Shloka 27

Ārṣṭiṣeṇa’s Siddhi and the Tīrtha-Boons; Sindhudvīpa–Devāpi Brāhmaṇya; Viśvāmitra’s Tapas Begins

Devanagari script

ततो हलधर: श्रीमान्‌ ब्राह्मणैः परिवारित: । जगाम तत्र राजेन्द्र रुषड्गुस्तनुमत्यजत्‌

Transliteration

tato haladharaḥ śrīmān brāhmaṇaiḥ parivāritaḥ | jagāma tatra rājendra ruṣaḍgustanumatyajat ||

Translation

Then the illustrious Haladhara (Balarāma), surrounded by brāhmaṇas, proceeded from there, O best of kings; and Ruṣaḍgu, abandoning his body, met his end. The verse underscores the dignified departure of a revered elder in the company of the learned, alongside the stark reminder of mortality that accompanies the epic’s war-torn world.

Word by Word

ततःthen; thereafter

हलधरःthe plough-bearer (Balarama)

श्रीमान्splendid; illustrious

ब्राह्मणैःby/with Brahmins

परिवारितःsurrounded; attended

जगामwent

तत्रthere

राजेन्द्रO king of kings

रुषड्गुःRushadgu (proper name)

तनुम्body

अत्यजत्abandoned; gave up

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Haladhara (Balarāma)

brāhmaṇas

Ruṣaḍgu

rājendra (addressed king, i.e., Janamejaya in the frame narrative)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse juxtaposes an honorable, orderly departure (a revered figure moving with brāhmaṇas) with the inevitability of death (Ruṣaḍgu giving up his body), reinforcing the epic’s ethical reminder that status and life are transient, while dharmic conduct and right company remain meaningful.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports that Balarāma (Haladhara) leaves the scene accompanied by brāhmaṇas, and that a person named Ruṣaḍgu dies there, marking a transition in events amid the broader Shalya Parva war narrative.