Shloka 3936
कुमाराभिषेकप्रश्नः — Inquiry into Kumāra (Skanda) Investiture at Sarasvatī
इष्ट्वोपस्पृश देवेन्द्र तीर्थ पापभयापहे । तब लोकगुरु ब्रह्माने उनसे कहा--देवेन्द्र! अरुणा तीर्थ पाप-भयको दूर करनेवाला है। तुम वहाँ विधिपूर्वक यज्ञ करके अरुणाके जलमें स्नान करो
iṣṭvopaspṛśa devendra tīrtha pāpabhayāpahe | tataḥ lokaguruḥ brahmā enam uvāca—devendra! aruṇā-tīrthaṃ pāpa-bhayaṃ dūra-karoti; tvaṃ tatra vidhi-pūrvakaṃ yajñaṃ kṛtvā aruṇā-jale snānaṃ kuru ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O Indra, having duly performed sacrifice and purification at that sacred ford which removes the fear born of sin, the world-teacher Brahmā then addressed him: ‘O Lord of the gods! The Aruṇā-tīrtha drives away sin and the dread that follows it. Go there, perform the rite according to rule, and bathe in the waters of the Aruṇā.’” The passage frames pilgrimage and ritual purity as ethical restoration—turning from the consequences of wrongdoing toward disciplined, lawful conduct.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
That disciplined observance—yajña, purification, and tīrtha-bathing performed according to vidhi—functions as a dharmic means of cleansing pāpa and the fear that follows it, restoring moral and ritual order.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Brahmā instructs Indra to go to Aruṇā-tīrtha, perform a properly conducted sacrifice, and bathe in the Aruṇā waters, because this sacred place removes sin and the dread arising from it.