Shloka 12
Vasiṣṭhāpavāha: Sarasvatī’s Diversion and Viśvāmitra’s Curse (वसिष्ठापवाहः)
अवाकीर्णे सरस्वत्यास्तीर्थे प्रज्वजाल्य पावकम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca | avākīrṇe sarasvatyās tīrthe prajvālālya pāvakam, krodhena mahatāviṣṭo dharmātmā vai pratāpavān |
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。「サラスヴァティー河の聖なる渡し、アヴァーキールナと呼ばれるティールタにおいて、法にかなった強大な苦行者は—激しい憤怒にとらわれ—祭火を燃え立たせた。ここで物語は、怒りに燃える厳修の聖者が、苛烈な儀礼を行い、象徴的に一つの王国そのものを祭火に『供え』（焼き尽くし）たことを想起させる。すなわち、タパス（苦行の力）と祭式の威力も、クローダ（怒り）に駆られれば、倫理的に危うく、社会秩序を破壊しうるのである。」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a person described as dharmātmā (righteous) can become dangerous when overtaken by krodha (anger). The verse frames ritual and ascetic power as morally double-edged: when guided by restraint it supports dharma, but when fueled by wrath it can turn into destructive force.
Vaiśampāyana points to the Sarasvatī pilgrimage spot called Avākīrṇa, where a powerful ascetic kindles a sacrificial fire while seized by great anger. The surrounding narrative context (as preserved in the Gītā Press prose) connects this place with a severe rite in which a kingdom is ‘offered’/consumed in the fire, underscoring the potency—and peril—of such acts.