Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 26
Dhūpa–Dīpa–Bali Phala Praśna; Nahūṣa–Agastya–Bhṛgu Saṃvāda
Incense, Lamp, and Bali Offerings; the Nahūṣa Dialogue
व्युत्क्रान्तधर्म तमहं धर्षणामर्षितो भृशम् । अहिर्भवस्वेति रुषा शप्स्ये पापं द्विजद्रुहम्
vyutkrāntadharma tam ahaṁ dharṣaṇāmarṣito bhṛśam | ahir bhavasveti ruṣā śapsye pāpaṁ dvijadruham ||
Agastya said: “Enraged beyond endurance by the outrage done to you, I shall, in wrath, curse that sinful betrayer of a brāhmaṇa—one who has strayed from dharma—saying, ‘Become a serpent!’”
अगस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
A deliberate violation of dharma—especially harming a brāhmaṇa or committing an outrageous wrong—invites severe moral and karmic consequences; righteous authority may respond with punitive restraint (śāpa) to uphold ethical order.
Agastya, provoked by an intolerable outrage, declares that he will curse the sinful dharma-transgressor and brāhmaṇa-offender, specifically condemning him to become a serpent.