Shloka 53
Vṛddha-kanyā-carita and Balarāma’s Kurukṣetra Inquiry (वृद्धकन्या-चरितम् / कुरुक्षेत्रफल-प्रश्नः)
वे ब्रह्मर्षि यद्यपि बालक थे तो भी वे सभी बड़े-बड़े महर्षि उनकी आज्ञाके अधीन रहकर उनके आसनके लिये एक-एक मुट्ठी कुश ले आया करते थे ।। तत्रापि दत्त्वा वसु रौहिणेयो महाबल: केशवपूर्वजो5थ । जगाम तीर्थ मुदितः क्रमेण ख्यातं महद् वृद्धकन्या सम यत्र,श्रीकृष्णके बड़े भाई महाबली रोहिणीनन्दन बलरामजी वहाँ भी स्नान और धन दान करके प्रसन्नतापूर्वक क्रमश: सब तीर्थोंमें विचरते हुए उस विख्यात महातीर्थमें गये, जहाँ कभी वृद्धा कुमारी कन्या निवास करती थी
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
te brahmarṣayaḥ yady api bālakāḥ te ’bhavan tathāpi te sarve mahāmaharṣayaḥ tasya ājñāyāṃ vartamānāḥ tasya āsanārthaṃ pratyekaṃ muṣṭiṃ kuśān ānayanti sma ||
tatrāpi dattvā vasu rauhiṇeyo mahābalaḥ keśava-pūrvajo ’tha |
jagāma tīrthaṃ muditaḥ krameṇa khyātaṃ mahad vṛddha-kanyā-āśramaṃ yatra ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Although they were still boys, those brahmarṣis were so revered that even great sages lived under their discipline and would bring, each one, a handful of kuśa grass for their seat. There too, the mighty Rauhiṇeya—Keśava’s elder brother—after bathing and giving wealth in charity, moved on in gladness from one sacred ford to the next, and in due course reached a renowned great tīrtha, the hermitage associated with the ‘aged maiden’ (Vṛddha-kanyā), where she was said to have dwelt.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights dharmic authority and humility: true spiritual stature can command reverence regardless of age, and righteous conduct is shown through pilgrimage, ritual bathing, and generous giving (snāna and dāna) undertaken with a joyful, disciplined mind.
Vaiśampāyana describes two linked scenes: (1) young brahmarṣis whose authority is honored even by great sages, and (2) Balarāma continuing his tīrtha-yātrā—bathing and donating wealth at sacred places—until he reaches a famous tīrtha associated with the figure called Vṛddha-kanyā.