Shloka 18
Jñāna-yoga and Karma-phala: Manu–Bṛhaspati on Akṣara and the Limits of Mantra
तीर्थानां हृदयं तीर्थ शुचीनां हृदयं शुचि: । सर्वमार्यकृतं चौक्ष्यं वालसंस्पर्शनानि च
tīrthānāṁ hṛdayaṁ tīrthaṁ śucīnāṁ hṛdayaṁ śuciḥ | sarvam āryakṛtaṁ caukṣyaṁ vāla-saṁsparśanāni ca ||
毗湿摩说道：“在一切圣渡处与朝圣之地之中，最真实的‘提尔塔’（tīrtha）乃是净化之心；在一切被视为清净之物中，最清净者亦是净化之心。凡高贵而有教养之人所行者，当被视为至洁；即便是如牦牛尾拂尘所用之毛那样的触碰，只要为雅正礼法所认可，也被认为是清净的。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True purity is primarily internal: a purified heart is the highest tīrtha and the purest purity. Social and ritual notions of cleanliness are validated when grounded in the refined conduct (ācāra) of noble persons, emphasizing ethical intention over mere external form.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. Here he explains standards of purity: inner purity is supreme, and customary practices accepted among the cultured (such as contact with whisk-hairs used in royal service) are considered pure because they are endorsed by proper conduct.