Shloka 17
अपेय: सागरो येषामपि शापान्महात्मनाम् | येषां कोपाग्निरद्यापि दण्डके नोपशाम्यति,उन्हीं महात्माओंके शापसे समुद्रका पानी पीनेयोग्य नहीं रहा। उनकी क्रोधाग्नि दण्डकारण्यमें आजतक शान्त नहीं हुई
apeyaḥ sāgaro yeṣām api śāpān mahātmanām | yeṣāṁ kopāgnir adyāpi daṇḍake nopaśāmyati ||
Bhīṣma said: “Because of the curse of those great-souled sages, even the ocean’s waters became unfit to drink; and the fire of their wrath has not, even today, been quenched in the Dandaka forest.” The verse underscores the moral force attributed to ascetic integrity: when dharma is violated, the righteous anger of the spiritually powerful is portrayed as enduring and world-altering.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that moral and spiritual authority (especially of disciplined sages) is not merely personal but cosmic in consequence: a righteous curse can reshape the world, and unrestrained anger born of adharma can endure across time and place. It implicitly urges reverence for dharma and restraint, since violations invite lasting repercussions.
Bhishma is citing an illustrative example: certain great sages, wronged or provoked, pronounced a curse that rendered the ocean’s water undrinkable, and their ‘fire of wrath’ is said to remain unextinguished in the Dandaka region. The statement functions as a moral exemplum within Bhishma’s instruction.