Shloka 66
Saptasārasvata-tīrtha-prasaṅgaḥ | The Saptasārasvata Pilgrimage Account and the Maṅkaṇaka Narrative
अहिंस्र्थर्मपरमैर्नुभिरत्यर्थसेवितम् । सप्तसारस्वतं तीर्थमभाजगाम हलायुध:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | ahiṃsā-dharma-paramair nṛbhir atyartha-sevitam | sapta-sārasvataṃ tīrtham abhājagāma halāyudhaḥ ||
வைசம்பாயனர் கூறினார்—அஹிம்சைத் தர்மத்தில் நிலைத்தோர் மிகுதியாக நாடும் ‘சப்தசாரஸ்வத’ தீர்த்தத்துக்கு கலப்பாயுதம் தாங்கிய பலராமன் வந்தான்.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates ahiṃsā as a defining mark of righteous conduct: the tīrtha is praised precisely because it is ‘greatly frequented’ by people devoted to non-violence, implying that sacred space is validated by ethical practice, not merely geography.
The narrator states that Balarāma (Halāyudha) arrives at the pilgrimage site Sapta-Sārasvata. This functions as a transition into a tīrtha-setting associated with peace, restraint, and religious observance, contrasting with the martial events of the Shalya Parva.