Shloka 24
Asita Devala Observes Jaigīṣavya’s Yogic Attainment and Chooses Mokṣa-dharma (देवल-जैगीषव्योपाख्यानम्)
शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाले भरतश्रेष्ठ। सरस्वतीके उस परम उत्तम कल्याणकारी पुण्यतीर्थमें पहले मधु और कैटभ नामक असुरोंका वध करके भगवान् विष्णुने स्नान किया था। भारत! इसी प्रकार धर्मात्मा द्वैपायन व्यासने भी उसी तीर्थमें गोता लगाया था। इससे उन्होंने परम योगको पाकर उत्तम सिद्धि प्राप्त कर ली ।। असितो देवलश्चैव तस्मिन्नेव महातपा: । परमं योगमास्थाय ऋषियोंगमवाप्तवान्,महातपस्वी असित देवल ऋषिने उसी तीर्थमें परम योगका आश्रय ले योगसिद्धि पायी थी
vaiśampāyana uvāca | śatrūṇāṃ santāpa-dāyaka bharataśreṣṭha | sarasvatyāḥ tasmin parama-uttama-kalyāṇakāri puṇya-tīrthe pūrvaṃ madhu-kaiṭabha-nāmnau asurau hatvā bhagavān viṣṇuḥ snānaṃ cakāra | bhārata | evaṃ dharmātmā dvaipāyana-vyāsaḥ api tasmin tīrthe avagāhya paramayogaṃ prāpya uttamāṃ siddhim avāpa || asito devalaś caiva tasminn eva mahātapāḥ | paramaṃ yogam āsthāya ṛṣi-gaṇam avāptavān ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: Ó melhor dos Bhāratas! Aquele vau sagrado do Sarasvatī—supremamente auspicioso e benfazejo, que abrasa os inimigos—foi outrora santificado quando o Senhor Viṣṇu, após matar os asuras chamados Madhu e Kaiṭabha, ali se banhou. Ó Bhārata, do mesmo modo o justo Dvaipāyana Vyāsa também mergulhou nesse mesmo tīrtha; alcançando o Yoga supremo, obteve excelente realização espiritual. Igualmente o grande asceta Asita Devala, tomando refúgio no Yoga mais elevado naquele mesmo lugar, atingiu o estado sublime dos ṛṣis.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage teaches that sacred places (tīrthas) are valued not merely for ritual bathing but for the inner transformation they support: by resorting to Yoga and dharma, great figures like Vyāsa and Asita Devala attain siddhi. The ethical emphasis is on disciplined practice and righteous intent as the true source of spiritual elevation.
Vaiśampāyana is describing the greatness of a particular holy ford on the Sarasvatī. He recalls that Viṣṇu once bathed there after slaying Madhu and Kaiṭabha, and that later Vyāsa and the ascetic Asita Devala also immersed there, attaining supreme Yoga and the status of accomplished seers.