Shloka 33
आशीविषदिषं तीक्ष्णं ततस्तीक्ष्णतरो द्विज: । ब्रह्माशीविषदग्धस्य नास्ति कश्चिच्चिकित्सक:
āśīviṣa-viṣaṃ tīkṣṇaṃ tatas tīkṣṇataro dvijaḥ | brahmāśīviṣa-dagdhasya nāsti kaś cic cikitsakaḥ ||
Dijo Vāyu: «El veneno de una serpiente ponzoñosa es, en verdad, agudo y mortal; pero un brahmán, cuando se inflama en ira y está investido de potencia espiritual, puede ser aún más agudo. Para quien ha sido “quemado” por el poder serpentino de un brahmán—herido por su maldición o por un daño espiritual—no hay médico en este mundo que pueda dar remedio.»
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that spiritual authority and speech, especially when wielded by a brahmin endowed with tapas and learning, can cause harm more irreversible than physical poison. It urges restraint, humility, and careful conduct toward those whose words carry moral and spiritual force, emphasizing that some injuries—like those from a curse or grievous offense—may not admit an easy ‘cure.’
Vāyudeva is speaking and uses a striking comparison: snake-venom is deadly, but the ‘serpent-like’ power of a brahmin is deadlier still. The statement functions as a moral admonition within the Anuśāsana Parva’s didactic discourse, highlighting the gravity of offending or provoking a spiritually potent person and the far-reaching consequences of words and curses.