Shloka 75
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
पशुसखसहायास्तु बिसार्थ ते महर्षय: । पद्मिनीमभिजम्मुस्ते सर्वे कृत्याभिरक्षिताम्,पशुसखके साथ वे सभी महर्षि मृणाल लेनेके लिये उस सरोवरके तटपर गये, जो उस कृत्याके द्वारा सुरक्षित था
paśusakhasahāyās tu bisārtha te maharṣayaḥ | padminīm abhijagmus te sarve kr̥tyābhirakṣitām ||
Bhishma said: Aided by Paśusakha, those great sages went in search of lotus-stalk fibres (mṛṇāla). All of them approached the lotus-pond, which had been guarded and made inaccessible by that sorcery (kṛtyā).
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the simple needs of ascetics (such as gathering lotus-stalk fibres) can be hindered by deliberate protective or hostile rites; the verse highlights how power—especially occult or ritual power—can be used to restrict access, raising ethical questions about rightful protection versus wrongful obstruction.
Bhishma narrates that a group of great sages, accompanied by Paśusakha, go to a lotus-pond to collect bisā (lotus-stalk fibres). The pond is described as being guarded by a kṛtyā—an enacted sorcery—indicating an unseen barrier or protection around it.