Shloka 80

अर्जुनस्य अन्त्येष्टि, द्वारकाप्लावनम्, कलिप्रवेशः, कालोपदेशः

Devanagari script

तं दृष्ट्वा गूहमानानां यासां हासः स्फुटो ऽभवत् ताः शशाप मुनिः कोपम् अवाप्य कुरुनन्दन

Transliteration

taṃ dṛṣṭvā gūhamānānāṃ yāsāṃ hāsaḥ sphuṭo 'bhavat tāḥ śaśāpa muniḥ kopam avāpya kurunandana

Translation

Seeing him, the women who had been hiding—whose laughter suddenly burst forth—were cursed by the sage, O delight of the Kurus, as wrath rose within him.

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karman (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• गूहमानानाम्: of those who were hiding
• गूहमानानाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गूह् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त (present active participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; ‘of (those) hiding’

• यासाम्: of whom
• यासाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• हासः: laughter
• हासः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• स्फुटः: open / audible
• स्फुटः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्फुट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण—हासः

• अभवत्: arose / happened
• अभवत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ताः: them
• ताः: Karman (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• शशाप: cursed
• शशाप: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मुनिः: the sage
• मुनिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• कोपम्: anger
• कोपम्: Karman (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• अवाप्य: having attained (becoming possessed of)
• अवाप्य: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव + आप् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• कुरुनन्दन: O joy of the Kurus
• कुरुनन्दन: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरु + नन्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष—‘कुरूणां नन्दनः’

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating) to Maitreya; with an apostrophic address to a Kuru descendant in the verse style

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Mockery of sanctity and spiritual discipline (tapas) invites karmic reversal; disrespect (avajñā) becomes the seed of suffering.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Practice reverence in speech—avoid humiliating others, especially the vulnerable or spiritually dedicated; cultivate restraint before laughter turns into harm.

Vishishtadvaita: Dharma includes honoring Bhagavat’s devotees and holy persons; offense (aparādha) disrupts the soul’s harmony with the Lord’s order.

Characters & Entities

• A sage (muni)
• Women/maidens (unnamed)
• Kuru lineage (Kurunandana as addressee)

FAQs

What is the significance of a sage’s curse in the Vishnu Purana’s dynasty narratives?

This verse shows rishi-tejas functioning as moral causality: ridicule or disrespect toward ascetic authority triggers consequences that redirect personal fate and, by extension, lineage history.

How does Sage Parāśara explain karmic consequence through narrative events like laughter and cursing?

By linking an immediate ethical lapse (open laughter at someone) to an immediate spiritual reaction (the sage’s wrath and curse), Parāśara frames history as governed by dharma and karma rather than accident.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named, the Purana’s historiography assumes a Vishnu-ordered cosmos where dharma is conserved—events like curses become instruments through which universal order and rightful sovereignty are maintained.