Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 383
Sarasvatī-Śāpavimokṣa, Rākṣasa-Mokṣa, and Aruṇā-Tīrtha
Indra–Namuci Expiation
शोणितं वह कल्याणि रक्षोग्रामणिसम्मतम् | मुनिश्रेष्ठ वसिष्ठको पुनः अपनेसे दूर बहाया गया देख अमर्षशील विश्वामित्र दुःखसे अत्यन्त कुपित हो बोले--'सरिताओंमें श्रेष्ठ कल्याणमयी सरस्वती! तुम मुझे धोखा देकर फिर चली गयी
śoṇitaṁ vaha kalyāṇi rakṣogrāmaṇi-sammatam | muniśreṣṭha vasiṣṭhako punaḥ apane se dūra bahāya gaya dekh amarṣaśīla viśvāmitra duḥkhase atyanta kupita ho bole—“saritāsu śreṣṭhe kalyāṇamayī sarasvati! tvaṁ māṁ dhokā dattvā punaś calitāsi, tasmād idānīṁ jalasya sthāne raktaṁ vaha, yad rakṣasāṁ samūhasya adhikaṁ priyam asti!”
ヴァシシュタは言った。「吉祥なる者よ、血をもって流れよ――それは羅刹（ラークシャサ）どもの首領が喜ぶものだ。」最上の聖仙ヴァシシュタが再び彼のもとから遠く運び去られるのを見て、気性の激しいヴィシュヴァーミトラは悲痛に打たれ、烈火のごとく憤って叫んだ。「サラスヴァティよ、河川のうち最勝にして恵み深き者よ！ おまえは私を欺き、また去っていった。ゆえに今より、水の代わりに血を流せ――羅刹の群れが最も愛するものを！」
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The episode warns that uncontrolled anger and ego can corrupt spiritual intent, leading one to weaponize sacred forces (like a revered river) for harmful ends—an ethical lapse contrary to dharma.
Viśvāmitra, enraged on seeing Vasiṣṭha carried away beyond his reach, addresses the river Sarasvatī and commands her to flow with blood instead of water—something said to delight the rākṣasas—revealing the intensity of his wrath and the peril of misdirected ascetic power.
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