Shloka 165
समन्तपञ्चक-आख्यानम् तथा अक्षौहिणी-प्रमाणनिर्णयः
Samantapañcaka Narrative and the Measure of an Akṣauhiṇī
पुलस्त्यतीर्थयात्रा च नारदेन महर्षिणा । तीर्थयात्रा च तत्रैव पाण्डवानां महात्मनाम्,इसके बाद महर्षि नारदने पुलस्त्यतीर्थकी यात्रा करनेकी प्रेरणा दी और महात्मा पाण्डवोंने वहाँकी यात्रा की। यहीं इन्द्रके द्वारा कर्णको कुण्डलोंसे वंचित करनेका तथा राजा गयके यज्ञवैभवका वर्णन किया गया है
pulastyatīrthayātrā ca nāradena maharṣiṇā | tīrthayātrā ca tatraiva pāṇḍavānāṁ mahātmanām ||
Dito inilalarawan ang paglalakbay-dasalin sa banal na tawiran ni Pulastya, na pinukaw ng dakilang pantas na si Nārada; at sa gayon ding ugnayan, ang paglalakbay ng mga Pāṇḍava na dakila ang loob patungo roon. Itinuturo rin ng balangkas ng salaysay ang mga kaugnay na pangyayari sa bahaging iyon—gaya ng pakana ni Indra na ikinait kay Karṇa ang kanyang mga hikaw, at ang karangyaan ng paghahandog ni Haring Gaya—na nagpapakita kung paanong ang banal na paglalakbay, payo ng mga pantas, at pagsubok sa dangal ng mga bayani ay nagkakaugnay sa kapalaran at karangalan.
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds tīrtha-yātrā (pilgrimage) as a dharmic practice guided by realized sages: spiritual progress is pursued not merely through power or birth, but through disciplined movement toward sacred places, receptivity to wise counsel, and readiness for ethical trials that accompany a hero’s path.
The text signals a section where Nārada prompts a pilgrimage to the Pulastya-tīrtha, and the Pāṇḍavas undertake that pilgrimage. In the same narrative neighborhood, it also alludes to connected episodes such as Indra’s maneuver that results in Karṇa being deprived of his earrings and the description of King Gaya’s renowned sacrificial magnificence.