Shloka 62
अध्याय ३३७ — ज्ञानमार्ग-वैविध्यप्रश्नः तथा व्यासस्य नारायणोद्भवकथा
Systems of Knowledge and Vyāsa’s Nārāyaṇa-Origin
समाप्तयज्ञो राजापि प्रजां पालितवान् वसु: । ब्रह्मशापाद दिवो भ्रष्ट: प्रविवेश महीं तत:,राजा वसु भी यज्ञ पूरा करके प्रजाका पालन करने लगे। एक बार ब्रह्मशापसे उन्हें स्वर्गसे भ्रष्ट होना पड़ा था। उस समय वे पृथ्वीके भीतर रसातलमें समा गये थे
samāptayajño rājāpi prajāṃ pālitavān vasuḥ | brahmaśāpād divo bhraṣṭaḥ praviveśa mahīṃ tataḥ |
After completing his sacrifice, King Vasu continued to protect and govern his subjects. Yet, due to a brahminical curse, he fell from heaven; and then he entered the earth—sinking down into the subterranean realm.
देव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual merit and good governance do not exempt one from moral causality: a brahminical curse (representing the power of tapas and dharma) can overturn even a successful king’s heavenly status, emphasizing accountability and the inevitability of consequences.
The speaker states that King Vasu, after finishing a sacrifice, ruled and protected his people; later, because of a brahmin’s curse, he fell from heaven and entered the earth, understood in the tradition as sinking into the subterranean region (Rasātala).