Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c7.898

c7.898

*River Sarasvatī*. There is a story about how Sarasvatī river became Śoṇapuṇya tīrtha. There were frequent quarrels between Vasiṣṭha and Viśvāmitra. Once Viśvāmitra got angry when he came to know that Vasiṣṭha was performing a penance on the banks of the river Sarasvatī. He summoned Sarasvatī and ordered her to produce Vasiṣṭha before him immediately. Sarasvatī was in a dilemma. If she brought Vasiṣṭha to Viśvāmitra, Vasiṣṭha would curse her; if on the other hand, she did not bring him Viśvāmitra would curse her. At last she decided to produce Vasiṣṭha before Viśvāmitra. By eroding the earth on her bank little by little near the place where Vasiṣṭha was performing his penance, Sarasvatī managed to bring him down into her own current. Then she carried him floating down to the place where Viśvāmitra was waiting. When Vasiṣṭha reached his presence, Viśvāmitra was pleased. But without allowing Viśvāmitra to capture Vasiṣṭha she took him away in her current, eastwards. Enraged at this, Viśvāmitra pronounced a curse that blood should flow through the river Sarasvatī. Thus the water in the river became blood-red. The great sages who came there afterwards sympathised with Sarasvatī in her ill-luck and as a result of their prayers Śiva made her Śoṇapuṇyatīrtha.