Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 31
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
देवा ऊचु अग्निशापादजिद्नापि रसज्ञानबहिष्कृता: | सरस्वती बहुविधां यूयमुच्चारयिष्यथ
devā ūcuḥ—agniśāpād ajihvā api rasajñānabahiṣkṛtāḥ | sarasvatī bahuvidhāṃ yūyam uccārayiṣyatha ||
The gods said: “By Agni’s curse you shall be without a tongue; therefore you will be shut out from the knowledge of tastes. Yet by Sarasvatī’s grace you will still be able to utter speech in many different forms.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when a being is limited by a curse or defect, divine grace connected with learning and right expression (Sarasvatī) can still enable meaningful speech; capacity for expression may persist even when sensory enjoyment or refinement (rasa-jñāna) is denied.
The gods pronounce the consequence of Agni’s curse—loss of tongue and thus loss of taste-knowledge—yet they also grant a compensating boon through Sarasvatī: the ability to articulate many forms of speech despite that impairment.