Shloka 206
उत्तङ्कोपाख्यानप्रारम्भः — Uttanka’s Tapas, Viṣṇu-stuti, and the Dhundhumāra Prophecy
Opening
ब्राह्मण: कुपितो हन्यादपि लोकानू् प्रतिज्ञया । निष्पाप नरेश! मेरी इस कल्याणमयी वाणीको समझो, जिसे मैं अभी तुम्हें सुना रहा हूँ। युधिष्ठिर! तुम्हें कभी किसी ब्राह्मणका तिरस्कार नहीं करना चाहिए; क्योंकि यदि ब्राह्मण कुपित हो जाय और किसी बातकी प्रतिज्ञा कर ले, तो वह उस प्रतिज्ञाके अनुसार सम्पूर्ण लोकोंका विनाश कर सकता है
brāhmaṇaḥ kupito hanyād api lokān pratijñayā | niṣpāpa nareśa mama etāṃ kalyāṇamayīṃ vācaṃ budhyasva yām ahaṃ te ’dya śrāvayiṣyāmi | yudhiṣṭhira tvayā kadācid api brāhmaṇo na tiraskartavyaḥ; yato brāhmaṇaḥ kupito bhavet kasyāṃcid vastuni pratijñāṃ ca kuryāt, sa tasyāḥ pratijñāyā anurūpaṃ samagrān lokān vināśayituṃ śaknoti |
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “A Brahmin, when angered, can by the sheer force of a vow strike down even the worlds. O sinless king, grasp this auspicious counsel that I am about to tell you. Yudhiṣṭhira, you must never show contempt for a Brahmin; for if a Brahmin becomes enraged and binds himself by a promise, he may, in accordance with that vow, be capable of bringing ruin upon all the worlds.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that a king must never insult a Brahmin, because the moral-spiritual force of a Brahmin’s anger, especially when bound by a vow (pratijñā), is portrayed as world-shaking; it is a warning about respecting dharma-bearing persons and the grave consequences of contempt.
Mārkaṇḍeya is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira, offering auspicious counsel on royal conduct: he cautions him against disparaging Brahmins and emphasizes the feared potency of their vows when provoked.