Shloka 42
Adhyāya 262: Śabda-brahman, Para-brahman, and the Ethics of Tyāga
Kapila–Syūmaraśmi Saṃvāda
पुरोडाशो हि सर्वेषां पशूनां मेध्य उच्यते । सर्वा नद्य: सरस्वत्य: सर्वे पुण्या: शिलोच्चया:
puroḍāśo hi sarveṣāṁ paśūnāṁ medhya ucyate | sarvā nadyaḥ sarasvatyaḥ sarve puṇyāḥ śilocchayāḥ ||
图拉达罗说道：“祭饼（puroḍāśa）依经典所制，以一切众生之产为供品而成，被宣称具有净化之力。同样的精神下，当知诸河皆可视为萨拉斯瓦蒂（Sarasvatī）之形相，诸山皆为神圣之高处。此教法扩展了神圣的疆域：清净并不局限于某一种独占之物或某一处特权之地；凡具敬畏之心与正行之处，皆可见其清净。”
तुलाधार उवाच
Educational Q&A
Holiness and purification are not restricted to a single exclusive object or location. The verse affirms a broad, inclusive vision: the properly enjoined offering is purifying, and sacredness can be recognized widely—every river as Sarasvatī and every mountain as a holy height—encouraging reverence and ethical regard beyond narrow ritual boundaries.
In the Śānti Parva’s discourse, Tulādhāra is instructing his interlocutor on dharma by reframing ritual and sacred space. He cites the purifying status of the puroḍāśa and then expands the idea of sanctity to all rivers and mountains, steering the discussion toward a more universal understanding of purity and sacredness.