Shloka 38
Trita in the Well (Udapāna-kathā) — Balarāma’s Tīrtha Observances
इस प्रकार उदार वृत्तिवाले अनुपम प्रभावशाली महात्मा बलरामने सरस्वतीके श्रेष्ठ तीर्थोमें बहुत धन दान किया और क्रमशः यात्रा करते हुए वे कुरक्षेत्रमें आये ।।
janamejaya uvāca | sārasvatānāṁ tīrthānāṁ guṇotpattiṁ vadasva me | phalaṁ ca dvipadāṁ śreṣṭha karmānirvattim eva ca ||
Demikianlah sang mahātmā Balarāma, berhati luhur dan berwibawa tiada banding, menganugerahkan harta berlimpah di tīrtha-tīrtha terbaik di tepi Sarasvatī, lalu berangsur-angsur melakukan perjalanan hingga tiba di Kurukṣetra. Janamejaya berkata: “Wahai Bhagavan, jelaskan kepadaku asal-mula kebajikan tīrtha-tīrtha di Sarasvatī; dan, wahai yang terbaik di antara manusia, terangkan pula buah ziarahnya menurut urutan, serta tata laku dan upacara yang menuntun pada keberhasilan rohani di sana.”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames tīrtha-yātrā as disciplined dharma: sacred places have specific virtues and origin-stories, and their benefits (phala) are linked to proper conduct and prescribed rites (karma-nirvatti), not mere travel.
King Janamejaya, eager to understand the Sarasvatī’s pilgrimage network, asks the narrator to explain the qualities, origins, sequential fruits of visiting those tīrthas, and the practices that lead to spiritual attainment there.