Shloka 17
Śāpaprāpti (Receiving a Curse) — Mohinī Narrative
गृहस्थं भार्यया हीनं राष्ट्रभ्रष्टं च भूपतिम् । भग्नक्रियं यथा वैद्यं भग्नशाखं यथा द्रुमम् ॥ १७ ॥
gṛhasthaṃ bhāryayā hīnaṃ rāṣṭrabhraṣṭaṃ ca bhūpatim | bhagnakriyaṃ yathā vaidyaṃ bhagnaśākhaṃ yathā drumam || 17 ||
Ein Hausvater ohne Gattin, ein König seines Reiches beraubt, ein Arzt, dessen Praxis gescheitert ist, und ein Baum mit gebrochenen Ästen—sie alle sind gleich: gemindert und wirkungslos.
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It teaches that when a person is cut off from the proper support of their dharma—role, responsibility, and sustaining order—their capacity to act fruitfully declines, just as a broken tree or an unpracticing physician becomes ineffective.
By implication, bhakti thrives with steadiness and proper dharmic grounding; when one’s life becomes fragmented and duties collapse, devotion also becomes harder to sustain—so the verse urges restoration of order and integrity in one’s station.
The verse is primarily niti and dharma instruction using upamā (analogy), not a Vedanga technical teaching; it emphasizes practical discernment (viveka) about roles and functional competency rather than grammar, astrology, or ritual procedure.