Shloka 44

Trita in the Well (Udapāna-kathā) — Balarāma’s Tīrtha Observances

Devanagari script

कथमाप्लुत्य तस्मिंस्तु पुनराप्पायित: शशी । एतनमे सर्वमाचक्ष्व विस्तरेण महामुने,महामुने! उस तीर्थमें गोता लगाकर चन्द्रमा पुनः किस प्रकार हृष्ट-पुष्ट हुए? यह सब प्रसंग मुझे विस्तारपूर्वक बताइये

Transliteration

janamejaya uvāca | katham āplutya tasmiṁs tu punar āppāyitaḥ śaśī | etan me sarvam ācakṣva vistareṇa mahāmune ||

Translation

Janamejaya berkata: “Wahai mahamuni, bagaimana Sang Bulan, setelah mandi di tīrtha itu, kembali dipulihkan dan disegarkan? Ceritakanlah kepadaku seluruh peristiwa ini dengan terperinci.”

Word by Word

कथम्how?

आप्लुत्यhaving bathed / having plunged in

तस्मिन्in that (place)

तुindeed / but

पुनःagain

आप्पायितःwas nourished / was refreshed / was made to thrive

शशीthe moon

एतत्this

मेto me

सर्वम्all (of it)

आचक्ष्वtell / relate

विस्तरेणin detail / at length

महामुनेO great sage

Speaker

जनमेजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Janamejaya

Mahāmune (the sage addressed, traditionally Vaiśampāyana in the Janamejaya dialogue frame)

Śaśī (the Moon)

Tīrtha (the sacred bathing place/ford, unnamed here)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights śraddhā-driven inquiry into tīrtha-māhātmya: sacred places and rites are portrayed as sources of renewal, and the listener’s duty is to seek detailed understanding from a qualified teacher.

What is happening in the narrative?

Within the Janamejaya–sage dialogue frame, Janamejaya asks the sage to explain—at length—how the Moon regained strength after bathing at a particular sacred ford, prompting a fuller account of the associated legend.