Shloka 4
कुमाराभिषेकप्रश्नः — Inquiry into Kumāra (Skanda) Investiture at Sarasvatī
कस्यचित् त्ववय कालस्य ऋषय: सुतपोधना: । तीर्थयात्रां समाजग्मु: सरस्वत्यां महीपते,पृथ्वीनाथ! कुछ कालके पश्चात् बहुत-से तपोधन मुनि सरस्वतीके तटपर तीर्थयात्राके लिये पधारे
kasyacit tv avayā kālasya ṛṣayaḥ sutapodhanāḥ | tīrthayātrāṃ samājagmuḥ sarasvatyāṃ mahīpate ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。しばらく時が過ぎると、苦行と霊的規律に富む多くの聖仙たちが、王よ、サラスヴァティー河畔の聖なる渡し場（ティールタ）へ巡礼するために集い来た。物語は戦場から聖地の景へと移り、戦後の余燼の中にあっても、ティールタを通じて浄化と教えとダルマの指針を求める伝統がなお続くことを示している。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the dharmic practice of tīrthayātrā: sages seek sanctifying places not for escape, but for purification, remembrance of sacred order, and guidance. It implies that spiritual discipline and pilgrimage remain relevant even when society is shaken by conflict.
The narrator reports a temporal transition: after some time, many austere sages gather on the banks of the Sarasvatī to undertake a pilgrimage to its sacred fords. This sets the stage for events and teachings associated with the Sarasvatī tīrthas in the Shalya Parva.