Shloka 186
Sārasvata–Dadhīca Upākhyāna at Sarasvatī Tīrtha
Balarāma’s Pilgrimage Context
कलशं जलपूर्ण वै गृहीत्वा जनमेजय । जनमेजय! फिर उन्होंने समुद्रमें विधिपूर्वक स्नान करके पवित्र हो जपनेयोग्य मन्त्रका जप किया। जप आदि नित्यकर्म पूर्ण करके श्रीमान् देवल जलसे भरा हुआ कलश लेकर अपने आश्रमपर आये
kalaśaṃ jalapūrṇaṃ vai gṛhītvā janamejaya | janamejaya! tataḥ sa samudre vidhivat snātvā pavitraḥ japayogya-mantrasya japaṃ cakāra | japa-ādi nityakarmāṇi sampūrya śrīmān devalaḥ jalapūrṇaṃ kalaśaṃ gṛhītvā svāśramaṃ pratyāgāt ||
毗湿摩波耶那说：“阇那美阇耶啊，他取了一只盛满水的水罐，前往大海，依正法仪轨入海沐浴而得清净，并诵持适于持咒（japa）的真言。完成持咒等日常行持之后，光辉的提婆罗携满水之罐，回到自己的林居（āśrama）。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores dharma through disciplined daily practice: ritual bathing, purification, mantra-japa, and completion of nitya-karmas. Ethical emphasis lies in steadiness, self-regulation, and reverence for prescribed duties rather than impulsive action.
Within Vaiśampāyana’s narration to King Janamejaya, the sage Devala performs a sea-bath according to rite, recites a mantra as japa, completes his daily religious duties, and then returns to his hermitage carrying a water-filled pitcher.