Shloka 10

गदायुद्ध-समारम्भः

Commencement of the Mace-Duel Proceedings

Devanagari script

नातिदूरं ततो गत्वा नगं तालध्वजो बली

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | nātidūraṃ tato gatvā nagaṃ tāladhvajo balī |

Translation

ໄວສັມປາຍະນະກ່າວວ່າ: ເມື່ອເດີນທາງຈາກນັ້ນໄປບໍ່ໄກ, ພຣະບາລະຣາມຜູ້ມີພະລັງຫຼາຍ—ຜູ້ມີທຸງປະດັບເຄື່ອງໝາຍຕົ້ນຕານ—ໄດ້ເຖິງພູໜຶ່ງ. ທີ່ນັ້ນ ສາຍຕາຂອງພຣະອົງໄດ້ພົບຕີຣຖະອັນບໍລິສຸດ ແລະເປັນມົງຄຸນຢ່າງສູງສຸດ—ບ່ອນກຳເນີດແຫ່ງແມ່ນ້ຳສະຣັສວະຕີ—ຊື່ວ່າ «ປລັກສະ-ປຣະສຣະວະນະ». ເມື່ອເຫັນມັນ ພຣະບາລະຣາມກໍເຕັມໄປດ້ວຍຄວາມພິສົດພິສັນ, ສະທ້ອນຄວາມເຄົາລົບຕໍ່ພູມສັກສິດ ແລະພະລັງຊຳລະລ້າງຂອງການຈາລິກໄປຕີຣຖະ ແມ່ນແມ່ນຢູ່ທ່າມກາງສົງຄາມກໍຕາມ.

Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अतिदूरम्: too far (a great distance)
• अतिदूरम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अतिदूर
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• ततः: from there/then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• गत्वा: having gone
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral here)

• नगम्: mountain
• नगम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: नग
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• तालध्वजः: he whose banner is (marked with) a palm-tree (i.e., Balarama)
• तालध्वजः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तालध्वज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• बली: strong, mighty
• बली: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बलिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Balarāma (Tāladhvaja)
• mountain (naga)
• Sarasvatī
• Plakṣa-prasravaṇa tīrtha

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The passage highlights the Mahābhārata’s valuation of tīrtha-yātrā: sacred places are seen as reservoirs of merit and purification, and encountering them evokes reverence and inner transformation even when the broader world is dominated by conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Balarāma travels a short distance, reaches a mountain, and then beholds the holy tīrtha called Plakṣa-prasravaṇa, famed as the source of the Sarasvatī; the sight fills him with astonishment.