Shloka 89
Trita in the Well (Udapāna-kathā) — Balarāma’s Tīrtha Observances
उदपानमथागच्छत्त्वरावान् केशवाग्रज: । आद्य॑ स्वस्त्ययनं चैव यत्रावाप्प महत् फलम्,श्रीकृष्णके बड़े भाई हलधारी बलरामने वहाँ विधिपूर्वक स्नान करके उत्तम दान दे एक रात रहकर बड़ी उतावलीके साथ वहाँसे उदपानतीर्थको प्रस्थान किया, जो मंगलकारी आदि तीर्थ है। राजेन्द्र जममेजय! उदपान वह तीर्थ है, जहाँ उपस्थित होनेमात्रसे महान् फलकी प्राप्ति होती है। सिद्ध पुरुष वहाँ ओषधियों (वृक्षों और लताओं)-की स्निग्धता और भूमिकी आर्द्रता देखकर अदृश्य हुई सरस्वतीको भी जान लेते हैं
udapānam athāgacchat tvarāvān keśavāgrajaḥ | ādyaṃ svastyayanaṃ caiva yatrāvāpa mahat phalam ||
ఆ తరువాత వేగవంతుడైన కేశవుని అన్న బలరాముడు ‘ఉదపాన’ తీర్థానికి వెళ్లాడు—అది ఆద్యమూ మంగళకరమూ—అక్కడ చేరగానే మహత్తర ఫలితం లభిస్తుంది.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights tīrtha-dharma: approaching a sacred place with proper conduct—ritual bathing, charity, and disciplined observance—yields spiritual merit. It also suggests that sanctity is discerned through signs in nature, and that sages perceive subtle realities (like the hidden Sarasvatī) through attentive observation.
Vaiśampāyana narrates Balarāma’s movement during his pilgrimage: he reaches the Udapāna-tīrtha, performs prescribed bathing and generous giving, stays one night, and then departs quickly. The narrator explains Udapāna’s exceptional merit and notes that siddhas can infer the presence of the unseen Sarasvatī from the land’s moisture and the luxuriance of medicinal plants.