Shloka 51
Tīrtha-yātrā: Phalaśruti and Sacred Geography from Lohitya to Prayāga
Pulastya’s Instruction
शड्खिनीतीर्थमासाद्य तीर्थसेवी कुरूद्वह । देव्यास्तीर्थे नर: स्नात्वा लभते रूपमुत्तमम्
Śaḍkhinītīrtham āsādya tīrthasevī kurūdvaha | devyās tīrthe naraḥ snātvā labhate rūpam uttamam ||
O toro sa mga Kuru, ang manlalakbay na deboto na makarating sa banal na tawiran na tinatawag na Śaḍkhinī at maligo sa sagradong pook ng Diyosa ay magkakamit ng anyong napakahusay at maningning.
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Reverent pilgrimage and ritual bathing at a sacred tīrtha—especially one associated with the Goddess—are portrayed as purifying disciplines that confer auspicious qualities, here expressed as attaining an ‘excellent form’ (rūpam uttamam).
Ghūlastya addresses a Kuru noble and describes the fruit of visiting Śaḍkhinī-tīrtha: a pilgrim who reaches it and bathes at the Goddess’s sacred place gains exceptional beauty or radiance, as part of a broader tīrtha-māhātmya (praise of holy places) sequence in the Vana Parva.