Shloka 72
Trita in the Well (Udapāna-kathā) — Balarāma’s Tīrtha Observances
तेषां क्षये क्षयो5स्माकं विनास्माभिर्जगच्च किम् | इति ज्ञात्वा लोकगुरो प्रसाद कर्तुमहसि
teṣāṃ kṣaye kṣayo ’smākaṃ vināsmābhir jagac ca kim | iti jñātvā lokaguro prasādaṃ kartum arhasi |
“اگر وہ تباہ ہوئے تو ہم بھی تباہ ہو جائیں گے؛ اور ہمارے بغیر یہ جگت کیسے قائم رہے گا؟ اے لوک گرو! یہ جان کر کرم فرمائیے۔”
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.