Shloka 8

Adhyāya 174: Karma as an inescapable companion (कर्मानुगमन-उपदेश)

Devanagari script

यदा बकपती राजन ब्रह्माणं नोपसर्पति । ततो रोषादिदं प्राह खगेन्द्राय पितामह:,राजन! एक समय जब बकराज ब्रह्माजीकी सभामें नहीं पहुँच सके, तब पितामहने बड़े रोषमें भरकर इन पक्षिराजको शाप देते हुए कहा--

Transliteration

yadā bakapati rājan brahmāṇaṁ nopasarpati | tato roṣād idaṁ prāha khagendrāya pitāmahaḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma dit : «Ô roi, il advint un jour que Bakapati ne se rendit pas à l’assemblée de Brahmā. Alors, saisi de colère, l’Aïeul (Brahmā) adressa ces paroles au seigneur des oiseaux, en proférant une malédiction — »

Word by Word

यदाwhen

बकपतीthe lord of cranes (Bakapati; a bird-king)

राजन्O king

ब्रह्माणम्Brahmā

नnot

उपसर्पतिapproaches, comes near

ततःthen, thereafter

रोषात्from anger, out of wrath

इदम्this (speech/word)

प्राहsaid, spoke

खगेन्द्रायto the lord of birds

पितामहःthe grandsire (Brahmā)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Rājan (the king, i.e., Yudhiṣṭhira as addressee)

Bakapati

Brahmā (Pitāmaha)

Khagendra (lord of birds)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a dharmic norm: due respect and timely attendance toward higher authority (especially elders and cosmic governors) matters. Neglect of such duty can trigger anger and lead to punitive outcomes, illustrating the ethical weight of discipline, humility, and accountability.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma narrates an incident to the king: Bakapati failed to come to Brahmā’s assembly. Brahmā, angered by this lapse, addressed the lord of birds and pronounced a curse—setting up the consequences that follow in the subsequent verses.