Shloka 17
Anuśāsana-parva Adhyāya 112: Dharma as the sole companion; karmic witnesses; rebirth sequences
Bṛhaspati–Yudhiṣṭhira Saṃvāda
कीर्तनाश्चैव तीर्थस्य स्नानाश्न पितृतर्पणात् । धुनन्ति पापं तीर्थेषु ते प्रयान्ति सुखं दिवम्
kīrtanāś caiva tīrthasya snānāś ca pitṛtarpaṇāt | dhunanti pāpaṃ tīrtheṣu te prayānti sukhaṃ divam ||
Sabi ni Bhishma: “Yaong mga, habang inaalala at binibigkas ang mga pangalan at papuri ng mga tīrtha, ay naliligo roon at nag-aalay ng tārpaṇa (pagbubuhos ng tubig na handog) sa mga ninuno, ay naghuhugas ng kanilang mga kasalanan. Sa paglilinis na dulot ng paggalang at tungkuling ito, sila’y umaalis patungong langit na may kagalakan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Pilgrimage is not merely travel: remembering the tīrtha’s sanctity (kīrtana), bathing there (snāna), and fulfilling ancestral duty (pitṛ-tarpaṇa) together function as a discipline of purification that removes pāpa and leads to a blessed posthumous state.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira about religious duties and their fruits, here emphasizing the merit gained by tīrtha-observances—bathing and offerings to ancestors—resulting in purification and attainment of heaven.