Shloka 21
Bhagīratha Brings Gaṅgā; Saudāsa’s Curse; Khaṭvāṅga’s Instant Renunciation
श्रीशुक उवाच सौदासो मृगयां किञ्चिच्चरन् रक्षो जघान ह । मुमोच भ्रातरं सोऽथ गत: प्रतिचिकीर्षया ॥ २० ॥ सञ्चिन्तयन्नघं राज्ञ: सूदरूपधरो गृहे । गुरवे भोक्तुकामाय पक्त्वा निन्ये नरामिषम् ॥ २१ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca saudāso mṛgayāṁ kiñcic caran rakṣo jaghāna ha mumoca bhrātaraṁ so ’tha gataḥ praticikīrṣayā
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: While hunting in the forest, Saudāsa killed a man-eating Rākṣasa, yet out of mercy released the Rākṣasa’s brother. That brother sought revenge; plotting to harm the king, he entered the royal home disguised as a cook. When Vasiṣṭha Muni was invited to dine, the Rākṣasa cook served him cooked human flesh.
FAQs
This verse shows that even a king’s act of killing (here, a rākṣasa during a hunt) can trigger reactions—revenge, deception, and sinful outcomes—unfolding as karmic consequences in the narrative.
To take revenge without being detected, he assumed a cook’s form and arranged a grievous, sinful act—preparing human flesh to be offered as food to the king’s guru—so that the king would be implicated and ruined.
Avoid impulsive actions and environments that breed violence or cruelty; harmful acts can invite long chains of reaction. Also, be vigilant about deception—malicious intent often hides behind respectable appearances.