Shloka 38
Ārṣṭiṣeṇa’s Siddhi and the Tīrtha-Boons; Sindhudvīpa–Devāpi Brāhmaṇya; Viśvāmitra’s Tapas Begins
महातपस्वी भगवानुग्रतेजा महायशा: । तत्राजगाम बलवान बलभद्र: प्रतापवान्,कुरुवंशी नरेश! तत्पश्चात् बलवान् एवं प्रतापी बलभद्रजी उस तीर्थमें आ गये, जहाँ लोकपितामह भगवान् ब्रह्माने सृष्टि की थी, जहाँ कठोर व्रतका पालन करनेवाले मुनिश्रेष्ठ आहएिषिणने बड़ी भारी तपस्या करके ब्राह्मणत्व पाया था तथा जहाँ राजर्षि सिन्धुद्वीप, महान् तपस्वी देवापि और महायशस्वी, उमग्रतेजस्वी एवं महातपस्वी भगवान् विश्वामित्र मुनिने भी ब्राह्मणत्व प्राप्त किया था
vaiśampāyana uvāca | mahātapasvī bhagavān ugratejā mahāyaśāḥ | tatrājagāma balavān balabhadraḥ pratāpavān, kuruvaṃśī nareśa |
Vaiśampāyana said: The blessed Balarāma—mighty in ascetic power, blazing in spiritual energy, and renowned for his glory—came to that sacred place. O king of the Kuru line, the powerful and valiant Balabhadra arrived there, a tīrtha remembered as a site where great beings attained the highest spiritual status through severe vows and austerity. The passage underscores that true eminence is grounded not merely in birth or force, but in disciplined conduct and tapas that elevates one’s standing and responsibility.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames sacred geography as a moral reminder: spiritual stature is validated by tapas (disciplined austerity) and right conduct, not merely by power or birth. Even a mighty figure like Balabhadra is presented in terms of ascetic merit and reverence for tīrthas.
Vaiśampāyana reports that Balabhadra (Balarāma), powerful and illustrious, arrives at a particular tīrtha. The surrounding context (as indicated in the prose continuation) identifies it as a place associated with extraordinary ascetic achievements and spiritual elevation.