Shloka 4.48.14
विन्ध्यगुहाविचयः — Searching the Vindhya Caves and the Cursed Forest (Southern Search)
तेन धर्मात्मना शप्तं कृत्स्नं तत्रमहद्वनम्।अशरण्यं दुराधर्षं मृगपक्षिविवर्जितम्।।।।
tena dharmātmanā śaptaṃ kṛtsnaṃ tatra mahad vanam | aśaraṇyaṃ durādharṣaṃ mṛgapakṣivivarjitam || 4.48.14 ||
Cursed by that righteous sage, the entire great forest there became shelterless and forbidding, emptied even of beasts and birds.
Cursed by the great righteous sage the entire forest turned barren, unfit to harbour living beings and became devoid of even beasts and birds.
The verse teaches moral causality: a powerful person’s words (especially a ṛṣi’s) carry ethical weight and real-world consequences; dharma therefore demands responsible speech and restraint.
The cause of the desolate landscape is explained: the sage’s curse transformed the forest into a lifeless, uninhabitable region.
Responsibility of power: spiritual authority must be governed by self-control and compassion, not only by strength of tapas.