Shloka 62
Saptasārasvata-tīrtha-prasaṅgaḥ | The Saptasārasvata Pilgrimage Account and the Maṅkaṇaka Narrative
कड्कोलैश्न पलाशैश्व करीरै: पीलुभिस्तथा । सरस्वतीतीर्थरुहैस्तरुभिविविधैस्तथा
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: kaṅkolaiś ca palāśaiś ca karīraiḥ pīlubhis tathā | sarasvatī-tīrtha-ruhais tarubhir vividhaiḥ tathā ||
وَیشَمپایَن نے کہا—سرسوتی کے تیर्थ-پَردیش کَنکول، پلاش، کریر، پیلو اور تیروں کے گرد اُگے ہوئے طرح طرح کے درختوں سے آراستہ تھے۔ پھر ہلایُدھ بلدیَو سرسوتی کے تیर्थوں میں افضل ‘سپت سارسوت’ تیर्थ پر پہنچے، جہاں برہمنوں کے بہت سے گروہ آباد تھے۔
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage elevates tīrtha-life as a lived ethic: non-violence (ahiṃsā), disciplined simplicity (vānaprastha austerity), and the sustaining power of Vedic study (svādhyāya). Sacred places are portrayed not merely as locations but as communities where dharma is practiced through restraint, learning, and harmlessness.
After describing the vegetation and sanctity of the Sarasvatī’s river-fords, the narrator states that Baladeva arrives at the renowned Saptasārasvata tīrtha. The scene is set with brāhmaṇa settlements, ascetics living on minimal forest fare, resonant Vedic recitation, abundant wildlife, and the memory of the sage Maṅkaṇaka’s great austerities performed there.