Shloka 11
गदायुद्ध-समारम्भः
Commencement of the Mace-Duel Proceedings
पुण्यं तीर्थवरं दृष्टवा विस्मयं परमं गत: । प्रभावं च सरस्वत्या: प्लक्षप्रस्रवणं बल:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | puṇyaṃ tīrthavaraṃ dṛṣṭvā vismayaṃ paramaṃ gataḥ | prabhāvaṃ ca sarasvatyāḥ plakṣaprasravaṇaṃ balaḥ ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。至上に清浄で優れたティールタを見て、バララーマはこの上ない驚嘆に包まれた。そこはサラスヴァティー河の威力があらわに現れる地—彼女の発源と伝えられ崇敬されるプラクシャ＝プラシュラヴァナ—であり、この邂逅は、戦の騒乱の中にあっても聖なる地理と巡礼の浄化力への畏敬を呼び起こす。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dharmic value of tīrtha-darśana: sacred places are not merely locations but embodiments of purifying power (prabhāva). Even in an age of conflict, reverence for holy sites and the cultivation of awe toward the sacred supports inner restraint and ethical orientation.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Balarāma, while traveling, comes upon an eminent sacred ford. On seeing Plakṣa-prasravaṇa—celebrated as the source-region of the Sarasvatī—he is struck with profound wonder at the river’s sacred potency.