Shloka 10
गदायुद्ध-समारम्भः
Commencement of the Mace-Duel Proceedings
नातिदूरं ततो गत्वा नगं तालध्वजो बली,जिनकी ध्वजापर तालका चिह्न सुशोभित होता है, वे बलरामजी उस पर्वतपर थोड़ी ही दूर गये थे कि उनकी दृष्टि एक पुण्यमय उत्तम तीर्थपर पड़ी। वह सरस्वतीकी उत्पत्तिका स्थान प्लक्षप्रख्वण नामक तीर्थ था। उसका दर्शन करके बलरामजीको बड़ा आश्चर्य हुआ
vaiśampāyana uvāca | nātidūraṃ tato gatvā nagaṃ tāladhvajo balī |
Vaiśampāyana said: After going only a short distance from there, the mighty Balarāma—whose banner bears the emblem of the palm tree—reached a mountain. There his gaze fell upon a supremely holy and auspicious tīrtha, the place of origin of the river Sarasvatī, known as Plakṣa-prasravaṇa. Beholding it, Balarāma was filled with wonder, underscoring the epic’s reverence for sacred geography and the purifying power of pilgrimage even amid the wider context of war.
वैशम्पायन उवाच