Shloka 26

Avanti–Narmadā–Puṣkara Tīrtha-Kathana (धौम्यकथितं तीर्थवर्णनम्)

Devanagari script

नैषधस्तृषितो यत्र जलं शर्म च लब्धवान्‌ । “वहीं महात्मा मतंगऋषिका महान्‌ एवं उत्तम आश्रम केदारतीर्थ है। वह परम पवित्र, मंगलकारी और लोकमें विख्यात है। कुण्डोद नामक रमणीय पर्वत बहुत फल-मूल और जलसे सम्पन्न है, जहाँ प्यासे हुए निषधनरेशको जल और शान्तिकी उपलब्धि हुई थी ।। यत्र देववनं पुण्यं तापसैरुपशोभितम्‌

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | naiṣadhastṛṣito yatra jalaṃ śarma ca labdhavān | yatra devavanaṃ puṇyaṃ tāpasair upaśobhitam |

Translation

Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: “Sa pook na iyon, ang hari ng Niṣadha, na pinahihirapan ng uhaw, ay nakatagpo ng tubig at nakamtan din ang kapayapaan at ginhawa. Naroon din ang isang banal na gubat ng mga diyos, pinapaganda ng mga asceta—isang pook-tīrtha na kinikilalang lubhang dalisay, mapalad, at tanyag sa daigdig, kung saan ang lakas ng tapas at kabanalan ay nagdudulot ng katahimikan sa mga nagdurusa.”

Word by Word

• {'vaiśampāyana uvāca': 'Vaiśampāyana said', 'naiṣadhaḥ': 'the Niṣadha king (Nala)', 'tṛṣitaḥ': 'thirsting, afflicted by thirst', 'yatra': 'where', 'jalam': 'water', 'śarma': 'peace, comfort, relief, well-being', 'ca': 'and', 'labdhavān': 'obtained, found', 'devavanam': 'divine grove

• sacred forest associated with the gods', 'puṇyam': 'holy, meritorious, sacred', 'tāpasaiḥ': 'by ascetics

• practitioners of austerity', 'upaśobhitam': 'adorned, beautified, graced'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Niṣadha
• Nala (Niṣadha king)
• Devavana (divine grove)
• tāpasas (ascetics)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Sacred places associated with tapas are portrayed as sources of both physical aid (water) and inner well-being (śarma). The verse links ethical-spiritual merit with tangible relief, suggesting that proximity to holy, ascetic-inhabited spaces supports restoration and calm.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes a renowned holy locale: a place where the Niṣadha king (Nala), suffering from thirst, found water and peace. The passage further characterizes the area as containing a sacred divine grove, beautified by ascetics.