Shloka 32
दैव–पुरुषकार-प्रश्नः
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Inquiry: Fate and Human Effort
अश्वमेधादिभिर्यज्ञै: सत्कृत: कोसलाधिप: । महर्षिशापात् सौदास: पुरुषादत्वमागत:
aśvamedhādibhir yajñaiḥ satkṛtaḥ kosalādhipaḥ | maharṣiśāpāt saudāsaḥ puruṣādatvam āgataḥ ||
Bhishma dijo: «(Ahora doy un ejemplo contrario.) Aunque el señor de Kosala fue honrado con sacrificios como el Aśvamedha, Saudāsa, por la maldición de un gran sabio, cayó al estado de un demonio devorador de hombres. Así se muestra que el mérito ritual y el honor público no protegen a quien incurre en la grave consecuencia de ofender a un santo.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual merit and royal prestige (even from great sacrifices like the Aśvamedha) cannot override the moral and karmic consequences of grave wrongdoing—especially offenses against great sages. Dharma requires inner restraint, humility, and reverence toward the righteous, not merely external piety.
Bhishma cites Saudāsa, the king of Kosala, as an illustrative example: despite being honored through major sacrifices, he became a man-eating being due to a maharshi’s curse (understood in tradition as Vasiṣṭha’s). The example is offered as a contrasting case (viparīta dṛṣṭānta) to emphasize the power of ethical transgression and the weight of a sage’s curse.