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 nói: Những Rākṣasa ấy, bị cơn đói hành hạ, đã đến chính các bậc hiền triết kia để xin nương tựa. Được giải khỏi lời nguyền, Sarasvatī—bậc nhất trong các dòng sông—lại rạng rỡ như thuở trước. Thấy các hiền triết đã làm cho nước Sarasvatī trở nên thanh tịnh, bọn Rākṣasa đang đói khát liền tìm sự che chở dưới chân những đại thánh ấy.
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.