Shloka 89
Tīrtha-yātrā: Phalaśruti and Sacred Geography from Lohitya to Prayāga
Pulastya’s Instruction
गोसहस्रस्य राजेन्द्र फलं विन्दति मानव: । पाणिखाते नर: स्नात्वा तर्पयित्वा च देवता:
gosahasrasya rājendra phalaṁ vindati mānavaḥ | pāṇikhāte naraḥ snātvā tarpayitvā ca devatāḥ ||
O hari ng mga hari, ang sinumang maligo sa hukay ng tubig na hinukay ng sariling kamay at pagkatapos ay maghandog ng mga libasyon (tarpana) sa mga diyos, ay nagkakamit ng gantimpalang kasinghalaga ng pag-aalay ng isang libong baka.
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that great religious merit is not limited to costly gifts; even a simple act—bathing in a hand-dug water source and performing tarpana to the deities with reverence—can yield merit comparable to donating a thousand cows.
Ghūlastya addresses the king and explains the spiritual reward (phala) of a specific practice: bathing in a hand-dug pit and then offering libations to the deities, equating its merit with the famed charity of gifting a thousand cows.