Shloka 4
कुमाराभिषेकप्रश्नः — Inquiry into Kumāra (Skanda) Investiture at Sarasvatī
कस्यचित् त्ववय कालस्य ऋषय: सुतपोधना: । तीर्थयात्रां समाजग्मु: सरस्वत्यां महीपते,पृथ्वीनाथ! कुछ कालके पश्चात् बहुत-से तपोधन मुनि सरस्वतीके तटपर तीर्थयात्राके लिये पधारे
kasyacit tv avayā kālasya ṛṣayaḥ sutapodhanāḥ | tīrthayātrāṃ samājagmuḥ sarasvatyāṃ mahīpate ||
Vaiśampāyana said: After some time had passed, many sages—rich in austerity and spiritual discipline—assembled for a pilgrimage to sacred fords along the river Sarasvatī, O king. The scene shifts from the battlefield to a holy landscape, suggesting that even amid the aftermath of war, the tradition of seeking purification, counsel, and dharmic orientation through tīrthas continues.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the dharmic practice of tīrthayātrā: sages seek sanctifying places not for escape, but for purification, remembrance of sacred order, and guidance. It implies that spiritual discipline and pilgrimage remain relevant even when society is shaken by conflict.
The narrator reports a temporal transition: after some time, many austere sages gather on the banks of the Sarasvatī to undertake a pilgrimage to its sacred fords. This sets the stage for events and teachings associated with the Sarasvatī tīrthas in the Shalya Parva.