Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 42
कुमाराभिषेकप्रश्नः — Inquiry into Kumāra (Skanda) Investiture at Sarasvatī
इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत शल्यपर्वके अन्तर्गत गदापव॑नें बलदेवजीकी तीर्थयात्राके प्रसंगमें सारस्वतोपाख्यानविषयक बयालीसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
śakra! maharṣibhir asyā aruṇāyāḥ jalaṃ parama-pavitraṃ kṛtam. asmin tīrthe pūrvam eva gupta-rūpeṇa tasyā āgamanam abhavat; tataḥ sarasvatī samīpam āgatya aruṇā-devīṃ svajalena āplāvitavatī. sarasvatyā aruṇāyāś ca puṇyo 'yaṃ saṅgamo mahān | iha tvaṃ yaja devendra dada dānāny anekaśaḥ ||
Vasiṣṭha dit : « Ô Śakra, les sages ont rendu les eaux de cette Aruṇā souverainement pures. En ce gué sacré, sa venue s’était déjà accomplie auparavant de manière cachée ; puis Sarasvatī s’approcha et submergea la déesse Aruṇā de ses propres eaux. Voici la grande et sainte confluence de Sarasvatī et d’Aruṇā. Ici, ô seigneur des dieux, accomplis le culte et fais de nombreux dons. »
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sacred places become especially purifying through the presence and austerity of sages; one should respond to such sanctity with worship (yajña) and generosity (dāna), turning reverence into ethical action.
Vasiṣṭha addresses Indra, explaining that the Aruṇā’s waters have been made supremely holy by sages and that Sarasvatī has joined and inundated Aruṇā, creating a powerful confluence-tīrtha; he urges Indra to worship there and give abundant gifts.