Shloka 24
Vaitaraṇī-tīrtha and the Devayāna Path
Kaliṅga Episode
सैषा सागरमासाद्य राजन् वेदी समाश्रिता | एतामारुहा[ भद्रें ते त्वमेकस्तर सागरम्,युधिष्ठिर! वही यह वेदीस्वरूपा पृथ्वी समुद्रका आश्रय लेकर स्थित है; तुम्हारा कल्याण हो। तुम अकेले ही इसपर चढ़कर समुद्रको पार करो
saiṣā sāgaram āsādya rājan vedī samāśritā | etām āruhya bhadraṁ te tvam ekaḥ tara sāgaram ||
Ломаша сказал: «О царь, эта земля — словно священный алтарь — достигла океана и ныне покоится на нём. Да будет тебе благо. Юдхиштхира, взойди на неё и один переправься через море.»
लोमश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a daunting passage (crossing the sea) as something approached through sacred support and inner resolve: the ‘earth as an altar’ suggests that righteous action is grounded in sanctity, while the instruction to cross ‘alone’ highlights personal courage and responsibility in undertaking dharmic tasks.
Lomaśa addresses Yudhiṣṭhira, pointing out an altar-like expanse of ground that reaches the ocean and seems to rest upon it, and instructs him to mount it and cross the sea by himself—an episode of guidance during the forest journey (Vana Parva).