Shloka 19
Vasiṣṭhāpavāha: Sarasvatī’s Diversion and Viśvāmitra’s Curse (वसिष्ठापवाहः)
यदा चापि न शवक्नोति राष्ट्र मोक्षयितुं नृप अथ वै प्राश्निकांस्तत्र पप्रच्छ जनमेजय
vaiśampāyana uvāca | yadā cāpi na śaknoti rāṣṭraṃ mokṣayituṃ nṛpa atha vai prāśnikāṃs tatra papraccha janamejaya, krodhena mahatāviṣṭo dharmātmā vai pratāpavān |
Vaiśampāyana dijo: “Oh rey Janamejaya, cuando Dhṛtarāṣṭra se vio incapaz de rescatar su reino de aquella calamidad, convocó a los prāśnikas—los que responden a las preguntas revelando asuntos del pasado, del presente y del porvenir—y les preguntó la causa. En ese marco, el relato recuerda a un asceta justo y poderoso, presa de una gran ira, cuya severa austeridad (tapas) trajo ruina sobre el reino—mostrando cómo la cólera, aun en quien se consagra al dharma, puede volverse fuerza de destrucción si no se la contiene.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical danger of uncontrolled anger: even a dharmic and powerful person, when seized by wrath, can cause disproportionate harm. It also shows a king’s duty to seek causes and counsel when governance faces calamity.
Vaiśampāyana tells Janamejaya that Dhṛtarāṣṭra, unable to save his realm from a crisis, called in prāśnikas (specialists consulted for answers about past, present, and future) and questioned them about the cause, while the surrounding narration recalls an ascetic’s anger and tapas as a source of the disaster.