Shloka 176
तानेव शरणं जम्मू राक्षसा: क्षुधितास्तथा | शापमुक्त हुई सरिताओंमें श्रेष्ठ सरस्वती पहलेकी भाँति शोभा पाने लगी। उन मुनियोंके द्वारा सरस्वतीका जल वैसा शुद्ध कर दिया गया--यह देखकर वे भूखे हुए राक्षस उन्हीं महर्षियोंकी शरणमें गये
tān eva śaraṇaṃ jagmu rākṣasāḥ kṣudhitās tathā | śāpamuktā saritāṃ śreṣṭhā sarasvatī pūrvavat śobhāṃ prāpa | tair munibhiḥ sarasvatyā jalaṃ tathā śuddhīkṛtam iti dṛṣṭvā te kṣudhita-rākṣasāḥ teṣām eva maharṣīṇāṃ śaraṇaṃ jagmuḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana berkata: Para Rākṣasa itu, diseksa kelaparan, pergi kepada para resi itu juga untuk berlindung. Setelah bebas daripada sumpahan, Sarasvatī—yang utama antara segala sungai—kembali memperoleh seri seperti dahulu. Melihat para resi telah menyucikan air Sarasvatī, para Rākṣasa yang kelaparan pun mencari perlindungan di kaki para maharesi itu.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical power of śaraṇa (seeking refuge) and śuddhi (purification): even beings driven by hunger and violence can be checked and redirected when they submit to righteous sages and accept purification. It implies that dharmic authority and inner/outer cleansing can restore order and reduce harm.
After Sarasvatī is freed from a curse and her waters are purified by sages, the rākṣasas—now hungry and unable to prey as before—observe this change and go to those same great seers for refuge, indicating a shift from predation toward dependence on dharmic guardians.