Shloka 11
युधिष्ठिरप्रश्नः—विश्वामित्रस्य ब्राह्मणत्वकौतूहलम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry on Viśvāmitra’s Attainment of Brāhmaṇya
तपोविधघ्नकरी चैव पञ्चचूडा सुसम्मता । रम्भा नामाप्सरा: शापाद् यस्य शैलत्वमागता,पाँच चोटीवाली लोकप्रिय रम्भा नामक अप्सरा विश्वामित्रजीकी तपस्यामें विघ्न डालने गयी थी, जो उनके शापसे पत्थर हो गयी
tapovidhaghnakarī caiva pañcacūḍā susammatā | rambhā nāmāpsarāḥ śāpād yasya śailatvam āgatā ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “There is also the well-known apsaras named Rambhā, famed as ‘Pañcacūḍā’ (the five-crested one), who went to obstruct the austerities of the sage Viśvāmitra; but by his curse she became stone.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and spiritual gravity of tapas: attempts to derail sincere austerity are portrayed as blameworthy, and the ascetic’s spiritual power can have decisive consequences. It also warns that desire and distraction can be instruments of moral testing, while actions—especially intentional obstruction—bring results.
Yudhiṣṭhira cites an example: the apsaras Rambhā, called Pañcacūḍā, went to disturb Viśvāmitra’s austerities. Viśvāmitra, angered or resolute in his ascetic authority, cursed her, and she became a stone.