गदायुद्ध-समारम्भः
Commencement of the Mace-Duel Proceedings
इन्द्रोडग्निरर्यमा चैव यत्र प्राक् प्रीतिमाप्रुवन् त॑ देशं कारपवनाद् यमुनायां जगाम ह,उपविष्ट: कथा: शुभ्रा: शुश्राव यदुपुड्रवः । जहाँ पूर्वकालमें इन्द्र, अग्नि और अर्यमाने बड़ी प्रसन्नता प्राप्त की थी, वह स्थान यमुनाके तटपर है। कारपवनसे उस तीर्थमें जाकर महाबली धर्मात्मा बलरामने स्नान करके बड़ा हर्ष प्राप्त किया। फिर वे यदुपुंगव बलभद्र ऋषियों और सिद्धोंके साथ बैठकर उत्तम कथाएँ सुनने लगे
vaiśampāyana uvāca | indro 'gnir aryamā caiva yatra prāk prītim āpuvan | taṁ deśaṁ kārapavanād yamunāyāṁ jagāma ha | upaviṣṭaḥ kathāḥ śubhrāḥ śuśrāva yadupuṅgavaḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: “That place on the bank of the Yamunā where, in ancient times, Indra, Agni, and Aryaman attained great delight—there the foremost of the Yadus went from Kārapavana. Having bathed at that sacred ford, the mighty and righteous Baladeva felt deep joy; then, seated together with sages and perfected beings (siddhas), he listened to noble and purifying accounts.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse highlights the dharmic value of tīrtha-yātrā and śravaṇa: bathing at a sanctified place and listening to pure, uplifting discourse in the company of sages are presented as sources of inner joy and moral purification.
Baladeva (the foremost Yadu) travels from Kārapavana to a Yamunā-bank sacred spot famed from ancient divine visitation (Indra, Agni, Aryaman). After bathing there, he sits with ṛṣis and siddhas and listens to auspicious narratives.