Shloka 153
Trita in the Well (Udapāna-kathā) — Balarāma’s Tīrtha Observances
पाण्डवेयान् पुरस्कृत्य ययावभिमुख: कुरून् | सात्यकिसहित भगवान् श्रीकृष्णने पाण्डवोंका पक्ष लिया। रोहिणीनन्दन शूरवीर बलरामजीके चले जानेपर मधुसूदन भगवान् श्रीकृष्णने पाण्डवोंको आगे करके पुष्यनक्षत्रमें कुरुक्षेत्रकी ओर प्रस्थान किया
pāṇḍaveyān puraskṛtya yayāv abhimukhaḥ kurūn | sātyakisahito bhagavān śrīkṛṣṇo ne pāṇḍavāṇāṃ pakṣaṃ līlā | rohiṇīnandana śūravīra balarāmaji ke cale jāne par madhusūdano bhagavān śrīkṛṣṇo ne pāṇḍavān agre kṛtvā puṣyanakṣatre kurukṣetrasya oraṃ prasthānaṃ cakāra |
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Die Söhne Pāṇḍus an die Spitze stellend, brach Kṛṣṇa—von Sātyaki begleitet—auf, den Kurus entgegen. Nachdem der heldenhafte Balarāma, Rohiṇīs Freude, fortgegangen war, ergriff Madhusūdana Kṛṣṇa offen Partei für die Pāṇḍavas und ließ sie den Zug anführen; unter dem glückverheißenden Sternbild Puṣya begann der Marsch nach Kurukṣetra—ein Handeln, das seinen dharmischen Entschluss rahmt, inmitten des Kriegsdrucks die gerechte Sache zu stützen.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in a war setting, ethical alignment matters: Kṛṣṇa’s deliberate choice to stand with the Pāṇḍavas highlights commitment to a cause understood as dharmic, and the act of placing them in front underscores responsible leadership rather than self-serving power.
After Balarāma has left, Kṛṣṇa—together with Sātyaki—formally aligns with the Pāṇḍavas and sets out toward the Kuru forces, beginning the journey to Kurukṣetra at the time marked by the Puṣya nakṣatra.