Shloka 55

Saptasārasvata-tīrtha-prasaṅgaḥ | The Saptasārasvata Pilgrimage Account and the Maṅkaṇaka Narrative

Devanagari script

ततो निवृत्य राजेन्द्र तेषामर्थे सरस्वती । भूय: प्रतीच्यभिमुखी प्रसुस्राव सरिद्वरा,राजेन्द्र! उनके लिये लौटकर सरिताओंमें श्रेष्ठ सरस्वती पुनः पश्चिमकी ओर मुड़कर बहने लगीं

Transliteration

tato nivṛtya rājendra teṣām arthe sarasvatī | bhūyaḥ pratīcy-abhimukhī prasusrāva saridvarā ||

Translation

Da wandte sich, o König, um ihretwillen Sarasvatī—die beste unter den Flüssen—wieder zurück und floss abermals westwärts gerichtet.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

निवृत्यhaving turned back/returned

राजेन्द्रO king of kings

तेषाम्of them, for them

अर्थेfor the sake (of), in the matter of

सरस्वतीSarasvatī (the river)

भूयःagain, once more

प्रतीच्यभिमुखीwestward-facing

प्रसुस्रावflowed forth, began to flow

सरिद्वराthe best of rivers

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sarasvatī

Rājendra (the king addressed)

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 presents the sacred river Sarasvatī as responsive to rightful need—implying that dharmic purpose and divine order can be mirrored in nature’s movements, reinforcing the idea of a moral cosmos that supports those it is meant to aid.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana states that Sarasvatī, returning for the sake of certain people, again changes direction and flows westward, marking a significant descriptive moment in the setting and movement within the episode.