Shloka 1
Trita in the Well (Udapāna-kathā) — Balarāma’s Tīrtha Observances
अपर बक। ] अति: पजञ्चत्रिशो<ड्ध्याय: बलदेवजीकी तीर्थयात्रा तथा प्रभास-क्षेत्रके प्रभावका वर्णनके प्रसंगमें चन्द्रमाके शापमोचनकी कथा जनमेजय उवाच पूर्वमेव यदा रामस्तस्मिन् युद्ध उपस्थिते । आमन्त्रय केशवं यातो वृष्णिभि: सहित: प्रभु:
janamejaya uvāca | pūrvam eva yadā rāmas tasmin yuddhe upasthite | āmantrya keśavaṃ yāto vṛṣṇibhiḥ sahitaḥ prabhuḥ ||
Janamejaya berkata: “Wahai Brahmana, ketika perang telah benar-benar mendekat, bahkan sebelum pertempuran dimulai, Bhagawan Balarāma berpamitan kepada Keśava dan berangkat menunaikan ziarah tirtha bersama kaum Vṛṣṇi.”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores ethical agency in times of collective violence: even powerful figures may choose restraint and distance when a conflict is morally fraught, balancing duty, family ties, and the wish to avoid complicity in destructive war.
As the Bhārata war becomes imminent, Balarāma formally takes leave of Kṛṣṇa and departs with the Vṛṣṇis, setting up the later account of his tīrthayātrā (pilgrimage) during the war period.