Shloka 22
Asita Devala Observes Jaigīṣavya’s Yogic Attainment and Chooses Mokṣa-dharma (देवल-जैगीषव्योपाख्यानम्)
तत्र हत्वा पुरा विष्णुरसुरी मधुकैटभौ । आप्लुत्य भरतश्रेष्ठ तीर्थप्रवर उत्तमे
tatra hatvā purā viṣṇur asurī madhukaiṭabhau | āplutya bharataśreṣṭha tīrthapravara uttame ||
Là, jadis, Viṣṇu tua les deux êtres démoniaques, Madhu et Kaiṭabha ; puis, s’étant baigné dans ce gué sacré, le plus éminent et le plus excellent—ô le meilleur des Bhārata—(il en fut purifié et sanctifié).
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links righteous action and sacred space: even divine victory over destructive forces is paired with ritual purification at a tīrtha, underscoring the Mahābhārata’s ethic that power and violence must be framed within dharma and sanctifying discipline.
Vaiśampāyana points to a particular holy place, recalling an ancient precedent: Viṣṇu once killed the demonic pair Madhu and Kaiṭabha there and then bathed at that foremost tīrtha, establishing the site’s sanctity through mythic memory.