Shloka 63
सरस्वतीतीर्थानुक्रमः — बलरामस्य तीर्थयात्रा
Sarasvatī Tīrtha Itinerary — Balarāma’s Pilgrimage
एतदाचक्ष्व मे ब्रह्मन् श्रोतव्यं यदि मन्यसे । जनमेजयने पूछा--ब्रह्मन! उदपान तीर्थ कैसे हुआ? वे महातपस्वी त्रितमुनि उसमें कैसे गिर पड़े और द्विजश्रेष्ठ उनके दोनों भाइयोंने उन्हें क्यों वहीं छोड़ दिया था? क्या कारण था
etad ācakṣva me brahman śrotavyaṃ yadi manyase | janamejaya uvāca |
Janamejaya berkata: “Wahai Brahmana, jika engkau menilainya layak didengar, ceritakanlah kepadaku. Bagaimana sumur itu menjadi tīrtha? Bagaimana pertapa agung Trita jatuh ke dalamnya, dan mengapa kedua saudaranya—yang terbaik di antara kaum dwija—meninggalkannya di sana? Apa sebabnya mereka meninggalkannya di dalam sumur lalu pulang? Dan ketika tinggal di sana, bagaimana ia melaksanakan yajña dan meminum Soma? Jika engkau menganggap kisah ini patut kudengar, mohon jelaskan.”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic inquiry: sacredness (tīrtha) is tied to extraordinary endurance and ritual integrity. It also raises an ethical problem—how kin can fail in duty—inviting reflection on betrayal versus steadfastness in dharma.
King Janamejaya asks the Brahmin narrator to explain the backstory of a well that became a tīrtha: how the ascetic Trita fell into it, why his two brothers left him there, and how Trita could still perform sacrifice and partake of Soma while trapped.