Shloka 13
तदाप्रभृति पुण्या हि विपाशाभून्महानदी । विख्याता कर्मणा तेन वसिष्ठस्य महात्मन:,पूर्वकालमें विश्वामित्रके ही भयसे अपने शरीरको रस्सीसे बाँधकर श्रीमान् वसिष्ठजी अपने-आपको एक नदीके जलमें डुबो रहे थे; परंतु उस नदीके द्वारा पाशरहित (बन्धनमुक्त) हो पुन: ऊपर उठ आये। महात्मा वसिष्ठके उस महान् कर्मसे विख्यात हो वह पवित्र नदी उसी दिनसे “विपाशा” कहलाने लगी
tadāprabhṛti puṇyā hi vipāśābhūn mahānadī | vikhyātā karmaṇā tena vasiṣṭhasya mahātmanaḥ ||
From that very time, the great river became holy and came to be known as Vipāśā. It gained this fame because of that extraordinary deed of the noble sage Vasiṣṭha—when, in fear of Viśvāmitra, he had bound his body with a rope and entered the river to drown himself, yet the river released him from the bonds and he rose up again. Owing to this act, the river was thereafter celebrated as “Vipāśā,” the ‘bondless’ one.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A place becomes sacred through association with great virtue and extraordinary moral-spiritual events. The verse highlights how the renown of a holy river can arise from the righteous power (and lived experience) of a great sage, emphasizing that ethical-spiritual stature leaves lasting sanctifying influence on the world.
Yudhiṣṭhira recounts that Vasiṣṭha, terrified of Viśvāmitra, tried to end his life by tying himself with a rope and entering a river. The river, however, freed him from the bonds so he emerged alive. Because of this event, the river became famous and was thereafter called Vipāśā—‘the bondless one.’