Shloka 393
उत्पातदर्शनम् — Portents and Kāla among the Vṛṣṇis
ब्रह्मदण्डकृतं सर्वमिति तद् विद्धि पार्थिव । पृथ्वीनाथ! एक साधारण तिनका भी मूसल होकर दिखायी देता था; यह सब ब्राह्मणोंके शापका ही प्रभाव समझो
brahmadaṇḍakṛtaṃ sarvam iti tad viddhi pārthiva | pṛthvīnātha! eka-sādhāraṇa-tṛṇakam api mūsala-bhūtaṃ dṛśyate sma; etat sarvaṃ brāhmaṇa-śāpa-prabhāvam eva manyasva ||
Vaiśampāyana dijo: «Sábelo con certeza, oh rey: todo esto ha sido obrado por el Brahma-daṇḍa, la vara de castigo de los brahmanes. Oh señor de la tierra, incluso una simple brizna de hierba parecía una maza. Entiende que todo ello es la consecuencia irresistible de la maldición de los brahmanes».
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores moral causality: when dharma is violated and sacred authority is affronted, consequences manifest with unavoidable force. The ‘brahmadaṇḍa’ and the Brahmins’ curse symbolize ethical retribution that no worldly power can resist.
Vaiśampāyana explains to the king that the strange transformation—where even a simple blade of grass appears as a club—is not random but the direct effect of the Brahmins’ curse, setting the stage for the destructive events of the Mausala Parva.