Shloka 16
Trita in the Well (Udapāna-kathā) — Balarāma’s Tīrtha Observances
गच्छन्नेव पथिस्थस्तु राम: प्रेष्यानुवाच ह,यात्रा करते हुए बलरामजीने स्वयं मार्गमें ही रहकर अपने सेवकोंसे कहा--“'तुमलोग शीघ्र ही द्वारका जाकर वहाँसे तीर्थयात्रामें काम आनेवाली सब सामग्री, समस्त आवश्यक उपकरण, अग्निहोत्रकी अग्नि तथा पुरोहितोंको ले आओ
gacchann eva pathisthaḥ tu rāmaḥ preṣyān uvāca ha | tūrṇaṃ dvārakāṃ gatvā tataḥ tīrthayātrāyāṃ kāryāṃ sarvāṃ sāmagrīṃ sarvān āvaśyakopaskarān agnihotrāgnim purohitāṃś ca ānaya ta ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Ketika masih di perjalanan, Balarāma berkata kepada para pengiringnya, “Pergilah segera ke Dvārakā dan bawalah dari sana segala bekalan serta kelengkapan yang diperlukan untuk ziarah suci—bersama api suci bagi agnihotra dan para pendeta (purohita).”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even while traveling, one should uphold dharma through orderly preparation and respect for sacred rites; religious duties like agnihotra are treated as integral, not optional, to a righteous journey.
Balarāma, already on the road, instructs his attendants to hurry to Dvārakā and fetch all pilgrimage requisites, including ritual implements, the agnihotra fire, and priests, indicating he is setting out for a properly conducted tīrthayātrā.