Shloka 23
Trita in the Well (Udapāna-kathā) — Balarāma’s Tīrtha Observances
गोखरोष्ट प्रयुक्तैश्व यानैश्व बहुभिवत: । राजन्! महाबली बलदेवजीने सेवकोंको ऐसी आज्ञा देकर उस समय कुरुक्षेत्रमें ही तीर्थयात्रा आरम्भ कर दी। भरतश्रेष्ठ! वे सरस्वतीके स्रोतती ओर चलकर उसके दोनों तटोंपर गये। उनके साथ ऋत्विज
go-kharauṣṭra-prayuktaiś ca yānaiś ca bahubhir vṛtaḥ | rājann mahābalī baladevājīna sevakān evam ājñāpya tadā kurukṣetre eva tīrtha-yātrām ārabdhavān | bharataśreṣṭha sa sarasvatyāḥ srotasī prati gatvā tayor ubhayataṭeṣu jagāma | tasya saha ṛtvijaḥ suhṛdaḥ anye ca śreṣṭhā brāhmaṇā rathā hastinaḥ aśvāḥ sevakāś ca āsan | vṛṣabha-gardabha-uṣṭra-yuktaiḥ bahusaṅkhyaiḥ rathaiḥ balarāmo vṛta āsīt ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: O König, der überaus mächtige Balarāma, umringt von vielen Fahrzeugen, die von Ochsen, Eseln und Kamelen gezogen wurden, erteilte seinen Dienern Befehle und begann—gleich dort auf dem Feld von Kurukṣetra—seine Pilgerfahrt. O Bester der Bhāratas, er zog zu den Strömen der Sarasvatī und wanderte an beiden Ufern entlang. Mit ihm gingen Opferpriester (ṛtvij), Freunde und andere hervorragende Brahmanen, ebenso Wagen, Elefanten, Pferde und Diener. Von einer großen Menge an Karren umgeben, die an Ochsen, Esel und Kamele gespannt waren, schritt Balarāma voran.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid a war narrative, the text highlights an alternative dharmic response: stepping away from violence and turning toward tīrtha-yātrā, ritual order, and self-restraint. Balarāma’s movement to the Sarasvatī frames pilgrimage as a stabilizing, purifying discipline supported by priests, learned brāhmaṇas, and a well-ordered retinue.
Vaiśampāyana describes Balarāma beginning a pilgrimage from Kurukṣetra. He travels toward the streams of the Sarasvatī and along both banks, accompanied by priests, friends, eminent brāhmaṇas, and a large convoy of vehicles and animals—chariots/carts, elephants, horses, and many carts yoked to oxen, donkeys, and camels.