Shloka 12
Āraṇyaka Parva, Adhyāya 116: Jamadagni–Reṇukā Narrative and the Kārtavīrya Conflict
Akṛtavraṇa’s Account
ततः शशाप तानू् क्रोधात् ते शप्ताश्चेतनां जहु: । मृगपक्षिसधर्माण: क्षिप्रमासज्जडोपमा:,तब महर्षिने कुपित हो उन सब पुत्रोंको शाप दे दिया। शापग्रस्त होनेपर वे अपनी चेतना (विचार-शक्ति) खो बैठे और तुरंत मृग एवं पक्षियोंके समान जडबुद्धि हो गये
tataḥ śaśāpa tān krodhāt te śaptāś cetanāṁ jahuḥ | mṛga-pakṣi-sadharmāṇaḥ kṣipram āsaj-jaḍopamāḥ ||
Then, in anger, the sage pronounced a curse upon them. Struck by that curse, they lost their conscious discernment; and at once, taking on the nature of beasts and birds, they became like inert, dull-witted creatures.
अकृतव्रण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical danger of krodha (anger): when anger governs action—especially for one endowed with spiritual authority—it can cause disproportionate harm. It also suggests that moral and intellectual agency (cetanā) is fragile; once lost, a person falls to instinctive, animal-like existence.
Akṛtavraṇa narrates that a great sage, enraged, cursed certain sons. As the curse took effect, they immediately lost their conscious awareness and became dull and inert, comparable in nature to beasts and birds.