Shloka 33

Saptasārasvata-tīrtha-prasaṅgaḥ | The Saptasārasvata Pilgrimage Account and the Maṅkaṇaka Narrative

Devanagari script

पन्नगेभ्यो भयं तत्र विद्यते न सम पौरव । तत्रापि विधिवद्‌ दत्त्वा विप्रेभ्यो रत्नसंचयान्‌

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: pannagebhyo bhayaṃ tatra vidyate na sama Paurava | tatrāpi vidhivad dattvā viprebhyo ratnasañcayān ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : «Ô descendant de Puru, en ce lieu il n’est aucune crainte des serpents. Là encore, après avoir, selon le rite, donné aux brahmanes des monceaux de joyaux, Balarāma se mit en route vers l’est, où, à chaque pas, se révélaient de nombreux gués sacrés renommés, que l’on dit être près de cent mille.»

Word by Word

• {'Vaiśampāyana uvāca': 'Vaiśampāyana said', 'pannagebhyaḥ': 'from serpents

• with regard to snakes', 'bhayam': 'fear', 'tatra': 'there

• in that place', 'vidyate': 'exists

• is found', 'na': 'not', 'sama': 'equal

• at all (emphatic sense in context: ‘not in the least’)', 'Paurava': 'O Paurava

• descendant of Puru (address to Janamejaya)', 'tatrāpi': 'there also

• even there', 'vidhivat': 'according to rule

• in due ritual manner', 'dattvā': 'having given', 'viprebhyaḥ': 'to the Brahmins', 'ratna-sañcayān': 'heaps/collections of jewels

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Paurava (Janamejaya)
• Balarāma
• vipra (Brahmins)
• pannaga (serpents)
• ratna (jewels/treasures)
• tīrtha (sacred fords/pilgrimage sites)
• pūrvadiś (the eastern direction)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The passage highlights dharmic conduct during pilgrimage: fear is dispelled in a sanctified space, and merit is reinforced through vidhivat dāna—proper, rule-governed generosity to Brahmins—showing that sacred travel is paired with ethical giving and ritual discipline.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates Balarāma’s continued tīrtha-journey: at a place where serpents pose no danger, Balarāma performs prescribed gifts of jewels to Brahmins and then proceeds eastward, encountering a vast succession of famed tīrthas.