गदायुद्ध-समारम्भः
Commencement of the Mace-Duel Proceedings
सो<वतीर्याचलश्रेष्ठात् प्लक्षप्रस्रनणाच्छुभात्
so’vatīryācalśreṣṭhāt plakṣaprasravaṇāc chubhāt | tīrthasevanamahat phalaṁ śrutvā prītamanāḥ punar acyuto balarāmo brāhmaṇān samīpam etad gāthāślokam agāyat ||
وَیشَمپایَن نے کہا—پھر وہ مبارک ‘پلکش-پرسروَن’ نامی بہترین پہاڑی چوٹی سے نیچے اتر آئے۔ تِیرتھ سیون کے عظیم ثواب کو سن کر اچیوت بلرام کا دل شاد ہوا؛ وہ برہمنوں کے قریب گئے اور یہ شلوک گایا۔
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse foregrounds tīrtha-sevana (pilgrimage/visiting sacred places) as a dharmic practice that yields ‘great fruit’—moral and spiritual merit—especially when joined with humility and respect toward Brahmins and sacred tradition.
Balarāma descends from the auspicious Plakṣa-prasravaṇa region, becomes pleased after hearing about the benefits of pilgrimage, approaches the Brahmins, and begins to sing/recite a verse—serving as a transition into his spoken praise or teaching.