Shloka 18
Ārṣṭiṣeṇa’s Siddhi and the Tīrtha-Boons; Sindhudvīpa–Devāpi Brāhmaṇya; Viśvāmitra’s Tapas Begins
तत औशनसे तीर्थे तस्योपस्पृशतस्तदा । तच्छिरश्नरणं मुक्त्वा पपातान्तर्जले तदा,तदनन्तर वे ब्रह्मर्षि वहाँ औशनसतीर्थमें गये और उसके जलसे आचमन एवं स्नान किया। उसी समय वह कपाल उनके चरण (जाँघ)-को छोड़कर पानीके भीतर गिर पड़ा
tata auśanase tīrthe tasyopaspṛśatas tadā | tacchiraḥ-śaraṇaṃ muktvā papātāntarjale tadā ||
Then, at the sacred ford called Auśanasa, as he was performing ācamana and ritual bathing, the skull that had been clinging to his thigh/foot let go and at that very moment fell down into the water. The episode underscores the purificatory power of tīrtha and the idea that burdens born of past acts can loosen when one turns to disciplined, sacred observance.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights tīrtha as a locus of purification: disciplined ritual action (ācamana/snān) at a sacred place can symbolically and narratively loosen the grip of prior burdens, pointing to the ethical idea that purification and release are connected to right observance and sacred context.
At Auśanasa Tīrtha, during ritual sipping and bathing, a skull that had been attached to the person’s thigh/foot detaches and drops into the water, marking a turning point in the episode being narrated by Vaiśampāyana.