Shloka 49
Trita in the Well (Udapāna-kathā) — Balarāma’s Tīrtha Observances
पुरा हि सोमो राजेन्द्र रोहिण्यामवसत् परम् | ततस्ता: कुपिता: सर्वा नक्षत्राख्या महात्मन:,राजेन्द्र! पूर्वकालमें चन्द्रमा सदा रोहिणीके ही समीप रहते थे; अतः नक्षत्रनामसे प्रसिद्ध हुईं महात्मा सोमकी वे सारी पत्नियाँ उनपर कुपित हो उठीं
purā hi somo rājendra rohiṇyām avasat param | tatastāḥ kupitāḥ sarvā nakṣatrākhyā mahātmanaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “In former times, O king, Soma (the Moon) dwelt excessively with Rohiṇī alone. Therefore all his other wives—the illustrious ones known as the Nakṣatras—became angry with that great-souled Soma, seeing his partiality.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Partiality and exclusive favoritism—especially by one who bears responsibility toward many—breeds resentment and disrupts harmony; ethical conduct requires fairness and restraint.
Vaiśampāyana recounts an old episode: Soma repeatedly stays with Rohiṇī more than with his other wives (the Nakṣatras), and the neglected wives become angry at his unequal treatment.