Shloka 18
Sarasvatī-Śāpavimokṣa, Rākṣasa-Mokṣa, and Aruṇā-Tīrtha
Indra–Namuci Expiation
तब कुपित हुए मुनिने उससे कहा--“वसिष्ठको शीघ्र यहाँ बहाकर ले आओ, जिससे आज मैं इनका वध कर डालूँ।' यह सुनकर सरस्वती नदी व्यथित हो उठी ।। प्राउ्जलिं तु ततः कृत्वा पुण्डरीकनिभेक्षणा । प्राकम्पत भूशं भीता वायुनेवाहता लता,वह कमलनयना अबला हाथ जोड़कर वायुके झकोरेसे हिलायी गयी लताके समान अत्यन्त भयभीत हो जोर-जोरसे काँपने लगी
praāñjaliṁ tu tataḥ kṛtvā puṇḍarīkanibhekṣaṇā | prākampata bhṛśaṁ bhītā vāyunā ivāhatā latā ||
Then, folding her hands in supplication, the lotus-eyed (Sarasvatī) trembled violently in fear—like a creeper struck and shaken by a gust of wind. The scene underscores how even a revered, life-giving power (a river-goddess) is shaken when confronted with a sage’s wrath and the threat of unjust violence, highlighting the ethical weight carried by ascetic anger and the plea for restraint.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral danger of uncontrolled anger, especially in those with spiritual authority. The river-goddess’ fearful supplication suggests that power—ascetic or divine—should be governed by dharma and restraint, not by rage or the impulse to harm.
After hearing a threat involving Vasiṣṭha, Sarasvatī is depicted as a lotus-eyed woman who joins her hands and trembles intensely, compared to a vine shaken by wind—signaling fear and a plea to avert impending violence.