Trita in the Well (Udapāna-kathā) — Balarāma’s Tīrtha Observances
ततो देवा: समागम्य सोममूचुर्महीपते
tato devāḥ samāgamya somam ūcur mahīpate
ਤਦ ਦੇਵਤੇ ਇਕੱਠੇ ਹੋ ਕੇ, ਹੇ ਮਹੀਪਤੇ, ਸੋਮ ਨੂੰ ਬੋਲੇ।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse signals that human affairs are not viewed in isolation: divine assemblies and counsel represent the Mahabharata’s ethical frame where actions and outcomes are situated within a wider cosmic and moral order.
A transition occurs: the gods gather together and speak to Soma, while the narrator (Vaiśampāyana) addresses the listener as ‘O king,’ preparing the audience for a divinely contextualized development in the episode.