Shloka 42
Trita in the Well (Udapāna-kathā) — Balarāma’s Tīrtha Observances
विमुक्तशाप: पुनराप्य तेज: सर्व जगद् भासयते नरेन्द्र । एवं तु तीर्थप्रवरं पृथिव्यां प्रभासनात् तस्य ततः प्रभास:,महाराज! यदुकुलके प्रमुख वीर बलरामजी सबसे पहले ऋत्विजों, सुहृदों और ब्राह्मणोंके साथ पुण्यमय प्रभासक्षेत्रमें गये, जहाँ राजयक्ष्मासे कष्ट पाते हुए चन्द्रमाको शापसे छुटकारा मिला था। नरेन्द्र! वे वहीं पुन: अपना तेज प्राप्त करके सम्पूर्ण जगत्को प्रकाशित करते हैं। इस प्रकार चन्द्रमाको प्रभासित करनेके कारण ही वह प्रधान तीर्थ इस पृथ्वीपर प्रभास नामसे विख्यात हुआ
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
vimuktaśāpaḥ punar āpya tejaḥ sarvaṃ jagad bhāsayate narendra |
evaṃ tu tīrthapravaraṃ pṛthivyāṃ prabhāsanāt tasya tataḥ prabhāsaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Released from the curse, the Moon regained his radiance and once again illumined the entire world, O king. Thus, because that foremost sacred ford on earth caused him to shine forth, it thereafter became renowned by the name Prabhāsa.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights restoration through purification: when a being is freed from a curse (a consequence of prior action), its innate brilliance returns and benefits the world. It also teaches how sacred places gain meaning through the transformative events associated with them.
Vaiśampāyana explains why the pilgrimage site is called Prabhāsa: the Moon, once afflicted by a curse, regained his radiance there and again illuminated the world; therefore the tīrtha became famous as ‘Prabhāsa’—the place connected with making him shine.