Shloka 85

Trita in the Well (Udapāna-kathā) — Balarāma’s Tīrtha Observances

Devanagari script

अमावास्यां महाराज नित्यश: शशलक्षण: । स्नात्वा ह्॒ाप्यायते श्रीमान्‌ प्रभासे तीर्थ उत्तमे

Transliteration

amāvāsyāṃ mahārāja nityaśaḥ śaśalakṣaṇaḥ | snātvā hy āpyāyate śrīmān prabhāse tīrtha uttame ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : «Ô grand roi, à chaque jour de nouvelle lune, l’illustre astre marqué du signe du lièvre (la Lune) se baigne à Prabhāsa, le plus excellent des tīrthas, et par là se régénère et retrouve sa plénitude.»

Word by Word

अमावास्यायाम्on the new-moon day

महाराजO great king

नित्यशःalways, regularly

शशलक्षणःhaving the hare-mark (moon-marked)

स्नात्वाhaving bathed

अप्यायतेbecomes full / waxes / is replenished

श्रीमान्splendid, glorious

प्रभासेat Prabhāsa

तीर्थेat the sacred ford/pilgrimage-place

उत्तमेexcellent, best

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Prabhāsa tīrtha

the Moon (Śaśin/Śaśalakṣaṇa)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse presents tīrtha as a source of renewal: even the Moon, diminished at amāvāsyā, is said to regain fullness through ritual bathing at Prabhāsa—an image linking sacred practice with restoration and cosmic regularity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana explains to the king a traditional account about Prabhāsa: on each new-moon day the Moon (identified by the hare-mark) bathes there and becomes replenished, highlighting the tīrtha’s exceptional sanctity.