Shloka 51
शल्यस्य सेनापत्याभ्युपगमः | Śalya’s Acceptance of Command
आकाशे विद्रुमे पुण्ये प्रस्थे हिमवत: शुभे | अरुणां सरस्वती प्राप्य पपु: सस्नुश्चन ते जलम्
ākāśe vidrume puṇye prasthē himavataḥ śubhe | aruṇāṃ sarasvatīṃ prāpya papuḥ sasnuś ca te jalam ||
Dijo Sañjaya: En la meseta auspiciosa y sagrada, sin árboles, llamada Ākāśa-vidruma, en las hermosas alturas del Himavat, llegaron a la Sarasvatī de corriente rojiza. Allí bebieron de sus aguas y se bañaron—buscando alivio y pureza ritual en su ardua marcha, bajo la sombra de la guerra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid conflict, the epic repeatedly foregrounds practices of restraint and purification: approaching sacred waters, bathing, and drinking symbolize renewing strength while aligning oneself with dharma through cleanliness, reverence, and disciplined conduct.
Sañjaya reports that the group reached a holy, open plateau on the Himalayan heights, came to the reddish-flowing Sarasvatī, and there bathed and drank the water—an interlude of refreshment and ritual purification during their movement through sacred terrain.