Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 48
Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
पितरश्न महाभागा: पूजयन्ति सम तं मुनिम् । उनका यह प्रश्न सुनकर सम्पूर्ण देवता, तपोधन ऋषि तथा महाभाग पितर विद्युत्प्रभ मुनिकी भूरि-भूरि प्रशंसा करने लगे ।।
pitaraś ca mahābhāgāḥ pūjayanti sma taṃ munim | śakra uvāca: kurukṣetraṃ gayāṃ caiva gaṅgāṃ prabhāsaṃ puṣkarāṇi ca |
福德具足的诸祖灵（Pitṛ）正以恭敬供养那位牟尼。听到他的发问，诸天众神、以苦行为财的仙人，以及大福的祖灵们，都再三称赞那位电光般辉耀的圣者。于是释迦罗（因陀罗）开口，点名诸著名圣地：俱卢之野（Kurukṣetra）、伽耶（Gayā）、恒河（Gaṅgā）、普罗婆娑（Prabhāsa）与补湿迦罗（Puṣkara）。
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Honoring the worthy—especially sages—and remembering sacred tīrthas are presented as dharmic supports; reverence (pūjā) and sanctity (tīrtha-smaraṇa) reinforce ethical life and ancestral obligations.
The Pitṛs are shown venerating a sage; immediately after, Indra speaks and begins enumerating major holy places (Kurukṣetra, Gayā, Gaṅgā, Prabhāsa, Puṣkara), signaling a discussion centered on tīrthas and their religious-ethical significance.