Shloka 13
बदरपाचन-तीर्थमाहात्म्यम् | Badarapācana Tīrtha Māhātmya
Indratīrtha and the Austerities of Srucāvatī & Arundhatī
देवताओंद्वारा अभिषिक्त होकर महायशस्वी वरुण देवगणोंकी रक्षा करनेवाले इन्द्रके समान सरिताओं, सागरों, नदों और सरोवरोंका भी विधिपूर्वक पालन करने लगे ।।
devatābhiḥ abhiṣiktaḥ mahāyaśasvī varuṇaḥ devagaṇānāṁ rakṣakaḥ indra iva saritāṁ sāgarāṇāṁ nadīnāṁ sarovarāṇāṁ ca vidhivat pālanaṁ cakāra | tataḥ tatra tatra api upaspṛśya dattvā ca vividhaṁ vasu | agnitīrthaṁ mahāprājñaḥ jagāma atha pralambahā |
Consacré par les dieux, l’illustre Varuṇa—tel Indra, protecteur des cohortes divines—maintint et sauvegarda selon le rite l’ordre des rivières, des mers, des cours d’eau et des lacs. Ensuite, le sage Balarāma, vainqueur du démon Pralamba, accomplit des ablutions rituelles en divers lieux sacrés et fit don de richesses variées; puis il se rendit au gué saint nommé Agni-tīrtha.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Authority and excellence are validated by dharma: maintaining order (pālana) and practicing disciplined rites (vidhivat upaspṛśya) together with generosity (dattvā vividhaṁ vasu). The verse links power with responsibility and ethical stewardship.
Vaiśampāyana describes two connected motifs: Varuṇa, consecrated by the gods, upholds the proper order of waters; then Balarāma, famed as Pralamba’s slayer, continues his pilgrimage—bathing at sacred places, giving gifts, and moving onward to Agni-tīrtha.