Shloka 29

Saptasārasvata-tīrtha-prasaṅgaḥ | The Saptasārasvata Pilgrimage Account and the Maṅkaṇaka Narrative

Devanagari script

गत्वा चैवं महाबाहुर्नातिदूरे महायशा:

Transliteration

gatvā caivaṁ mahābāhur nātidūre mahāyaśāḥ | mahārāja dharmātmā bhagavān balarāmo nāgadhanvā nāma tīrthaṁ prāpa, yatra mahātejā nāgarājo vāsukiḥ bahusaṅkhyakaiḥ sarpair gṛhītaḥ nivāsasthānaṁ (asti) | tatra sadā caturdaśa-sahasrāṇi ṛṣayaḥ nivāsanti ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: O King, having gone only a short distance, the mighty-armed and greatly renowned, righteous Lord Balarāma reached the sacred ford called Nāgadhanvā. There lies the abode of the radiant serpent-king Vāsuki, surrounded by countless serpents; and in that holy place fourteen thousand sages are said to dwell continually.

Word by Word

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), कर्तरि

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

• एवम्: thus, in this manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• महाबाहुः: the mighty-armed one
• महाबाहुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाबाहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अतिदूरे: at no great distance / not far away
• अतिदूरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अतिदूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• महायशाः: the greatly renowned one
• महायशाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महायशस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Balarāma
• Nāgadhanvā tīrtha
• Vāsuki
• Nāgas (serpents)
• Ṛṣis (sages)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds dharma through tīrtha-yātrā: the righteous Balarāma seeks sanctified places where sages dwell, implying that proximity to holy sites and ascetics supports ethical clarity and inner restraint even amid the wider violence of the epic.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that Balarāma travels a short distance and arrives at the Nāgadhanvā tīrtha, described as the abode of the serpent-king Vāsuki surrounded by many nāgas, where fourteen thousand sages reside continuously.