Shloka 29
Saptasārasvata-tīrtha-prasaṅgaḥ | The Saptasārasvata Pilgrimage Account and the Maṅkaṇaka Narrative
गत्वा चैवं महाबाहुर्नातिदूरे महायशा:
gatvā caivaṁ mahābāhur nātidūre mahāyaśāḥ | mahārāja dharmātmā bhagavān balarāmo nāgadhanvā nāma tīrthaṁ prāpa, yatra mahātejā nāgarājo vāsukiḥ bahusaṅkhyakaiḥ sarpair gṛhītaḥ nivāsasthānaṁ (asti) | tatra sadā caturdaśa-sahasrāṇi ṛṣayaḥ nivāsanti ||
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: Oh rey, tras avanzar sólo un corto trecho, el de brazos poderosos, de gran fama y justo, el Señor Balarāma, llegó al vado sagrado llamado Nāgadhanvā. Allí se halla la morada del resplandeciente rey de las serpientes, Vāsuki, rodeado de innumerables ofidios; y en ese lugar santo se dice que habitan continuamente catorce mil sabios.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharma through tīrtha-yātrā: the righteous Balarāma seeks sanctified places where sages dwell, implying that proximity to holy sites and ascetics supports ethical clarity and inner restraint even amid the wider violence of the epic.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Balarāma travels a short distance and arrives at the Nāgadhanvā tīrtha, described as the abode of the serpent-king Vāsuki surrounded by many nāgas, where fourteen thousand sages reside continuously.