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

Vaiśampāyana nói: “Tại nơi ấy, vua xứ Niṣadha, bị cơn khát giày vò, đã được nước, lại được sự an ổn, nhẹ nhõm trong lòng. Cũng tại đó có một khu rừng thần thánh, thanh tịnh, được các ẩn sĩ tô điểm; vùng thánh địa ấy nổi danh là tối thượng trong sự tinh khiết và điềm lành, lừng lẫy giữa thế gian—nơi sức mạnh khổ hạnh và sự linh thiêng đem lại bình an cho kẻ đang chịu khổ.”

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.