O Vipāś and Śutudrī, ye rivers vast and terrible! Hear me, Viśvāmitra, whom the Devas have made strong. My people march toward the sacrifice, toward the lands beyond; yet ye bar the path with your torrents, your waters swelling fierce and wrathful. I pray thee, O streams born of the mountains, part thy waves and grant us passage. Let not the army perish in thy depths; let not the sacred fire be quenched by thy embrace.

Once we too were as ye are — wild, unchecked, our own law unto ourselves. But now the Devas have spoken, and I am bound to guide my kin to the distant shore where the sacrifice awaits. The soma flows in our veins; the mantras burn upon our tongues. Shall ye — ancient daughters of the high peaks — deny the sacred rite? Shall ye, who water the earth and nourish all that grows, turn hostile to the worshippers of Indra?

The rivers answer: "Viśvāmitra, master of the Veda, holder of the sacred word! We know thy strength; we have heard thy meditations shake the very heavens. The gods themselves have vouched for thee, and the ṛṣis sing thy praise. But we are not mere servants of man's will — we are the breath of Parvatā, the pulse of the world. Yet for thee, O Brahmin of terrible austerity, we shall part our waters. Let thy people cross in safety. We shall open a path through our midst, and not one warrior shall be lost to our depths."

And Viśvāmitra speaks again: "Ye gracious streams, ye goddesses of the waters! I shall remember this kindness. When I reach the distant lands and perform the rites that bind heaven and earth, I shall pour libations in thy honor. Thy names shall be sung in the sacred verses; thy deeds shall be known among all the peoples. And if ever thy children — the rivers of the southern lands — prove hostile to those who do the work of the Devas, I shall turn my power against them, and they shall know the wrath of one who walks with Indra."

Thus the dialogue was sealed. The waters parted; the army crossed. And the story of Viśvāmitra and the Rivers became immortal, sung by every bard who tends the eternal fire.