Shloka 36
Saptasārasvata-tīrtha-prasaṅgaḥ | The Saptasārasvata Pilgrimage Account and the Maṅkaṇaka Narrative
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्ा भारत शल्यपववके अन्तर्गत गदापबव॑नें बलदेवजीकी तीरथ्थयात्राके प्रसंगमें त्रितका उपाख्यानविषयक छत्तीसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
kṛḍābhir vimalābhir yakṣāḥ krīḍanti vimalānanāḥ |
abhivādya munīṁs tān vai tatra tīrthanivāsinaḥ |
uddiṣṭamārgaḥ prayayau yatra bhūyaḥ sarasvatī ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。かの聖なる渡し場（ティールタ tīrtha）では、光り輝く顔の天女たちが倦怠を捨て、清らかで優美なさまざまの遊戯により絶えず歓楽している。ついで彼は、そのティールタに住まう聖仙たちにしかと礼拝し、示された道筋に従って進み、再びサラスヴァティーに出会う地へと向かった。この段は巡礼の浄化力を示す――修行者への敬意と、定められた道を規律正しく歩むことこそ、聖なる美を味わいながらも放逸に堕ちぬための正しい倫理の枠である。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in places of beauty and delight, the Mahābhārata frames right conduct as reverence (saluting the sages), purity (vimalā kṛḍā), and disciplined adherence to a proper path (uddiṣṭa-mārga). Sacred enjoyment is legitimized when grounded in respect and self-restraint.
The narrator describes a tīrtha where celestial beings engage in pure amusements. After paying respects to the resident sages, the traveler continues onward along the directed route to another point where the Sarasvatī is encountered again, marking progress in the pilgrimage itinerary.