Shloka 36
Trita in the Well (Udapāna-kathā) — Balarāma’s Tīrtha Observances
रत्नानि मुक्तामणिविद्रुमं चा- प्यग्रयं सुवर्ण रजतं सुशुद्धम् अयस्मयं ताम्रमयं च भाण्डं ददौ द्विजातिप्रवरेषु राम:
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
ratnāni muktāmaṇi-vidrumaṃ cāpy agryaṃ suvarṇa-rajataṃ suśuddham |
ayasmayaṃ tāmramayaṃ ca bhāṇḍaṃ dadau dvijāti-pravareṣu rāmaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Rāma (Balarāma) schenkte den Vornehmsten unter den „Zweimalgeborenen“ (hervorragenden Brāhmaṇas) kostbare Schätze — Edelsteine, Perlen und Korallen — dazu erlesenes Gold und vollkommen reines Silber. Auch Gefäße aus Eisen und Kupfer verteilte er. In seiner ethischen Aussage betont der Vers das Ideal des dāna (freigebigen Schenkens) an würdige Empfänger und stellt Balarāmas Großmut als dharmische Tat dar, die Gelehrsamkeit und priesterliche Tugend selbst im Aufruhr des Kriegsgeschehens ehrt.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dāna as a dharmic duty: wealth is to be used for righteous purposes, especially honoring worthy brāhmaṇas and sustaining the moral-religious order. Generosity, purity of gifts, and proper recipients together create ethical merit.
Vaiśampāyana narrates Balarāma’s acts of lavish gifting: he distributes precious materials (gems, pearls, coral), refined gold and silver, and practical metal vessels (iron and copper) to eminent brāhmaṇas, portraying him as upholding dharma through munificence.