Shloka 2
कुमाराभिषेकप्रश्नः — Inquiry into Kumāra (Skanda) Investiture at Sarasvatī
वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--राजन्! कुपित हुए बुद्धिमान् विश्वामित्रने जब सरस्वती नदीको शाप दे दिया, तब वह नदी उस उज्ज्वल एवं श्रेष्ठ तीर्थमें रक्तकी धारा बहाने लगी ।। अथाजम्मुस्ततो राजन् राक्षसास्तत्र भारत । तत्र ते शोणितं सर्वे पिबन्त: सुखमासते,भारत! तदनन्तर वहाँ बहुत-से राक्षस आ पहुँचे। वे सब-के-सब उस रक्तको पीते हुए वहाँ सुखपूर्वक रहने लगे
vaiśampāyana uvāca—rājan, kupitena buddhimatā viśvāmitreṇa yadā sarasvatī nadī śaptā, tadā sā nadī tasmin ujjvale śreṣṭhe tīrthe raktadhārāṃ pravavāha. athājagmus tato rājan rākṣasās tatra bhārata; tatra te śoṇitaṃ sarve pibantaḥ sukham āsate.
Vaiśampāyana said: O King, when the wise Viśvāmitra, inflamed with anger, pronounced a curse upon the river Sarasvatī, the river at that radiant and eminent sacred ford began to flow as a stream of blood. Then, O King—O descendant of Bharata—many rākṣasas came there; and all of them, drinking that blood, dwelt there in grim contentment.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical danger of uncontrolled anger: even a wise sage’s wrath can produce harmful outcomes, symbolically turning a sacred river into a source of violence and attracting destructive forces. It cautions that power (especially spiritual power) must be governed by restraint and dharma.
Viśvāmitra, angered, curses the river Sarasvatī; at a renowned tīrtha the river begins to flow like blood. Rākṣasas then arrive and, drinking that blood, settle there contentedly—showing the sacred place’s inversion into a haunt for harmful beings.