Shloka 3
Trita in the Well (Udapāna-kathā) — Balarāma’s Tīrtha Observances
एवमुक्त्वा तदा रामो यात: क्षत्रनिबर्हण: । तस्य चागमन भूयो ब्रह्मन् शंसितुमरहसि,विप्रवर! उन दिनों ऐसी बात कहकर जब क्षत्रियसंहारक बलरामजी चले गये, तब उनका पुनः आगमन कैसे हुआ, यह बतानेकी कृपा करें
evam uktvā tadā rāmo yātaḥ kṣatra-nibarhaṇaḥ | tasya cāgamanaṃ bhūyo brahman śaṃsitum arhasi, vipra-vara ||
Janamejaya berkata: “Setelah berkata demikian, Balarāma—yang termasyhur sebagai penunduk para Kṣatriya—pun berangkat. Wahai Brahmana, yang utama di antara kaum dua-kali-lahir, patutlah tuan ceritakan kepadaku bagaimana baginda kemudian datang kembali.”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dharmic method of learning: a respectful seeker requests an authoritative narrator to clarify a narrative gap. It underscores reliance on qualified testimony (śruti/smṛti-style transmission) and the ethical posture of inquiry—humility, precision, and continuity of account.
Janamejaya, hearing that Balarāma departed after making a statement, asks the sage to explain how Balarāma later returned. The verse functions as a transition, prompting the narrator to continue the storyline and supply the missing sequence of events.