Shloka 14
Saptasārasvata-tīrtha-prasaṅgaḥ | The Saptasārasvata Pilgrimage Account and the Maṅkaṇaka Narrative
तत्र गर्गेण वृद्धेन तपसा भावितात्मना
Vaiśampāyana uvāca | tatra gargeṇa vṛddhena tapasā bhāvitātmanā, janamejaya, tatra sarasvatyāḥ śubhe tīrthe kālajñānaṃ kālagatiṃ grahāṇāṃ nakṣatrāṇāṃ ca viparyayaṃ dāruṇānutpātān śubhalakṣaṇāni ca sarvāṇy etāni jñātāni | tasyaiva nāmnā tat tīrthaṃ gargasrota iti khyātam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: There, O Janamejaya, the aged sage Garga—his inner self purified and strengthened by austerity—at that auspicious ford of the Sarasvatī came to understand the knowledge of Time and the course of Time, the reversals and irregular motions of planets and constellations, dreadful portents, and also auspicious signs. From his very name that sacred place became known as Gargasrota.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Austerity and inner purification (tapas, bhāvitātman) are presented as sources of higher discernment: the sage gains insight into Kāla (Time), cosmic order, and the reading of auspicious and inauspicious signs—implying that ethical-spiritual discipline sharpens judgment about events and consequences.
Vaiśampāyana tells Janamejaya that the elder sage Garga, while at an auspicious Sarasvatī tīrtha, mastered knowledge of Time and celestial/omenic phenomena; the place later became famous by his name as Gargasrota.