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 ||
毗湿摩波耶那说道：过了一段时日，许多苦行精严、戒德充盈的仙圣，聚集起来，欲沿萨拉斯瓦蒂河前往诸圣渡口（tīrtha）朝礼巡行，噢，大王。叙事由战场转入圣境，暗示纵在战后余烬之中，人们仍循古法，借由圣地求净化、求箴言、求合乎法（dharma）的指引。
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.