Shloka 7
Phala of Vrata, Niyama, Svādhyāya, Dama, Satya, Brahmacarya, and Service (व्रत-नियम-स्वाध्याय-दम-सत्य-ब्रह्मचर्य-शुश्रूषा-फलप्रश्नः)
क्षुत्पिपासाश्रमाविष्टो मुनिरुद्दा लकिस्तदा । यम॑ पश्येति त॑ पुत्रमशपत् स महातपा:,महातपस्वी उद्दालक मुनि उस समय भूख-प्याससे कष्ट पा रहे थे, अतः रुष्ट होकर बोले--'अरे वह सब तुम्हें क्यों दिखायी देगा? जाओ यमराजको देखो।” इस प्रकार उन्होंने उसे शाप दे दिया
kṣutpipāsāśramāviṣṭo munir uddālakis tadā | yamaṁ paśyeti taṁ putram aśapat sa mahātapāḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: At that time the sage Uddālaka, afflicted by hunger, thirst, and exhaustion, became angered and cursed his son, saying, “Why should you see all that? Go and behold Yama.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores restraint in speech and emotion: physical distress (hunger, thirst, fatigue) can cloud judgment, and even a virtuous ascetic may commit ethical error by speaking in anger. Dharma here points to mastering krodha (anger) and guarding one’s words, since a curse or harsh utterance carries lasting consequences.
Bhīṣma recounts that the sage Uddālaka, suffering from hunger, thirst, and exhaustion, becomes irritated and curses his son with the command to go and see Yama (death/judgment). The moment sets up a moral reflection on how a lapse in self-control can lead to severe outcomes.