Shloka 23
Adhyāya 2: Nārada’s Disclosure—Karṇa’s Training and the Brahmin’s Curse (Śānti-parva)
तं स विप्रो<ब्रवीत् क्रुद्धो वाचा निर्भ्त्सयन्निव । दुराचार वधारस्त्वं फल प्राप्रुहि दुर्मते,ब्राह्मण उसकी बात सुनते ही कुपित हो उठा और कठोर वाणीढद्वारा उसे डाँटता हुआ- सा बोला--*दुराचारी! तू मार डालने योग्य है। दुर्मते! तू अपने इस पापका फल प्राप्त कर ले। पापी! तू जिसके साथ सदा ईर्ष्या रखता है और जिसे परास्त करनेके लिये निरन्तर चेष्टा करता है, उसके साथ युद्ध करते हुए तेरे रथके पहियेको धरती निगल जायगी
taṃ sa vipro 'bravīt kruddho vācā nirbhartsayann iva | durācāra vadhārhas tvaṃ phalaṃ prāpnuhi durmate ||
Enraged, the brāhmaṇa rebuked him with harsh words: “O wicked man of corrupt conduct, you deserve to be slain. O evil-minded one, now receive the fruit of your sin.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Immoral conduct and malicious intent inevitably produce consequences (phala). The verse underscores a dharmic ethic: wrongdoing—especially driven by envy—invites retribution, whether social (condemnation) or karmic (the ‘fruit’ of sin).
Narada reports a scene in which a Brahmin, angered by someone’s misconduct, publicly rebukes him and pronounces that he will receive the result of his sinful actions—language that functions like a curse or moral sentence.