Shloka 148
युधिष्ठिरस्य अर्जुनप्रेषण-युक्तिवर्णनम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rationale for Sending Arjuna and Request to Dhaumya
पितामहसरो गत्वा शैलराजसमीपत: । तत्राभिषेकं कुर्वाणो हाग्निष्टोममवाप्रुयात्,गिरिराज हिमालयके निकट पितामहसरोवरमें जाकर स्नान करनेवाले पुरुषको अग्निष्टोमयज्ञका फल मिलता है
pitāmaha-saraḥ gatvā śaila-rāja-samīpataḥ | tatrābhiṣekaṃ kurvāṇo hy agniṣṭomam avāpnuyāt ||
Wika ni Ghūlastya: “Pagdating sa banal na lawa na tinatawag na Pitāmaha-saras, malapit sa hari ng mga bundok (Himālaya), ang sinumang magsagawa ng ritwal na pagligo roon ay magkakamit ng kabutihang katumbas ng handog na Agniṣṭoma.” Ipinapakita ng talatang ito ang aral ng Mahābhārata: ang taimtim na paglalakbay-dambana at paglilinis sa mga iginagalang na tīrtha ay makapagbibigay ng dakilang bungang espirituwal, at humihikayat sa disiplinado at may pananalig na pamumuhay, hindi sa pagpapakitang-tao.
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that sacred places (tīrthas) and sincere acts of purification—such as ritual bathing—can yield spiritual merit comparable to major Vedic sacrifices, emphasizing inner sincerity and disciplined practice as accessible paths to puṇya.
A speaker named Ghūlastya is describing the greatness of a particular pilgrimage site: the Pitāmaha lake near the Himālaya. He states that bathing there grants the fruit of the Agniṣṭoma sacrifice, as part of a broader tīrtha-māhātmya (praise of holy places).