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 ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Ô roi, la demeure de l’être au grand éclat est entourée de nombreuses serpents. En vérité, quatorze mille ṛṣis y résident sans cesse. (Ainsi, non loin de là, le seigneur Balarāma, aux bras puissants, illustre et juste, atteignit le gué sacré nommé Nāgadhanvā, demeure du resplendissant roi-serpent Vāsuki, ceinte d’innombrables serpents.)
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.