Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 156
Brāhmaṇya-प्रश्नः — The Inquiry into Attaining Brāhmaṇya
Mataṅga–Gardabhī Itihāsa
एकमासं निराहार: स पश्यति हि देवता: । जहाँ उत्तर दिशामें भागीरथी गंगा गिरती हैं और वहाँ उनका स्रोत तीन भागोंमें विभक्त हो जाता है
ekamāsaṃ nirāhāraḥ sa paśyati hi devatāḥ | yatra uttaradiśi bhāgīrathī gaṅgā patati tatra ca tasyāḥ srotaḥ tribhāgena vibhajyate, tat bhagavataḥ maheśvarasya tristhāna-nāma tīrtham | yo manuṣyaḥ ekamāsaṃ nirāhāraḥ san tatra snātvā devatānāṃ pratyakṣa-darśanaṃ labhate |
“Ang sinumang manatiling walang pagkain sa loob ng isang buwan ay tunay na nakakakita sa mga diyos. Sa hilagang lupain, kung saan bumabagsak ang Bhāgīrathī Gaṅgā at nahahati ang agos nito sa tatlong sanga, naroon ang banal na tawiran na tinatawag na Tristhāna, na nauukol kay Panginoong Maheśvara. Ang taong mag-aayuno nang isang buwan at maliligo roon ay magkakamit ng tuwirang pagtanaw sa mga diyos.”
अजड्रिय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that disciplined austerity (a month-long fast) combined with reverent pilgrimage and ritual bathing at a Śiva-associated tīrtha is said to yield extraordinary spiritual fruit—direct perception of the divine—highlighting the Mahābhārata’s emphasis on tapas, tīrtha-sevā, and faith as dharmic means to inner purification.
Ajadriya describes the greatness of a specific sacred place: where the Bhāgīrathī Gaṅgā descends in the north and splits into three channels. He identifies it as Maheśvara’s Tristhāna tīrtha and states the promised result for a pilgrim who fasts for a month and bathes there—vision of the gods.