Kalmāṣapāda’s Encounter with Śakti and the Escalation of the Vasiṣṭha–Viśvāmitra Feud (कल्माषपाद–शक्ति प्रसङ्गः)
सोअभिषेक्तुं गतो गड्ां पूर्वमेवागतां सतीम् । ददर्शाप्सरसं तत्र घृताचीमाप्लुतामृषि:,एक दिन वे गंगाजीमें स्नान करनेके लिये गये। वहाँ पहलेसे ही आकर सुन्दरी अप्सरा घृताची नामवाली गंगाजीमें गोते लगा रही थी। महर्षिने उसे देखा
so ’bhiṣektuṁ gato gaṅgāṁ pūrvam evāgatāṁ satīm | dadarśāpsarasaṁ tatra ghṛtācīm āplutām ṛṣiḥ ||
ঋষি স্নান কৰিবলৈ গঙ্গালৈ গ’ল। তাত তেওঁ আগতেই অহা অপ্সৰা ঘৃতাচীক জলে নিমগ্ন অৱস্থাত দেখিলে।
ब्राह्मण उवाच
The verse introduces a classic Mahābhārata ethical motif: even a disciplined ascetic may face sudden sensory provocation, and the true measure of dharma includes alertness, restraint, and right response when confronted with temptation.
A sage goes to the Gaṅgā for bathing and notices the celestial nymph Ghṛtācī already there, bathing/immersed in the river—an encounter that typically foreshadows a consequential interaction between ascetic life and divine allure.