Shloka 39

Trita in the Well (Udapāna-kathā) — Balarāma’s Tīrtha Observances

Devanagari script

यथाक्रमेण भगवंस्तीर्थानामनुपूर्वश: । ब्रह्मन ब्रह्मविदां श्रेष्ठ परं कौतूहलं हि मे

Transliteration

yathākrameṇa bhagavaṁs tīrthānām anupūrvaśaḥ | brahman brahmavidāṁ śreṣṭha paraṁ kautūhalaṁ hi me || janamejaya uvāca ||

Translation

Janamejaya berkata: “Wahai Bhagavan, kisahkanlah tīrtha-tīrtha itu menurut urutan dan tahap demi tahap. Wahai Brahman, yang utama di antara para pengenal Brahman—rasa ingin tahuku sungguh mendalam.”

Word by Word

• यथा: as, in the manner of
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• अक्रमेण: not in order, irregularly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अ-क्रम (क्रम)

• भगवन्: O Blessed one / O Lord
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• तीर्थानाम्: of the sacred fords/pilgrimage places
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• अनुपूर्वशः: in due sequence, successively
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनुपूर्वशः

• ब्रह्मन्: O Brahman (sage)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• ब्रह्मविदाम्: of the knowers of Brahman
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मविद्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• श्रेष्ठ: O best, O foremost
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• परम्: supreme, great
• परम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• कौतूहलम्: curiosity, eagerness
• कौतूहलम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौतूहल
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• हि: indeed, for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• मे: of me / my
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular

Speaker

जनमेजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Janamejaya
• a Brahman sage (addressed as bhagavan, brahman, brahmavidāṁ śreṣṭha)
• tīrthas (sacred pilgrimage sites)
• Sarasvatī (implied by the passage’s context in this section)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a dharmic approach to sacred practice: pilgrimage and ritual are not random acts but are to be undertaken with proper order (yathākrameṇa, anupūrvaśaḥ), informed guidance, and a sincere desire to understand the origins and ethical-spiritual fruits of holy places.

What is happening in the narrative?

King Janamejaya addresses the sage-narrator with respectful titles and requests a systematic account of the tīrthas—especially those connected with the Sarasvatī—asking for their qualities, powers, origin-stories, and the practices by which one attains spiritual success there.