Shloka 33

Adhyaya 4 — Draupadi and Her Husbands

Sanskrit

भेषजं ब्रह्महत्याया बलदेवो महाबलः ।

तीर्थयात्राप्रसङ्गेन कस्माच्चक्रे हलायुधः ॥

Transliteration

bheṣajaṃ brahmahatyāyā baladevo mahābalaḥ |

tīrthayātrāprasaṅgena kasmāccakre halāyudhaḥ ||

Translation

Mengapakah Baladeva yang perkasa—berkekuatan besar, pemegang bajak—melakukan ziarah ke tirtha yang suci, dengan mengemukakannya sebagai penawar bagi dosa brahmahatyā (pembunuhan Brahmin)?

Word by Word

भेषजम्remedy

ब्रह्महत्यायाःof brahmin-slaying (sin)

बलदेवःBaladeva

महाबलःmighty/very strong

तीर्थयात्राप्रसङ्गेनon the occasion of a pilgrimage

कस्मात्why

चक्रेdid/performed

हलायुधःhe whose weapon is a plough

Speakers

Narrative voice within the Purāṇic discourse (frame-speakers not identifiable from the single verse alone; commonly presented as a question leading into an explanatory episode)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Primary Deities

Baladeva (Balarāma)

Key Themes

DharmaPrāyaścitta (expiation)Tīrtha-yātrā (pilgrimage)Karmic consequence of mahāpātakas (great sins)

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse frames tīrtha-yātrā as a recognized dhārmic instrument of purification: even figures of immense power are shown seeking lawful means to neutralize grave karmic taint. Ethically, it underscores that strength or status does not exempt one from accountability, and that remediation is pursued through sanctioned, tradition-backed disciplines (pilgrimage, austerity, confession, restitution—depending on the narrative that follows).

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Primarily within ‘Vaṃśānucarita’ (accounts of dynasties/heroic lineages) insofar as it references a well-known Yādava figure (Baladeva) and his conduct; secondarily it supports ‘Manvantara/Anucarita’-style dharma exposition by illustrating prāyaścitta norms through exemplary narrative rather than cosmogenesis (‘Sarga/Pratisarga’).

What is the esoteric significance?

Symbolically, ‘halāyudha’ (plough-weapon) evokes the power to furrow, turn, and recondition the earth—mirroring the inner act of turning over one’s karmic field. Tīrthas function as liminal ‘crossings’ where impurity is ritually transferred and resolved; thus the journey signifies a deliberate passage from moral burden to restored order (ṛta/dharma), with the “remedy” (bheṣaja) pointing to dharma as a curative science for the soul.