Shloka 163

गदायुद्ध-समारम्भः

Commencement of the Mace-Duel Proceedings

Devanagari script

उपविष्ट: कथा: शुभ्रा: शुश्राव यदुपुड्रवः । जहाँ पूर्वकालमें इन्द्र, अग्नि और अर्यमाने बड़ी प्रसन्नता प्राप्त की थी, वह स्थान यमुनाके तटपर है। कारपवनसे उस तीर्थमें जाकर महाबली धर्मात्मा बलरामने स्नान करके बड़ा हर्ष प्राप्त किया। फिर वे यदुपुंगव बलभद्र ऋषियों और सिद्धोंके साथ बैठकर उत्तम कथाएँ सुनने लगे

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | upaviṣṭaḥ kathāḥ śubhrāḥ śuśrāva yadupuṅgavaḥ | yatra pūrvakāle indraḥ agniś ca aryamā ca mahāprītim avāpuḥ, tat sthānaṃ yamunāyāḥ taṭe asti | kārapavanena tat tīrthaṃ gatvā mahābalī dharmātmā balarāmaḥ snātvā mahān harṣam avāpa | tataḥ sa yadupuṅgavaḥ balabhadraḥ ṛṣibhiḥ siddhaiś ca saha upaviśya uttamāḥ kathāḥ śuśrāva |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: The foremost of the Yadus, seated there, listened to pure and auspicious tales. That place lies on the bank of the Yamunā—where in ancient times Indra, Agni, and Aryaman attained great delight. Reaching that sacred ford by the Kārapavana route, the mighty and righteous Balarāma bathed and felt profound joy. Then Balabhadra, the Yadu chief, sat together with sages and perfected beings and listened to excellent narratives.

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'upaviṣṭaḥ', 'definition': 'seated

• having sat down'}, {'term': 'kathāḥ śubhrāḥ', 'definition': 'pure/bright, auspicious stories or discourses'}, {'term': 'śuśrāva', 'definition': 'heard

• listened attentively'}, {'term': 'yadupuṅgavaḥ', 'definition': 'bull/foremost among the Yadus

• an epithet of Balarāma'}, {'term': 'pūrvakāle', 'definition': 'in former times

• in ancient days'}, {'term': 'indra', 'definition': 'Indra, king of the gods'}, {'term': 'agni', 'definition': 'Agni, the fire-god'}, {'term': 'aryamā', 'definition': 'Aryaman, an Āditya associated with hospitality and social order'}, {'term': 'yamunā-taṭa', 'definition': 'the bank of the Yamunā river'}, {'term': 'tīrtha', 'definition': 'sacred ford/pilgrimage place

• a site of ritual merit'}, {'term': 'kārapavana', 'definition': 'Kārapavana

• a named route/region connected with reaching the tīrtha'}, {'term': 'mahābalī', 'definition': 'very mighty

• of great strength'}, {'term': 'dharmātmā', 'definition': 'righteous-souled

• devoted to dharma'}, {'term': 'snātvā', 'definition': 'having bathed'}, {'term': 'harṣa', 'definition': 'joy

• inner gladness'}, {'term': 'balabhadra', 'definition': 'Balabhadra, another name of Balarāma'}, {'term': 'ṛṣi', 'definition': 'seer

• sage'}, {'term': 'siddha', 'definition': 'perfected being

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Balarāma
• Balabhadra
• Yadu dynasty (Yadus)
• Indra
• Agni
• Aryaman
• Yamunā river
• tīrtha (sacred ford)
• Kārapavana
• ṛṣis (sages)
• siddhas (perfected beings)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The passage highlights tīrtha-sevā and śravaṇa: approaching a sacred place with reverence, bathing as an act of purification, and then listening to elevating discourse in the company of sages. Ethical emphasis falls on dharma as inner disposition (dharmātmā) expressed through disciplined conduct and receptivity to wise narratives.

What is happening in the narrative?

Balarāma reaches a Yamunā-bank tīrtha famed from ancient divine visitation (Indra, Agni, Aryaman). He bathes there and experiences great joy. Afterwards, seated with ṛṣis and siddhas, he listens to excellent, auspicious stories.