Shloka 23
Adhyāya 2: Nārada’s Disclosure—Karṇa’s Training and the Brahmin’s Curse (Śānti-parva)
तं स विप्रो<ब्रवीत् क्रुद्धो वाचा निर्भ्त्सयन्निव । दुराचार वधारस्त्वं फल प्राप्रुहि दुर्मते
taṃ sa vipro 'bravīt kruddho vācā nirbhartsayann iva | durācāra vadhārhas tvaṃ phalaṃ prāpnuhi durmate ||
उसकी बात सुनकर ब्राह्मण क्रोध से भर उठा और कठोर वाणी से डाँटता हुआ बोला—“दुराचारी! तू वध के योग्य है। दुर्मते! अपने पाप का फल भोग।”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Immoral conduct and malicious intent inevitably produce consequences (phala). The verse underscores a dharmic ethic: wrongdoing—especially driven by envy—invites retribution, whether social (condemnation) or karmic (the ‘fruit’ of sin).
Narada reports a scene in which a Brahmin, angered by someone’s misconduct, publicly rebukes him and pronounces that he will receive the result of his sinful actions—language that functions like a curse or moral sentence.