Valmiki Ramayana 1.59.19: Bala Kanda, Sarga 59, Shloka 19
विश्वामित्रस्य शरणागति-प्रशंसा तथा वासिष्ठपुत्र-शापः
Visvamitra grants refuge; the curse upon Vasishta’s sons
श्वमांसनियताहारा मुष्टिका नाम निर्घृणाः ।
विकृताश्च विरूपाश्च लोकाननुचरन्त्विमान् ॥१९॥
śva-māṃsa-niyatāhārā muṣṭikā nāma nirghṛṇāḥ |
vikṛtāś ca virūpāś ca lokān anucarantu imān ||19||
यह लोग मुष्टिका नाम के लोग बनेंगे। इनका काम कुत्ते का मास खाना है। इनका चेहरा इतना बुरा होगा कि देखने वाला घबरा जाए। यह दुनिया में घूमते फिरेंगे, कोई ठिकाना नहीं होगा।
Reborn as the merciless race of mushtikas, feeding on the flesh of dogs, hideous and deformed, they shall wander in these worlds.
FAQs
The verse frames moral downfall as a loss of human dignity across rebirths; ethically, it also serves as a warning about the destructive chain from insult to wrath to dehumanizing punishment.
The curse continues, detailing the form and condition of the offenders’ future births.
Implicitly, compassion (dayā) and restraint are the virtues absent here—highlighting what dharma requires to prevent such outcomes.
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