Shloka 11
गदायुद्ध-समारम्भः
Commencement of the Mace-Duel Proceedings
पुण्यं तीर्थवरं दृष्टवा विस्मयं परमं गत: । प्रभावं च सरस्वत्या: प्लक्षप्रस्रवणं बल:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | puṇyaṃ tīrthavaraṃ dṛṣṭvā vismayaṃ paramaṃ gataḥ | prabhāvaṃ ca sarasvatyāḥ plakṣaprasravaṇaṃ balaḥ ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: Nang makita ang isang tīrtha na sukdulang banal at pinakamainam, si Balarāma ay napuno ng pinakadakilang pagkamangha. Doon niya nasilayan ang hayag na kapangyarihan ng ilog Sarasvatī—sa Plakṣa-prasravaṇa, ang iginagalang na pook na sinasabing pinagmumulan niya—isang pagtatagpo na nag-uudyok ng paggalang sa banal na heograpiya at sa kapangyarihang nagpapadalisay ng paglalakbay-pananampalataya kahit sa gitna ng kaguluhan ng digmaan.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dharmic value of tīrtha-darśana: sacred places are not merely locations but embodiments of purifying power (prabhāva). Even in an age of conflict, reverence for holy sites and the cultivation of awe toward the sacred supports inner restraint and ethical orientation.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Balarāma, while traveling, comes upon an eminent sacred ford. On seeing Plakṣa-prasravaṇa—celebrated as the source-region of the Sarasvatī—he is struck with profound wonder at the river’s sacred potency.