Shloka 13

Kapālamocana-tīrtha (Auśanasa) and Balarāma’s Sarasvatī Pilgrimage

Devanagari script

सुप्रभा नाम राजेन्द्र नाम्ना तत्र सरस्वती

Transliteration

suprabhā nāma rājendra nāmnā tatra sarasvatī

Translation

Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai raja, di sana ada sebuah sungai bernama Sarasvatī, yang juga dikenal dengan nama Suprabhā.”

Word by Word

• सुप्रभा: Suprabhā (a proper name)
• सुप्रभा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुप्रभा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• नाम: by name / named
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नामन्

• राजेन्द्र: O king of kings (O best of kings)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजेन्द्र
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• नाम्ना: by the name
• नाम्ना: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र

• सरस्वती: Sarasvatī (river/goddess)
• सरस्वती: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• rājendra (the king addressed, i.e., Janamejaya)
• Sarasvatī (river)
• Suprabhā (name/epithet of Sarasvatī)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the sanctity and revered identity of sacred rivers: a single holy river may be known by multiple names, reflecting its spiritual significance and the tradition of honoring places through epithets.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana, addressing the king, introduces a specific sacred river in the account, stating that the Sarasvatī in that region was also known as Suprabhā.