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 ||
Sañjaya dit : Sur le plateau faste et sacré, sans arbres, nommé Ākāśa-vidruma, dans les belles hauteurs de l’Himavat, ils atteignirent la Sarasvatī aux eaux d’un rougeâtre courant. Là, ils burent de son eau et s’y baignèrent—cherchant réconfort et pureté rituelle au cœur d’un voyage pénible, sous l’ombre de la guerre.
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.