Shloka 186
Sārasvata–Dadhīca Upākhyāna at Sarasvatī Tīrtha
Balarāma’s Pilgrimage Context
कलशं जलपूर्ण वै गृहीत्वा जनमेजय । जनमेजय! फिर उन्होंने समुद्रमें विधिपूर्वक स्नान करके पवित्र हो जपनेयोग्य मन्त्रका जप किया। जप आदि नित्यकर्म पूर्ण करके श्रीमान् देवल जलसे भरा हुआ कलश लेकर अपने आश्रमपर आये
kalaśaṃ jalapūrṇaṃ vai gṛhītvā janamejaya | janamejaya! tataḥ sa samudre vidhivat snātvā pavitraḥ japayogya-mantrasya japaṃ cakāra | japa-ādi nityakarmāṇi sampūrya śrīmān devalaḥ jalapūrṇaṃ kalaśaṃ gṛhītvā svāśramaṃ pratyāgāt ||
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai Janamejaya, setelah membawa kendi yang penuh air, ia pergi ke samudra dan mandi menurut tata upacara, lalu menjadi suci. Ia melafalkan mantra yang layak untuk japa. Setelah menuntaskan kewajiban hariannya seperti japa, Devala yang mulia kembali ke pertapaannya sambil membawa kendi yang tetap penuh air.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores dharma through disciplined daily practice: ritual bathing, purification, mantra-japa, and completion of nitya-karmas. Ethical emphasis lies in steadiness, self-regulation, and reverence for prescribed duties rather than impulsive action.
Within Vaiśampāyana’s narration to King Janamejaya, the sage Devala performs a sea-bath according to rite, recites a mantra as japa, completes his daily religious duties, and then returns to his hermitage carrying a water-filled pitcher.