Shloka 51
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
आकाशाददवरनिं प्राप्तस्ततः स पृथिवीपति: । एतदेव पुनश्नोक्त्वा विवेश धरणीतलम्
ākāśād adhaḥ varaṇiṁ prāptas tataḥ sa pṛthivīpatiḥ | etad eva punaś coktvā viveśa dharaṇītalam ||
Saat itu raja Vasu, penguasa bumi, jatuh dari langit dan mencapai tanah di bawah. Lalu, mengulangi putusan yang sama itu sekali lagi, ia tenggelam ke dalam bumi dan lenyap ke alam bawah.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s authority depends on dharmic judgment; an unjust decision causes loss of status, and stubbornly repeating the same wrong judgment leads to an even deeper fall.
Bhishma describes a king who first falls from the sky to the earth, and then—after repeating the same pronouncement—sinks further into the earth, illustrating escalating consequences for unethical rulings.