Valmiki Ramayana 1.59.15: Bala Kanda, Sarga 59, Shloka 15
विश्वामित्रस्य शरणागति-प्रशंसा तथा वासिष्ठपुत्र-शापः
Visvamitra grants refuge; the curse upon Vasishta’s sons
एतद्वचननैष्ठुर्यमूचु स्संरक्तलोचनाः ।
वासिष्ठा मुनिशार्दूल सर्वे ते समहोदयाः ॥१५॥
etad-vacana-naiṣṭhuryam ūcuḥ saṃrakta-locanāḥ |
vāsiṣṭhā muniśārdūla sarve te sa-mahodayāḥ ||15||
रिशियों में सबसे बड़े वशिष्ठ के बेटे बोले। महोदय भी उनके साथ था। उन्होंने ऐसी बात कही जैसे बहुत गुस्सा हो। उनकी आँखें लाल हो गयी थी गुस्से से।
Sandhi Notes
- etadvacananaiṣṭhuryam = etat-vacana-naiṣṭhuryam
- ūcuḥ saṃrakta- (visarga/sandhi in some recensions gives ūcu ssaṃ-)
- muniśārdūla = muni-śārdūla
- samahodayāḥ = saha-mahodayāḥ (avyayībhāva)
O Best among ascetics! all the sons of Vasishta along with Mahodaya with their eyes reddened in anger spoke these harsh words":
The teaching
Even ‘religious’ outrage becomes adharma when it turns into pāruṣya; anger collectivizes and blinds discernment.
Duties in tension
- Defending perceived ritual order
- Maintaining ahiṃsā and satya in speech; restraint befitting ascetics
- Ethical theme
- Speech ethics / anger management
For your practice
Supports practices of mauna, kṣamā, and mindful speech; warns against righteous anger.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Raudra (fury)
- Mood
- Inflamed, collective, abrasive
Themes
- Dharma
- Ethics of speech
- Anger
- Itihasa
Anger as a vṛtti that veils discernment (viveka); collective krodha intensifies avidyā-driven judgment.
Control of speech and mind as tapas (mauna/dama) is implied by contrast; harsh speech marks failure of inner restraint.
- Vasishtha's Sons and Vishwamitra
- Verbal aggression; insult in assembly (furious)
- Vasishtha's Sons and Mahodaya
- Allies/party alignment in dispute (solidary)
Mahābhārata: many ‘krodhāruṇa-locana’ battle descriptions (formulaic parallel)
Dharmaśāstra warnings on pāruṣya (verbal cruelty)
Bālakāṇḍa: escalation of Vasiṣṭha–Viśvāmitra conflict leading to curses/boons
Anuṣṭup
Narrative
Lower register opening, rising on rakta-locanāḥ to paint intensity
FAQs
Dharma demands vāg-saṃyama (discipline of speech); anger-driven harsh speech becomes adharma and escalates conflict.
The narrator summarizes the collective, anger-fueled denunciation by Vasiṣṭha’s sons, including Mahodaya.
The implied virtue is restraint and patience; the verse highlights its absence by describing anger’s physical and verbal signs.
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