Tīrtha-yātrā: Phalaśruti and Sacred Geography from Lohitya to Prayāga
Pulastya’s Instruction
संनिहत्यामुपस्पृश्य राहुग्रस्ते दिवाकरे । अश्वमेधशतं तेन तत्रेष्ट शाश्वतं भवेत्,सूर्यग्रहणके समय संनिहतीमें स्नान करनेसे सौ अश्वमेधयज्ञोंका अभीष्ट एवं शाश्वत फल प्राप्त होता है
sannihatyām upaspṛśya rāhugraste divākare | aśvamedhaśataṁ tena tatreṣṭaṁ śāśvataṁ bhavet ||
古拉斯提亚(Ghūlastya)说道:“当罗睺(Rāhu)吞蔽太阳、日食之时,若有人在桑尼哈提亚(Sannihatyā)沐浴,便得所愿且恒久之功德,等同于在彼处举行百次马祭(Aśvamedha)之果。”此言以日食时的圣浴为合乎法的行持,称其果报长存,强调清净、时机与信心,而非暴力与炫示。
घुलस्त्य उवाच
The verse teaches that properly timed, faith-filled observance at a sacred place—here, bathing during a solar eclipse—can yield immense and lasting spiritual merit, comparable to grand royal sacrifices, highlighting inner purity and dharmic discipline over mere external grandeur.
A speaker named Ghūlastya is describing the greatness of a particular tīrtha (Sannihatyā) within the Vana Parva’s pilgrimage context, praising the specific act of bathing there during a solar eclipse as producing extraordinary, enduring religious fruit.