Shloka 21
Kapālamocana-tīrtha (Auśanasa) and Balarāma’s Sarasvatī Pilgrimage
आहूता सरितां श्रेष्ठा गययज्ञे सरस्वती । विशालां तु गयस्याहु#षय: संशितव्रता:
āhūtā saritāṃ śreṣṭhā gayayajñe sarasvatī | viśālāṃ tu gayasyāhuḥ ṛṣayaḥ saṃśitavratāḥ ||
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Dalam yajña Raja Gaya, Sarasvatī—yang utama di antara sungai-sungai—telah dipanggil. Para resi yang teguh dalam kaul menyatakan bahwa, dalam kaitannya dengan Gaya, Sarasvatī itu dikenal dengan nama Viśālā.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the dharmic authority of disciplined sages and the sanctity of yajña: sacred realities (like a river’s revered name) are preserved and transmitted through ritual practice and the testimony of vow-bound seers.
Vaiśampāyana explains a tradition about Sarasvatī: when King Gaya performed a great sacrifice, Sarasvatī was invoked there, and the sages state that in that context she is known as Viśālā.