Shloka 43
Adhyaya 3 — The Dharmapakshis’ Past-Life Curse and Indra’s Test of Truthfulness
इत्त्थं श्रुत्वा वचोऽस्माकं मुनिः क्रोधादिव ज्वलन् ।
प्रोवाच पुनरप्यस्मान् निर्दहन्निव लोचनैः ॥
itthaṃ śrutvā vaco 'smākaṃ muniḥ krodhādiva jvalan | provāca punar apy asmān nirdahann iva locanaiḥ ||
فلما سمع الحكيم كلامنا على هذا النحو—متوهّجًا كأنه بالغضب—خاطبنا ثانيةً، كأنه يُحرقنا بنظراته.
FAQs
The verse highlights how speech can provoke strong reactions, especially from authoritative ascetics. It implicitly teaches restraint and humility in approaching a muni: one should speak with care, timing, and reverence, since a sage’s displeasure is portrayed as spiritually and socially consequential.
This verse is not directly a pancalakṣaṇa unit (sarga/pratisarga/vaṃśa/manvantara/vaṃśānucarita). It functions as narrative linkage within the Purana’s dialogue framework (vaṃśānucarita-like storytelling style broadly), setting up the next instruction or reply.
The imagery of ‘burning with anger’ and ‘scorching with the eyes’ symbolizes tapas as concentrated power: the sage’s inner heat (tapas) can manifest as a force that ‘burns’ ignorance or, when disturbed, ‘burns’ the offender. Esoterically, it warns that approaching spiritual power without proper alignment (vinaya, śraddhā) can feel destructive rather than illuminating.