Shloka 16
Indratīrtha–Ādityatīrtha: Balarāma’s Ritual Bathing, Dāna, and Sacred-Historical Recollections
पज्च चैतानि सुभगे बदराणि शुभव्रते । पचेत्युक्त्वा तु भगवाञज्जगाम बलसूदन:
pañca caitāni subhage badarāṇi śubhavrate | pacety uktvā tu bhagavān jagāma balasūdanaḥ ||
सुभगे! शुभव्रते! ये पाँच बेर के फल हैं—इन्हें पका दो। यह कहकर बलसूदन भगवान् इन्द्र वहाँ से चल पड़े; वे उस आश्रम से थोड़ी ही दूर स्थित उत्तम तीर्थ में गये, वहाँ स्नान करके जप-ध्यान में प्रवृत्त हो गये।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even powerful beings are shown observing discipline: simple food, respectful address, bathing at a tīrtha, and japa. The verse highlights restraint, purity, and the ethical value of maintaining sacred observances alongside worldly duties.
The narrator reports that Indra instructs a virtuous woman to cook five badara fruits. After giving this small domestic instruction, he goes a short distance from the hermitage to a sacred place, bathes, and begins japa/meditative recitation.