Shloka 76
Trita in the Well (Udapāna-kathā) — Balarāma’s Tīrtha Observances
मासार्ध च क्षयं सोमो नित्यमेव गमिष्यति । मासार्ध तु सदा वृद्धि सत्यमेतद् वचो मम,'सोम आधे मासतक प्रतिदिन क्षीण होंगे और आधे मासतक निरन्तर बढ़ते रहेंगे। मेरी यह बात अवश्य सत्य होगी
māsārdhaṃ ca kṣayaṃ somo nityam eva gamiṣyati | māsārdhaṃ tu sadā vṛddhiḥ satyam etad vaco mama ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: «Durante metade do mês, a Lua minguará continuamente, dia após dia; e durante a outra metade, crescerá sem cessar. Esta minha afirmação há de mostrar-se verdadeira.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse affirms ṛta—cosmic order—by pointing to the Moon’s fixed cycle of waning and waxing, and it underscores the ethical weight of truthful speech: a declared statement is presented as certain and reliable.
Vaiśampāyana, as narrator, makes a firm pronouncement about the Moon’s fortnightly waning and waxing, using the predictable celestial rhythm as an assurance that his words are true.