Shloka 89
Trita in the Well (Udapāna-kathā) — Balarāma’s Tīrtha Observances
उदपानमथागच्छत्त्वरावान् केशवाग्रज: । आद्य॑ स्वस्त्ययनं चैव यत्रावाप्प महत् फलम्
udapānam athāgacchat tvarāvān keśavāgrajaḥ | ādyaṃ svastyayanaṃ caiva yatrāvāpa mahat phalam ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Dann begab sich Balarāma, Keśavas älterer Bruder, schnellfüßig, nach Udapāna — einer uralten, glückverheißenden Tīrtha, wo man großen Verdienst schon durch bloßes Eintreffen erlangt. Dort badete er nach rechtem Ritus, spendete vortreffliche Gaben, verweilte eine Nacht und zog dann in eifriger Hast weiter. O König Janamejaya, Udapāna ist jene Tīrtha, deren bloße Gegenwart großen geistlichen Ertrag verleiht; und vollendete Weise erkennen dort selbst die verborgene Sarasvatī, indem sie die Üppigkeit der Heilpflanzen und die Feuchtigkeit des Bodens betrachten.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights tīrtha-dharma: approaching a sacred place with proper conduct—ritual bathing, charity, and disciplined observance—yields spiritual merit. It also suggests that sanctity is discerned through signs in nature, and that sages perceive subtle realities (like the hidden Sarasvatī) through attentive observation.
Vaiśampāyana narrates Balarāma’s movement during his pilgrimage: he reaches the Udapāna-tīrtha, performs prescribed bathing and generous giving, stays one night, and then departs quickly. The narrator explains Udapāna’s exceptional merit and notes that siddhas can infer the presence of the unseen Sarasvatī from the land’s moisture and the luxuriance of medicinal plants.