Shloka 63
Śalya-parva Adhyāya 34: Balarāma’s Withdrawal, Sarasvatī Pilgrimage Logistics, and Prabhāsa as Soma’s Renewal Tīrtha
शिष्ययोर्व गदायुद्धं द्रष्ठकामो5स्मि माधव । उस समय बलरामजीने श्रीकृष्ण, पाण्डव तथा हाथमें गदा लेकर खड़े हुए कुरुवंशी दुर्योधनकी ओर देखकर कहा--“माधव! तीर्थयात्राके लिये निकले हुए आज मुझे बयालीस दिन हो गये। पुष्य नक्षत्रमें चला था और श्रवण नक्षत्रमें पुन: वापस आया हूँ। मैं अपने दोनों शिष्योंका गदायुद्ध देखना चाहता हूँ!
sañjaya uvāca | śiṣyayor va gadāyuddhaṃ draṣṭukāmo 'smi mādhava | tadā balarāmaḥ śrīkṛṣṇaṃ pāṇḍavāṃś ca gadāpāṇiṃ kuruvaṃśyaṃ duryodhanaṃ ca nirīkṣyaivam uvāca— “mādhava! tīrthayātrāyai nirgatasya me 'dya dvicatvāriṃśad-dināni gatāni | puṣye nakṣatre prasthitaḥ śravaṇe nakṣatre punar āgataḥ | ahaṃ mama ubhayor śiṣyayoḥ gadāyuddhaṃ draṣṭum icchāmi” |
Sanjaya said: Desiring to witness the club-duel between his two disciples, Balarama looked toward Madhava (Krishna), the Pandavas, and Duryodhana of the Kuru line standing with mace in hand, and spoke: “Madhava, it has now been forty-two days since I set out on pilgrimage. I departed under the Pushya constellation and have returned under Shravana. I wish to see the mace-fight between my two pupils.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between personal loyalties and impartial duty: Balarama, as teacher to both combatants, frames the duel as a legitimate martial contest he wishes to witness, while his pilgrimage and the mention of auspicious time-markers (nakṣatras) underscore the traditional belief that ethical action is situated within sacred discipline and ordered time.
After being away on a pilgrimage for forty-two days, Balarama returns to the battlefield scene. Seeing Krishna, the Pandavas, and Duryodhana standing with mace in hand, he tells Krishna that he wants to watch the mace-duel between his two disciples (understood as the impending Bhima–Duryodhana contest).