Shloka 75
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
पशुसखसहायास्तु बिसार्थ ते महर्षय: । पद्मिनीमभिजम्मुस्ते सर्वे कृत्याभिरक्षिताम्,पशुसखके साथ वे सभी महर्षि मृणाल लेनेके लिये उस सरोवरके तटपर गये, जो उस कृत्याके द्वारा सुरक्षित था
paśusakhasahāyās tu bisārtha te maharṣayaḥ | padminīm abhijagmus te sarve kr̥tyābhirakṣitām ||
Bhishma nói: Được Paśusakha trợ giúp, các bậc đại hiền ấy đi tìm sợi mṛṇāla (xơ cuống sen). Tất cả đều tiến đến hồ sen, nơi đã bị kṛtyā kia canh giữ và khiến cho khó bề tiếp cận bởi tà thuật.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the simple needs of ascetics (such as gathering lotus-stalk fibres) can be hindered by deliberate protective or hostile rites; the verse highlights how power—especially occult or ritual power—can be used to restrict access, raising ethical questions about rightful protection versus wrongful obstruction.
Bhishma narrates that a group of great sages, accompanied by Paśusakha, go to a lotus-pond to collect bisā (lotus-stalk fibres). The pond is described as being guarded by a kṛtyā—an enacted sorcery—indicating an unseen barrier or protection around it.