Shloka 1.58.9
त्रिशङ्कुशापः — Trishanku’s Curse and Appeal to Viśvāmitra
एवमुक्त्वा महात्मनो विविशुस्ते स्वमाश्रमम्।।।।अथ रात्र्यां व्यतीतायां राजा चण्डालतां गत:।
evam uktvā mahātmano viviśus te svam āśramam |
atha rātryāṃ vyatītāyāṃ rājā caṇḍālatāṃ gataḥ ||
Having spoken thus, those great-souled ones entered their own hermitage; and when the night had passed, the king had indeed become a caṇḍāla.
With this the high-souled sons of Vasishta entered their hermitage. And one night after the king became a Chandala (a low-caste man).
Actions and words have consequences; when sacred speech (śāpa) is invoked, social and moral order can be dramatically altered—hence dharma demands restraint and discernment.
After the curse is pronounced, the sages withdraw; by the next day the curse manifests physically/socially upon the king.
The verse foregrounds inevitability of consequence rather than a virtue; implicitly it promotes prudence and self-governance to avoid irreversible outcomes.