The Skanda Purana
by G. V. Tagare | 1950 | 2,545,880 words
This page describes Sarasvati Gets Rid of the Curse which is chapter 173 of the English translation of the Skanda Purana, the largest of the eighteen Mahapuranas, preserving the ancient Indian society and Hindu traditions in an encyclopedic format, detailling on topics such as dharma (virtous lifestyle), cosmogony (creation of the universe), mythology (itihasa), genealogy (vamsha) etc. This is the one hundred seventy-third chapter of the Tirtha-mahatmya of the Nagara-khanda of the Skanda Purana.
Chapter 173 - Sarasvatī Gets Rid of the Curse
[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]
The sages said:
1-2. Oh, how miraculous and wonderful indeed is this! Thanks to the power of the Mantras of Viśvāmitra, the good sage, the waters thereof got turned into blood.
Now do narrate, O highly esteemed one, how the waters of Sarasvatī were re-established (on purity). Narrate everything in detail.
Sūta Said:
3. O excellent Brāhmaṇas, for a pretty long time the stream of Sarasvatī was full of blood and it was resorted to by goblins, ghosts and Rākṣasas.
4. Once the excellent sage Vasiṣṭha who was staying in Arbuda was appealed by the River who was distressed and miserable:
5-7. “O sage, it was for your sake that I have been cursed angrily by Viśvāmitra whereby blood began to flow in my bed and I was deserted by the community of sages.
Hence O great Brāhmaṇa, do me this favour. Let there be flow of water once again in my bed and let the blood then disappear.
O lord of all sages! You are not deficient in the ability of creation, sustenance or destruction of the three worlds.”
Vasiṣṭha said:
8. O fair one, I shall do that whereby water will flow once again in your bed and the blood gets eliminated.
9. After saying thus, the saintly Brāhmaṇa descended to the ground and went to the Plakṣa tree from which Sarasvatī flowed.
10. He went into Samādhi (trance) there and squattedon the ground. He was full of Saṃbhrama (fury) against Viśvāmitra.
11. Looking down at the ground he repeated the Varuṇa Mantra. Thereupon, a great stream burst open the earth and flowed out.
12. It flowed through two openings as Vasiṣṭha was looking at the ground with both of his eyes. From one flowed out water quickly which became the source of Sarasvatī.
13. The blood which completely filled the great river was flushed out forcibly at (its very source at) the Plakṣa tree.
14. The second current that had flowed out of his Saṃbhrama (fury) became river Sābhramatī (Sabaramati) on the earth.
15. Thus Sarasvatī attained her normal state once agtain [again]. O highly esteemed ones, (this is what) I had been asked regarding Sarasvatī.
16. This narrative called Sārasvata gives great intellect. One who reads or listens to it has his intellect bettered, thanks to the favour of Sarasvatī. It is the truth that I mentioned.