Shloka 36
Saptasārasvata-tīrtha-prasaṅgaḥ | The Saptasārasvata Pilgrimage Account and the Maṅkaṇaka Narrative
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्ा भारत शल्यपववके अन्तर्गत गदापबव॑नें बलदेवजीकी तीरथ्थयात्राके प्रसंगमें त्रितका उपाख्यानविषयक छत्तीसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
kṛḍābhir vimalābhir yakṣāḥ krīḍanti vimalānanāḥ |
abhivādya munīṁs tān vai tatra tīrthanivāsinaḥ |
uddiṣṭamārgaḥ prayayau yatra bhūyaḥ sarasvatī ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: In that sacred ford, radiant-faced celestial beings delight continually in many kinds of pure and graceful sports, having cast off all languor. Then, having duly saluted the sages who dwell at that tīrtha, he proceeded along the indicated route to the place where the Sarasvatī is again encountered. The passage underscores the sanctifying power of pilgrimage: reverence toward ascetics and disciplined movement along a prescribed path are the proper ethical frame for enjoying sacred beauty without falling into heedlessness.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in places of beauty and delight, the Mahābhārata frames right conduct as reverence (saluting the sages), purity (vimalā kṛḍā), and disciplined adherence to a proper path (uddiṣṭa-mārga). Sacred enjoyment is legitimized when grounded in respect and self-restraint.
The narrator describes a tīrtha where celestial beings engage in pure amusements. After paying respects to the resident sages, the traveler continues onward along the directed route to another point where the Sarasvatī is encountered again, marking progress in the pilgrimage itinerary.