Shloka 31
Saptasārasvata-tīrtha-prasaṅgaḥ | The Saptasārasvata Pilgrimage Account and the Maṅkaṇaka Narrative
महद्युतेर्महाराज बहुभि: पन्नगैर्वतम् । ऋषीणां हि सहस््राणि तत्र नित्यं चतुर्दश
vaiśampāyana uvāca | mahadyuter mahārāja bahubhiḥ pannagair vṛtam | ṛṣīṇāṃ hi sahasrāṇi tatra nityaṃ caturdaśa ||
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: Oh rey, la morada del de gran fulgor está rodeada por muchas serpientes. En verdad, allí habitan continuamente catorce mil ṛṣis. (Así, no muy lejos, el Señor Balarāma, de brazos poderosos, ilustre y justo, llegó al vado sagrado llamado Nāgadhanvā, residencia del radiante rey serpiente Vāsuki, cercada por incontables serpientes.)
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the sanctity of tīrthas: places protected by powerful beings (nāgas) and sustained by continuous ascetic presence (many ṛṣis). It implies that dharma is upheld not only on battlefields but also through enduring spiritual communities and sacred spaces.
Vaiśampāyana describes a sacred abode associated with nāgas, surrounded by many serpents, where fourteen thousand sages reside constantly. In the surrounding narrative context, Balarāma is said to arrive at the tīrtha called Nāgadhanvā, connected with the serpent-king Vāsuki.