Shloka 35

सरस्वतीतीर्थानुक्रमः — बलरामस्य तीर्थयात्रा

Sarasvatī Tīrtha Itinerary — Balarāma’s Pilgrimage

Devanagari script

इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत शल्यपर्वके अन्तर्गत गदापव॑नें बलदेवजीकी तीर्थयात्राके प्रसंगमें प्रभासतीर्थका वर्णनविषयक पैतीसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ,ग्रावाण: शर्करा: कृत्वा प्रचक्रेडभिषवं नृप । आज्यं च सलिलं चक्रे भागांश्व॒ त्रेदिवौकसाम्‌

Transliteration

grāvāṇaḥ śarkarāḥ kṛtvā pracakreḍabhiṣavaṁ nṛpa | ājyaṁ ca salilaṁ cakre bhāgāṁś ca tredhivaukasām ||

Translation

毗湿摩波耶那说道：“大王啊，他以碎石代作压榨之石，使取苏摩之仪得以运转；又将酥油与清水按分配之法，作为应得之份，奉与居于三重天的诸神。”置于与杵（钵）事相关的婆罗罗摩朝圣叙事框架中，此偈唤起有序祭仪之理想：供品不为己夺取，而依定分分施，彰显克制、合度与敬畏，纵在史诗风云之中亦不失其礼。

Word by Word

ग्रावाणःpressing-stones

शर्कराःgravels/pebbles

कृत्वाhaving made

प्रचक्रेhe performed/caused to be done

अभिषवम्the Soma-pressing (rite)

नृपO king

आज्यम्ghee (clarified butter)

चand

सलिलम्water

चक्रेhe made/arranged

भागान्shares/portions

त्रिदिवौकसाम्of the dwellers in heaven (the gods)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

nṛpa (the king, i.e., Janamejaya in the frame narrative)

tredhivaukas (the gods, dwellers in the three heavens)

abhiṣava (Soma-pressing rite)

grāvāṇaḥ (pressing-stones)

ājya (ghee)

salila (water)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharmic order through ritual propriety: offerings (ghee and water) are distributed as rightful shares to the gods, modeling restraint, correct allocation, and reverence for cosmic and social norms.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the context of Baladeva’s tīrthayātrā and the Prabhāsa episode, the text describes the performance of a Soma-related pressing rite: the pressing-stones are prepared, the extraction is carried out, and oblations are apportioned to the gods.