away one of her banks.  In washing away that bank, she bore Vasishtha away.  While being borne away, O king, Vasishtha praised the river in these words:  ’From the Grandsire’s (manasa) lake thou hast taken thy rise, O Sarasvati!  This whole universe is filled with thy excellent waters!  Wending through the firmament, O goddess, thou impartest thy waters to the clouds!  All the waters are thee!  Through thee we exercise our thinking faculties!  Thou art Pushti and Dyuti, Kirti, and Siddhi and Uma!  Thou art Speech, and thou art Svaha!  This whole universe is dependent on thee!  It is thou that dwellest in all creatures, in four forms!’ Thus praised by that great Rishi, Sarasvati, O king, speedily bore that Brahmana towards the asylum of Vishvamitra and repeatedly represented unto the latter the arrival of the former.  Beholding Vasishtha thus brought before him by Sarasvati, Vishvamitra, filled with rage, began to look for a weapon wherewith to slay that brahmana.  Seeing him filled with wrath, the river from fear of (witnessing and aiding in) a brahmana’s slaughter, quickly bore Vasishtha away to her eastern bank once more.  She thus obeyed the words of both, although she deceived the son of Gadhi by her act.  Seeing that best of Rishis, Vasishtha, borne away, the vindictive Vishvamitra, filled with wrath, addressed Sarasvati. saying, ’Since, O foremost of rivers, thou hast gone away, having deceived me, let thy current be changed into blood that is acceptable to Rakshasas.’  Then, cursed by the intelligent Vishvamitra, Sarasvati flowed for a whole year, bearing blood mixed with water.  The gods, the Gandharvas, and the Apsaras, beholding the Sarasvati reduced to that plight, became filled with great sorrow.  For this reason, O king, the tirtha came to be called Vasishthapravaha on earth.  The foremost of rivers, however, once more got back her own proper condition.”

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Vaishampayana said, “Cursed by the intelligent Vishvamitra in anger, Sarasvati, in that auspicious and best of tirthas, flowed, bearing blood in her current.  Then, O king, many Rakshasas came, O Bharata, and lived happily there, drinking the blood that flowed.  Exceedingly gratified with that blood, cheerfully and without anxiety of any kind, they danced and laughed there like persons that have (by merit) attained to heaven.  After some time had passed away, some Rishis, possessed of wealth of asceticism, came to the Sarasvati, O king, on a sojourn to her tirthas.  Those foremost of Munis, having bathed in all the tirthas and obtained great happiness, became desirous of acquiring more merit.  Those learned persons at last came, O king, to that tirtha where the Sarasvati ran a bloody current.  Those highly blessed ones, arriving at that frightful tirtha, saw the water of the Sarasvati mixed with blood and that innumerable Rakshasas, O monarch, were drinking it.  Beholding those Rakshasas, O king, those ascetics of rigid vows made great endeavours for rescuing