Shloka 163

गदायुद्ध-समारम्भः

Commencement of the Mace-Duel Proceedings

Devanagari script

उपविष्ट: कथा: शुभ्रा: शुश्राव यदुपुड्रवः । जहाँ पूर्वकालमें इन्द्र

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | upaviṣṭaḥ kathāḥ śubhrāḥ śuśrāva yadupuṅgavaḥ | yatra pūrvakāle indraḥ agniś ca aryamā ca mahāprītim avāpuḥ, tat sthānaṃ yamunāyāḥ taṭe asti | kārapavanena tat tīrthaṃ gatvā mahābalī dharmātmā balarāmaḥ snātvā mahān harṣam avāpa | tataḥ sa yadupuṅgavaḥ balabhadraḥ ṛṣibhiḥ siddhaiś ca saha upaviśya uttamāḥ kathāḥ śuśrāva |

Translation

毗湿摩波耶那曰：雅度族之雄杰端坐其处，聆听清净吉祥之谈。彼地在阎牟那河畔——古时因陀罗、阿耆尼与阿利耶曼曾于此得大欢喜。大力而持法的巴拉罗摩循迦罗波伐那（Kārapavana）之路抵达此圣渡（tīrtha），沐浴其间，心生极乐。继而，雅度之长巴拉婆陀罗与诸仙及诸成就者（siddha）同坐，聆听上妙故事。

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'upaviṣṭaḥ', 'definition': 'seated

• having sat down'}, {'term': 'kathāḥ śubhrāḥ', 'definition': 'pure/bright, auspicious stories or discourses'}, {'term': 'śuśrāva', 'definition': 'heard

• listened attentively'}, {'term': 'yadupuṅgavaḥ', 'definition': 'bull/foremost among the Yadus

• an epithet of Balarāma'}, {'term': 'pūrvakāle', 'definition': 'in former times

• in ancient days'}, {'term': 'indra', 'definition': 'Indra, king of the gods'}, {'term': 'agni', 'definition': 'Agni, the fire-god'}, {'term': 'aryamā', 'definition': 'Aryaman, an Āditya associated with hospitality and social order'}, {'term': 'yamunā-taṭa', 'definition': 'the bank of the Yamunā river'}, {'term': 'tīrtha', 'definition': 'sacred ford/pilgrimage place

• a site of ritual merit'}, {'term': 'kārapavana', 'definition': 'Kārapavana

• a named route/region connected with reaching the tīrtha'}, {'term': 'mahābalī', 'definition': 'very mighty

• of great strength'}, {'term': 'dharmātmā', 'definition': 'righteous-souled

• devoted to dharma'}, {'term': 'snātvā', 'definition': 'having bathed'}, {'term': 'harṣa', 'definition': 'joy

• inner gladness'}, {'term': 'balabhadra', 'definition': 'Balabhadra, another name of Balarāma'}, {'term': 'ṛṣi', 'definition': 'seer

• sage'}, {'term': 'siddha', 'definition': 'perfected being

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Balarāma
• Balabhadra
• Yadu dynasty (Yadus)
• Indra
• Agni
• Aryaman
• Yamunā river
• tīrtha (sacred ford)
• Kārapavana
• ṛṣis (sages)
• siddhas (perfected beings)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The passage highlights tīrtha-sevā and śravaṇa: approaching a sacred place with reverence, bathing as an act of purification, and then listening to elevating discourse in the company of sages. Ethical emphasis falls on dharma as inner disposition (dharmātmā) expressed through disciplined conduct and receptivity to wise narratives.

What is happening in the narrative?

Balarāma reaches a Yamunā-bank tīrtha famed from ancient divine visitation (Indra, Agni, Aryaman). He bathes there and experiences great joy. Afterwards, seated with ṛṣis and siddhas, he listens to excellent, auspicious stories.