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 dit : Alors le royaume de ce roi se mit à dépérir—taillé en pièces, comme une forêt sans fin qu’on abat à la hache. Accablé d’une grande colère, cet ascète juste et puissant fit tomber la ruine sur le pays, montrant qu’une fureur sans maîtrise, même née chez un homme de dharma, peut devenir une force qui dévore tout un corps politique.
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.