Shloka 21

Kapālamocana-tīrtha (Auśanasa) and Balarāma’s Sarasvatī Pilgrimage

Devanagari script

आहूता सरितां श्रेष्ठा गययज्ञे सरस्वती । विशालां तु गयस्याहु#षय: संशितव्रता:,राजा गय गयदेशमें ही एक महान्‌ यज्ञका अनुष्ठान कर रहे थे। उनके यज्ञमें भी सरिताओंमें श्रेष्ठ सरस्वतीका आवाहन किया गया था। कठोर व्रतका पालन करनेवाले महर्षि गयके यज्ञमें आयी हुई सरस्वतीको विशाला कहते हैं

Transliteration

āhūtā saritāṃ śreṣṭhā gayayajñe sarasvatī | viśālāṃ tu gayasyāhuḥ ṛṣayaḥ saṃśitavratāḥ ||

Translation

毗湿摩波耶那说道：在伽耶王的祭仪中，诸河之最胜萨拉斯瓦蒂被如法召请。持戒誓严整的诸仙宣称：就伽耶而言，那同一位萨拉斯瓦蒂即以“毗舍罗”（Viśālā）之名为人所知。

Word by Word

आहूताinvoked, called

सरिताम्of rivers

श्रेष्ठाthe best

गययज्ञेin Gaya's sacrifice

सरस्वतीSarasvatī

विशालाम्Viśālā (name/title)

तुbut/indeed

गयस्यof Gaya

आहुःthey say/call

ऋषयःsages

संशितव्रताःof austere/strict vows

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Sarasvatī

Gaya

Viśālā

Ṛ

Ṛṣayaḥ (sages)

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 underscores the dharmic authority of disciplined sages and the sanctity of yajña: sacred realities (like a river’s revered name) are preserved and transmitted through ritual practice and the testimony of vow-bound seers.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana explains a tradition about Sarasvatī: when King Gaya performed a great sacrifice, Sarasvatī was invoked there, and the sages state that in that context she is known as Viśālā.