Rishi Manakanaka, son of Vayu and Sukanya, through his asceticism and penances came to be known in the three worlds. This rishi was also the progenitor of the 49 maruts. It is said that on one occasion of kusha grass turned the blood of Rishi Manakanaka into vegetable juice.
One day, when Rishi Manakanaka was returning after his morning prayers from the Saraswati River, his hand got pierced with the blade of Kusha grass and instead of blood, vegetable juice flowed from the wound.
Sage Manakanaka was happy at this miracle and danced with joy. Watching him dance, all the creatures, mobile and immobile started dancing non-stop.
The dancing of all the living beings caused imbalance on earth. Brahma requested Shiva to stop the dancing of Rishi Manakanaka.
Shiva in disguise visited Rishi Manakanaka and asked him the reason for his non-stop dancing.
Rishi informed him about the vegetable juice from wound incident.
Shiva smiled and took a kusha grass and created a wound on his thumb and ashes white as snow came out of his wound.
Seeing this Manakanaka realized that it was Shiva himself who was standing before him.
Rishi Manakanaka requested Shiva that his ascetic merit should not be destroyed for having displayed such a ridiculous behavior.
Shiva told him that the sacredness was in the kusha grass that was capable of turning blood into vegetable juice, and assured him that his asceticism will increase a thousand fold and he will always dwell in the Sapta Saraswati Tirtha on the banks of Saraswati River.