Shloka 29
Saptasārasvata-tīrtha-prasaṅgaḥ | The Saptasārasvata Pilgrimage Account and the Maṅkaṇaka Narrative
गत्वा चैवं महाबाहुर्नातिदूरे महायशा:
gatvā caivaṁ mahābāhur nātidūre mahāyaśāḥ | mahārāja dharmātmā bhagavān balarāmo nāgadhanvā nāma tīrthaṁ prāpa, yatra mahātejā nāgarājo vāsukiḥ bahusaṅkhyakaiḥ sarpair gṛhītaḥ nivāsasthānaṁ (asti) | tatra sadā caturdaśa-sahasrāṇi ṛṣayaḥ nivāsanti ||
Disse Vaiśampāyana: Ó rei, tendo avançado apenas uma curta distância, o Senhor Balarāma, de braços poderosos, grande renome e reto, alcançou o vau sagrado chamado Nāgadhanvā. Ali se encontra a morada do radiante rei das serpentes, Vāsuki, cercado por incontáveis serpentes; e nesse lugar santo diz-se que catorze mil sábios habitam continuamente.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharma through tīrtha-yātrā: the righteous Balarāma seeks sanctified places where sages dwell, implying that proximity to holy sites and ascetics supports ethical clarity and inner restraint even amid the wider violence of the epic.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Balarāma travels a short distance and arrives at the Nāgadhanvā tīrtha, described as the abode of the serpent-king Vāsuki surrounded by many nāgas, where fourteen thousand sages reside continuously.