Shloka 1213
युधिष्ठिरस्य अर्जुनप्रेषण-युक्तिवर्णनम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rationale for Sending Arjuna and Request to Dhaumya
पुण्डरीकमवाप्रोति विष्णुलोकं॑ च गच्छति । भरतकुलतिलक! वहाँ तीर्थोकी विख्यात श्रेणीको एक दुरात्मा असुर कूर्मरूप धारण करके हरकर लिये जाता था। राजन! यह देख सर्वशक्तिमान् भगवान् विष्णुने उस तीर्थश्रेणीका उद्धार किया। युधिष्ठिर! वहाँ उस तीर्थकोटिमें स्नान करना चाहिये। ऐसा करनेवाले यात्रीको पुण्डरीकयज्ञका फल मिलता है और वह विष्णुलोकको जाता है
Puṇḍarīkam avāpnoti Viṣṇulokaṃ ca gacchati | Bharatakulatilaka! tatra tīrthānāṃ vikhyātāṃ śreṇīm ekaḥ durātmā asuraḥ kūrmarūpaṃ dhārayitvā harati sma | Rājan! tad dṛṣṭvā sarvaśaktimān Bhagavān Viṣṇus tasyāḥ tīrthaśreṇyā uddhāraṃ cakāra | Yudhiṣṭhira! tatra tat-tīrthakoṭyāṃ snānaṃ kartavyam | Evaṃ kurvan yātrikaḥ Puṇḍarīkayajñasya phalaṃ labhate, sa ca Viṣṇulokaṃ gacchati ||
凡在彼处行其仪轨者，得普恩陀利迦祭（Puṇḍarīka-yajña）之功德，并往毗湿奴之界（Viṣṇuloka）。婆罗多族之瑰宝啊！彼地曾有一处著名的圣渡群（tīrtha），却有一恶阿修罗化作龟形，常将其攫取而去。大王，至能的毗湿奴见此，救护了那一列圣渡。故而，郁提施提罗啊，当在那宏大的圣地汇聚处沐浴；行此巡礼者，得普恩陀利迦祭之果，并抵达毗湿奴界。
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Pilgrimage and ritual bathing, when grounded in reverence for dharma, can yield great spiritual merit; the passage also teaches that sacred institutions are protected by the divine against forces that seek to corrupt or remove them.
A renowned cluster of holy fords is being carried off by a wicked asura who assumes a tortoise form; Viṣṇu intervenes and restores the tīrthas. The speaker then instructs Yudhiṣṭhira that bathing there grants the merit of the Puṇḍarīka sacrifice and leads to Viṣṇu’s abode.