Shloka 38
Sārasvata–Dadhīca Upākhyāna at Sarasvatī Tīrtha
Balarāma’s Pilgrimage Context
तेषां लोकेष्वपश्यच्च जैगीषव्यं स देवल: । जो लोग दुर्लभ सर्वमेध तथा सौत्रामणि यज्ञ करते हैं, उनके लोकोंमें भी देवलने जैगीषव्यको देखा ।। द्वादशाहैश्व सत्रैश्न यजन्ते विविधैर्नूप
teṣāṁ lokeṣv apaśyac ca jaigīṣavyaṁ sa devalaḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: Devala beheld Jaigīṣavya even in those worlds attained by people who perform rare and arduous sacrifices—such as the Sarvamedha and the Sautrāmaṇī—showing that Jaigīṣavya’s spiritual stature was not confined to ordinary merit, but was acknowledged even amid the highest ritual attainments.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts ritual prestige with deeper spiritual stature: even in realms gained by rare, high-powered sacrifices, Devala still sees Jaigīṣavya—suggesting that Jaigīṣavya’s excellence is recognized beyond conventional ritual merit and is associated with a higher or more pervasive spiritual attainment.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Devala, while observing various heavenly realms associated with great sacrificial performers, also encounters Jaigīṣavya there—placing Jaigīṣavya among (or above) the highest-achieving ritualists in terms of posthumous or cosmic standing.