Shloka 68
Sārasvata–Dadhīca Upākhyāna at Sarasvatī Tīrtha
Balarāma’s Pilgrimage Context
तेजसस्तपसश्चास्य योगस्य च महात्मन: । ऐसा कहनेवाले ज्ञानी नारदमुनिको देवताओंने महामुनि जैगीषव्यकी प्रशंसा करते हुए इस प्रकार उत्तर दिया--'आपको ऐसी बात नहीं कहनी चाहिये; क्योंकि प्रभाव, तेज, तपस्या और योगकी दृष्टिसे इन महात्मासे बढ़कर दूसरा कोई नहीं है” || ६६-६७ $ ।। एवं प्रभावों धर्मात्मा जैगीषव्यस्तथासित: । तयोरिदं स्थानवरं तीर्थ चैव महात्मनो:
tejasas tapasaś cāsya yogasya ca mahātmanaḥ | evaṃ vadati viduṣi nāradamunau devatā mahāmuniṃ jaigīṣavyaṃ praśaṃsanta idaṃ pratyūcuḥ— “na tvayā evam uktavyaṃ; prabhāva-tejas-tapas-yoga-dṛṣṭyā hi etasmān mahātmanaḥ paro nāsti” || 66–67 || evaṃ prabhāvo dharmātmā jaigīṣavyas tathāsīt | tayor idaṃ sthānavaraṃ tīrthaṃ caiva mahātmanaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: When the wise sage Nārada spoke in that manner, the gods—praising the great sage Jaigīṣavya—replied: “You should not say so. In influence, radiance, austerity, and yogic power, there is none greater than this great-souled one.” Thus Jaigīṣavya, a righteous man of extraordinary potency, truly was. This became the excellent sacred spot and pilgrimage-place associated with those great souls.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True spiritual greatness is measured by inner influence (prabhāva), radiance (tejas), disciplined austerity (tapas), and yogic mastery (yoga). The passage also cautions against careless comparison and urges humility before genuine merit.
Nārada makes a remark that prompts the gods to respond by extolling the sage Jaigīṣavya as unsurpassed in spiritual qualities. The text then notes that, because of such great souls, the associated location becomes an eminent tīrtha (pilgrimage site).