Shloka 176
कुमाराभिषेकप्रश्नः — Inquiry into Kumāra (Skanda) Investiture at Sarasvatī
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 disse: Aqueles rākṣasas, atormentados pela fome, foram àqueles mesmos sábios em busca de refúgio. Livre da maldição, Sarasvatī—primeira entre os rios—recobrou o esplendor de outrora. Vendo que os ascetas haviam purificado as águas de Sarasvatī, os rākṣasas famintos buscaram proteção aos pés daqueles grandes videntes.
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.