (sacrifice)

लभेत्would obtain / may obtain

ईशानाध्युषितम्inhabited/presided over by Īśāna (Śiva)

नामnamed / by name

तत्रthere

तीर्थम्a sacred ford/pilgrimage place

सुदुर्लभम्very difficult to obtain/rare

Speaker

घुलस्त्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

Pitṛs

Devas

Aśvamedha

Īśāna (Śiva)

Īśānādhyuṣita tīrtha

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that sincere worship of both ancestors (Pitṛs) and gods at a sanctified tīrtha can yield extraordinary spiritual merit—symbolically equated with the Aśvamedha—highlighting the Mahābhārata’s emphasis on accessible dharma through devotion and pilgrimage rather than only grand royal rituals.

What is happening in the narrative?

A speaker is describing the greatness of a particular pilgrimage site, stating that honoring the Pitṛs and the gods there grants immense merit, and identifying the place as the rare tīrtha called Īśānādhyuṣita, associated with the presence of Īśāna (Śiva).