Shloka 6

Trita in the Well (Udapāna-kathā) — Balarāma’s Tīrtha Observances

Devanagari script

शमं प्रति महाबाहो हितार्थ सर्वदेहिनाम्‌ वैशम्पायनजीने कहा--राजन्‌! जिन दिनों महामनस्वी पाण्डव उपप्लव्य नामक स्थानमें छावनी डालकर ठहरे हुए थे

Transliteration

sa gatvā hāstinapuraṃ dhṛtarāṣṭraṃ sametya ca

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: Um des Friedens willen und zum Heil aller Lebewesen begab er (Kṛṣṇa) sich nach Hāstinapura und traf dort auch Dhṛtarāṣṭra—und setzte so das friedensorientierte Bemühen der Pāṇḍavas fort, ehe der Krieg zur letzten Zuspitzung gelangte.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• गत्वा: having gone
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral here), Prior action (having done)

• हास्तिनपुरम्: to Hastinapura
• हास्तिनपुरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: हास्तिनपुर
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• धृतराष्ट्रम्: Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• धृतराष्ट्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धृतराष्ट्र
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• समेत्य: having met / having approached
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + इ
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral here), Prior action (having met/approached)

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Hāstinapura
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Kṛṣṇa (implied as the envoy in context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even on the brink of conflict, dharma favors exhausting peaceful, welfare-oriented counsel—approaching authority directly and seeking reconciliation before resorting to violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

The envoy (Kṛṣṇa, by context) reaches Hāstinapura and meets King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, advancing the Pandavas’ attempt at negotiation and settlement.