Shloka 12
Vasiṣṭhāpavāha: Sarasvatī’s Diversion and Viśvāmitra’s Curse (वसिष्ठापवाहः)
अवाकीर्णे सरस्वत्यास्तीर्थे प्रज्वजाल्य पावकम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca | avākīrṇe sarasvatyās tīrthe prajvālālya pāvakam, krodhena mahatāviṣṭo dharmātmā vai pratāpavān |
Vaiśampāyana dijo: En el vado sagrado del Sarasvatī llamado Avākīrṇa, aquel asceta justo y poderoso—poseído por una ira inmensa—encendió el fuego del sacrificio. En este lugar, el relato recuerda cómo un sabio de austeridad extrema, inflamado por la cólera, llevó a cabo un rito feroz que, de modo simbólico, “ofreció” (consumió) un reino entero en el fuego sacrificial, mostrando que el poder del tapas y del ritual, cuando es impulsado por la ira, puede volverse éticamente peligroso y socialmente devastador.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a person described as dharmātmā (righteous) can become dangerous when overtaken by krodha (anger). The verse frames ritual and ascetic power as morally double-edged: when guided by restraint it supports dharma, but when fueled by wrath it can turn into destructive force.
Vaiśampāyana points to the Sarasvatī pilgrimage spot called Avākīrṇa, where a powerful ascetic kindles a sacrificial fire while seized by great anger. The surrounding narrative context (as preserved in the Gītā Press prose) connects this place with a severe rite in which a kingdom is ‘offered’/consumed in the fire, underscoring the potency—and peril—of such acts.