Shloka 18
Vasiṣṭhāpavāha: Sarasvatī’s Diversion and Viśvāmitra’s Curse (वसिष्ठापवाहः)
न च श्रेयो5 ध्यगच्छत्तु क्षीयते राष्ट्रमेव च । यदा स पार्थिव: खिन्नस्ते च विप्रास्तदानघ
na ca śreyo 'dhyagacchat tu kṣīyate rāṣṭram eva ca | yadā sa pārthivaḥ khinnas te ca viprās tadānagha, krodhena mahatā 'viṣṭo dharmātmā vai pratāpavān ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : « Et pourtant, nul bien véritable ne fut obtenu ; le royaume lui-même dépérissait de jour en jour. Quand ce roi fut accablé—et ces brahmanes aussi, ô irréprochable—l’homme juste et puissant, saisi d’une grande colère, agit d’une manière qui jeta la ruine sur le pays. »
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when one seeks ‘śreyas’ (true welfare), outcomes can fail if governance and conduct do not align with dharma; unchecked anger (krodha) can overpower even a dharmic person and become a cause of collective harm, including the wasting of a kingdom.
Vaiśampāyana reports that no beneficial result was achieved and the realm kept deteriorating; the king and accompanying brahmins became dejected, and a powerful, righteous figure—overcome by intense anger—takes (or is about to take) actions that contribute to the kingdom’s ruin.