Shloka 15
Vasiṣṭhāpavāha: Sarasvatī’s Diversion and Viśvāmitra’s Curse (वसिष्ठापवाहः)
ततः प्रक्षीयमाणं तद् राज्यं तस्य महीपते: । छिद्यमानं यथानन्तं वनं परशुना विभो
tataḥ prakṣīyamāṇaṁ tad rājyaṁ tasya mahīpateḥ | chidyamānaṁ yathānantam vanaṁ paraśunā vibho, krodhena mahatāviṣṭo dharmātmā vai pratāpavān |
Vaiśaṃpāyana dijo: Entonces el reino de aquel monarca comenzó a consumirse—talado, como si un bosque interminable fuese abatido a hachazos. Abrumado por una gran ira, aquel asceta justo y poderoso llevó la ruina sobre el reino, mostrando que la cólera sin freno, aun nacida en un hombre dhármico, puede convertirse en una fuerza que devora a toda una comunidad política.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that anger (krodha), when it overwhelms even a dharmic and powerful person, can become socially catastrophic—capable of destroying a kingdom. Ethical self-restraint is presented as essential for the protection of polity and dharma.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes a realm declining rapidly, likened to an endless forest being chopped down with an axe. The cause is a righteous yet wrath-possessed powerful figure whose anger drives destructive consequences for the king’s domain.