Shloka 4
Śibi’s Weighing of Dharma
The Hawk and the Dove Trial) — शिबेर्धर्मतुला (श्येन-कपोतोक्तिः
द्वारं निषादराष्ट्रस्य येषां दोषात् सरस्वती । प्रविष्टा पृथिवीं वीर मा निषादा हि मां विदु:,यह निषादराजका द्वार है। वीर युधिष्ठिर! उन निषादोंके ही संसर्गदोषसे सरस्वती नदी यहाँ इसलिये पृथ्वीके भीतर प्रविष्ट हो गयी कि निषाद मुझे जान न सकें। यह चमसोद्धेदतीर्थ है; जहाँ सरस्वती पुनः प्रकट हो गयी है। यहाँ समुद्रमें मिलनेवाली सम्पूर्ण पवित्र नदियाँ इसके सम्मुख आयी हैं
dvāraṁ niṣādarāṣṭrasya yeṣāṁ doṣāt sarasvatī | praviṣṭā pṛthivīṁ vīra mā niṣādā hi māṁ viduḥ |
Lomaśa said: “This is the gateway to the realm of the Niṣādas. Because of association with them (and the taint that follows), the river Sarasvatī entered into the earth here, O hero—so that the Niṣādas might not recognize me.”
लोगश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames tīrtha-geography in ethical terms: sacredness is protected from perceived impurity, and contact (saṅga) is treated as morally consequential. It reflects a dharma-based concern for ritual purity and the idea that holy rivers act with intention to preserve sanctity.
During the Pāṇḍavas’ pilgrimage, Lomasha points out the entrance to the Niṣādas’ territory and explains a local tradition: Sarasvatī became subterranean here, entering the earth so that the Niṣādas would not recognize or approach her.