FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.14.30-33

सरांसि पुष्करादीनि क्षेत्राण्यर्हाश्रितान्युत । कुरुक्षेत्रं गयशिर: प्रयाग: पुलहाश्रम: ॥ ३० ॥ नैमिषं फाल्गुनं सेतु: प्रभासोऽथ कुशस्थली । वाराणसी मधुपुरी पम्पा बिन्दुसरस्तथा ॥ ३१ ॥ नारायणाश्रमो नन्दा सीतारामाश्रमादय: । सर्वे कुलाचला राजन्महेन्द्रमलयादय: ॥ ३२ ॥ एते पुण्यतमा देशा हरेरर्चाश्रिताश्च ये । एतान्देशान्निषेवेत श्रेयस्कामो ह्यभीक्ष्णश: । धर्मो ह्यत्रेहित: पुंसां सहस्राधिफलोदय: ॥ ३३ ॥
sarāṁsi puṣkarādīni
[saraamsi pushkaraadeeni]
kṣetrāṇy arhāśritāny uta
[kshetraany arhaashritaany uta]
kurukṣetraṁ gaya-śiraḥ
[kurukshetram gaya-shirah]
prayāgaḥ pulahāśramaḥ
[prayaagah pulahaashramah]
naimiṣaṁ phālgunaṁ setuḥ
[naimisham phaalgunam setuh]
prabhāso ’tha kuśa-sthalī
[prabhaaso ’tha kusha-sthalee]
vārāṇasī madhu-purī
[vaaraanasee madhu-puree]
pampā bindu-saras tathā
[pampaa bindu-saras tathaa]
nārāyaṇāśramo nandā
[naaraayanaashramo nandaa]
sītā-rāmāśramādayaḥ
[seetaa-raamaashramaadayah]
sarve kulācalā rājan
[sarve kulaachalaa raajan]
mahendra-malayādayaḥ
[mahendra-malayaadayah]
ete puṇyatamā deśā
[ete punyatamaa deshaa]
harer arcāśritāś ca ye
[harer archaashritaash cha ye]
etān deśān niṣeveta
[etaan deshaan nisheveta]
śreyas-kāmo hy abhīkṣṇaśaḥ
[shreyas-kaamo hy abheekshnashah]
dharmo hy atrehitaḥ puṁsāṁ
[dharmo hy atrehitah pumsaam]
sahasrādhi-phalodayaḥ
[sahasraadhi-phalodayah]
Word-for-word
sarāṁsi — lakes puṣkara-ādīni — such as Puṣkara kṣetrāṇi — sacred places (like Kurukṣetra, Gayākṣetra and Jagannātha Purī) arha — for worshipable, saintly persons āśritāni — places of shelter uta — celebrated kurukṣetram — a particular sacred place (dharma-kṣetra) gaya-śiraḥ — the place known as Gayā, where Gayāsura took shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu prayāgaḥ — Allahabad, at the confluence of the two sacred rivers Ganges and Yamunā pulaha-āśramaḥ — the residence of Pulaha Muni naimiṣam — the place known as Naimiṣāraṇya (near Lucknow) phālgunam — the place where the Phālgu River flows setuḥ — Setubandha, where Lord Rāmacandra constructed a bridge between India and Laṅkā prabhāsaḥ — Prabhāsakṣetra atha — as well as kuśa-sthalī — Dvāravatī, or Dvārakā vārāṇasī — Benares madhu-purī — Mathurā pampā — a place where there is a lake called Pampā bindu-saraḥ — the place where Bindu-sarovara is situated tathā — there nārāyaṇa-āśramaḥ — known as Badarikāśrama nandā — the place where the Nandā River flows sītā-rāma — of Lord Rāmacandra and mother Sītā āśrama-ādayaḥ — places of shelter like Citrakūṭa sarve — all (such places) kulācalāḥ — hilly tracts of land rājan — O King mahendra — known as Mahendra malaya-ādayaḥ — and others, like Malayācala ete — all of them puṇya-tamāḥ — extremely sacred deśāḥ — places hareḥ — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead arca-āśritāḥ — places where the Deity of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is worshiped (such as big American cities like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and European cities like London and Paris, or wherever there are centers of Kṛṣṇa consciousness) ca — as well as ye — those which etān deśān — all these countries niṣeveta — should worship or visit śreyaḥ-kāmaḥ — one who desires auspiciousness hi — indeed abhīkṣṇaśaḥ — again and again dharmaḥ — religious activities hi — from which atra — in these places īhitaḥ — performed puṁsām — of the persons sahasra-adhi — more than a thousand times phala-udayaḥ — effective.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sarāṁsi puṣkarādīni
sarāṁsi
lakes
puṣkara-ādīni
such as Puṣkara
kṣetrāṇy arhāśritāny uta
kṣetrāṇi
sacred places (like Kurukṣetra, Gayākṣetra and Jagannātha Purī)
arha
for worshipable, saintly persons
āśritāni
places of shelter
uta
celebrated
kurukṣetraṁ gaya-śiraḥ
kurukṣetram
a particular sacred place (dharma-kṣetra)
gaya-śiraḥ
the place known as Gayā, where Gayāsura took shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu
prayāgaḥ pulahāśramaḥ
prayāgaḥ
Allahabad, at the confluence of the two sacred rivers Ganges and Yamunā
pulaha-āśramaḥ
the residence of Pulaha Muni
naimiṣaṁ phālgunaṁ setuḥ
naimiṣam
the place known as Naimiṣāraṇya (near Lucknow)
phālgunam
the place where the Phālgu River flows
setuḥ
Setubandha, where Lord Rāmacandra constructed a bridge between India and Laṅkā
prabhāso ’tha kuśa-sthalī
prabhāsaḥ
Prabhāsakṣetra
vārāṇasī madhu-purī
pampā bindu-saras tathā
atha
as well as
nārāyaṇāśramo nandā
sītā-rāmāśramādayaḥ
sarve kulācalā rājan
kuśa-sthalī
Dvāravatī, or Dvārakā
vārāṇasī
Benares
mahendra-malayādayaḥ
madhu-purī
Mathurā
pampā
a place where there is a lake called Pampā
bindu-saraḥ
the place where Bindu-sarovara is situated
ete puṇyatamā deśā
tathā
there
harer arcāśritāś ca ye
etān deśān niṣeveta
śreyas-kāmo hy abhīkṣṇaśaḥ
nārāyaṇa-āśramaḥ
known as Badarikāśrama
nandā
the place where the Nandā River flows
sītā-rāma
of Lord Rāmacandra and mother Sītā
āśrama-ādayaḥ
places of shelter like Citrakūṭa
sarve
all (such places)
kulācalāḥ
hilly tracts of land
dharmo hy atrehitaḥ puṁsāṁ
sahasrādhi-phalodayaḥ
rājan
O King
mahendra
known as Mahendra
malaya-ādayaḥ
and others, like Malayācala
ete
all of them
puṇya-tamāḥ
extremely sacred
deśāḥ
places
hareḥ
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
arca-āśritāḥ
places where the Deity of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is worshiped (such as big American cities like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and European cities like London and Paris, or wherever there are centers of Kṛṣṇa consciousness)
ca
as well as
ye
those which
etān deśān
all these countries
niṣeveta
should worship or visit
śreyaḥ-kāmaḥ
one who desires auspiciousness
hi
indeed
abhīkṣṇaśaḥ
again and again
dharmaḥ
religious activities
hi
from which
atra
in these places
īhitaḥ
performed
puṁsām
of the persons
sahasra-adhi
more than a thousand times
phala-udayaḥ
effective.
The sacred lakes like Puṣkara and places where saintly persons live, like Kurukṣetra, Gayā, Prayāga, Pulahāśrama, Naimiṣāraṇya, the banks of the Phālgu River, Setubandha, Prabhāsa, Dvārakā, Vārāṇasī, Mathurā, Pampā, Bindu-sarovara, Badarikāśrama [Nārāyaṇāśrama], the places where the Nandā River flows, the places where Lord Rāmacandra and mother Sītā took shelter, such as Citrakūṭa, and also the hilly tracts of land known as Mahendra and Malaya — all of these are to be considered most pious and sacred. Similarly, places outside India where there are centers of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and where Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deities are worshiped must all be visited and worshiped by those who want to be spiritually advanced. One who intends to advance in spiritual life may visit all these places and perform ritualistic ceremonies to get results a thousand times better than the results of the same activities performed in any other place.
Purport

In these verses and in verse twenty-nine, stress is given to one point: harer arcāśritāś ca ye or harer arcā. In other words, any place where the Deity of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is worshiped by devotees is most significant. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is giving the population of the entire world a chance to take advantage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness through the ISKCON centers, where one may perform Deity worship and chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and in this way obtain results with effectiveness increased a thousand times. This constitutes the best welfare activity for human society. This was Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mission as it was predicted by Him in the Caitanya-bhāgavata ( Antya 4.126):

pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi-grāma sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, with installed Deities, to spread to every village and town in the world, so that everyone in the world might take advantage of this movement and become all-auspicious in spiritual life. Without spiritual life, nothing is auspicious. Moghāśā mogha-karmāṇo mogha-jñānā vicetasaḥ ( Bg. 9.12 ). No one can become successful in fruitive activities or speculative knowledge without being Kṛṣṇa conscious. As recommended in the śāstras, everyone should be very eagerly interested in taking part in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and understanding the value of spiritual life.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The sacred lakes like Puṣkara, places where saintly persons live, Kurukṣetra, Gayā, Prayāga, Pulahāśrama, Naimiṣāraṇya, the Phālgu River, Setubandha, Prabhāsa, Dvārakā, Vārāṇasī, Mathurā, Pampā, Bindu-sarovara, Badarikāśrama, the Nandā River, the places where Lord Rāmacandra and mother Sītā took shelter, such as Citrakūṭa, and also Mahendra and Malaya mountain ranges—all of these, and places having deities, are to be considered most pure. One who intends to advance in spiritual life should visit all these places again and again. Acts performed here give a thousand times the result of the same activities performed in other places. Acts performed in these places give a thousand times more result than at other places.
Related values & verses
Related verses
BG 9.12
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Puṣkara, Kurukṣetra, Gayā, Prayāga, Naimiṣāraṇya, Setubandha, Prabhāsa, Dvārakā, Vārāṇasī, Mathurā, Badarikāśrama — and any place where the Lord's Deity is worshiped — are most significant. The map of dharma is rich; pilgrimage is real practice.
Reflection Questions
  • Which holy place calls to you most strongly, and what stops you from going?
  • What would change in you if pilgrimage became part of your normal life rhythm?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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