Shloka 72
Trita in the Well (Udapāna-kathā) — Balarāma’s Tīrtha Observances
तेषां क्षये क्षयो5स्माकं विनास्माभिर्जगच्च किम् | इति ज्ञात्वा लोकगुरो प्रसाद कर्तुमहसि,“उन सबके क्षीण होनेपर हमारा भी क्षय हो जायगा। फिर हमारे बिना संसार कैसे रह सकता है? लोकगुरो! ऐसा जानकर आपको बचन्द्रदेवपर अवश्य कृपा करनी चाहिये”
teṣāṃ kṣaye kṣayo ’smākaṃ vināsmābhir jagac ca kim | iti jñātvā lokaguro prasādaṃ kartum arhasi |
“వారు నశిస్తే మేమూ నశిస్తాము; మేము లేకుండా జగత్తు ఎలా నిలుస్తుంది? లోకగురో, ఇది తెలిసి కరుణ చూపవలెను.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse argues for compassion and restraint by highlighting interdependence: the destruction of one group rebounds upon the other, and unchecked annihilation threatens the stability of the world. Mercy is presented as a duty aligned with preserving order (dharma), not merely an emotional preference.
A speaker (introduced by Vaiśampāyana) conveys an urgent appeal to a revered authority addressed as ‘Lokaguru,’ requesting grace. The reasoning is pragmatic and ethical: if ‘they’ perish, ‘we’ will also perish, and the world’s continuity will be imperiled—therefore the addressee should intervene with favor.