Shloka 16
Pilgrimage Itinerary and Merits: Sindhu–Sarasvatī–Ocean Confluences and Named Tīrthas
तस्मिंस्तीर्थे महाराज पद्मलक्षणलक्षिताः । अद्यापि मुद्रा दृश्यंते तदद्भुतमरिंदम
tasmiṃstīrthe mahārāja padmalakṣaṇalakṣitāḥ | adyāpi mudrā dṛśyaṃte tadadbhutamariṃdama
ข้าแต่มหาราช ณ ทิรถะนั้น แม้ถึงวันนี้ยังเห็นรอยประทับที่มีลักษณะดอกบัวเป็นเครื่องหมายอยู่ เป็นสิ่งน่าอัศจรรย์ยิ่ง โอผู้ปราบศัตรู
Pulastya (narrating to Bhīṣma / addressing the king as 'mahārāja')
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: tirtha
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तस्मिंस्तीर्थे = तस्मिन् + तीर्थे; अद्यापि = अद्य + अपि; दृश्यंते (पाठभेद) = दृश्यन्ते; तदद्भुतम् = तत् + अद्भुतम्
FAQs
It treats a tīrtha as a physically locatable place whose sanctity is evidenced by visible signs (mudrāḥ), linking sacred geography with tangible markers that pilgrims can still see.
By highlighting enduring sacred signs at a tīrtha, it encourages devotional reverence and pilgrimage-oriented remembrance—faith expressed through honoring holy places and their divine symbols (like the lotus).
It models respectful attention to sacred tradition: the listener is urged to recognize and value holy places and the enduring traces of sanctity, cultivating humility and reverence rather than skepticism.