Shloka 1
Trita in the Well (Udapāna-kathā) — Balarāma’s Tīrtha Observances
अपर बक। ] अति: पजञ्चत्रिशो<ड्ध्याय: बलदेवजीकी तीर्थयात्रा तथा प्रभास-क्षेत्रके प्रभावका वर्णनके प्रसंगमें चन्द्रमाके शापमोचनकी कथा जनमेजय उवाच पूर्वमेव यदा रामस्तस्मिन् युद्ध उपस्थिते । आमन्त्रय केशवं यातो वृष्णिभि: सहित: प्रभु:,जनमेजयने कहा--ब्रह्मन! जब महाभारतयुद्ध आरम्भ होनेका समय निकट आ गया, उस समय युद्ध प्रारम्भ होनेसे पहले ही भगवान् बलराम श्रीकृष्णकी सम्मति ले, अन्य वृष्णिवंशियोंके साथ तीर्थयात्राके लिये चले गये और जाते समय यह कह गये कि “केशव! मैंन तो धृतराष्ट्रपुत्र दुर्योधनकी सहायता करूँगा और न पाण्डवोंकी ही'
janamejaya uvāca | pūrvam eva yadā rāmas tasmin yuddhe upasthite | āmantrya keśavaṃ yāto vṛṣṇibhiḥ sahitaḥ prabhuḥ ||
Janamejaya said: “O Brahman, when the great war was close at hand—before the fighting had begun—Lord Balarāma, having taken leave of Keśava (Kṛṣṇa), set out on pilgrimage with the Vṛṣṇis, saying as he departed: ‘Keśava! I will not aid Duryodhana, son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, nor will I side with the sons of Pāṇḍu…’”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores ethical agency in times of collective violence: even powerful figures may choose restraint and distance when a conflict is morally fraught, balancing duty, family ties, and the wish to avoid complicity in destructive war.
As the Bhārata war becomes imminent, Balarāma formally takes leave of Kṛṣṇa and departs with the Vṛṣṇis, setting up the later account of his tīrthayātrā (pilgrimage) during the war period.