Shloka 52
कर्णनिधनवृत्तान्तनिवेदनम् | Reporting Karṇa’s Fall to Yudhiṣṭhira
उनके इस प्रकार पूछनेपर कौशिक मुनिने उन्हें सच्ची बात बता दी--“इस वनमें जहाँ बहुत-से वृक्ष, लताएँ और झाड़ियाँ हैं, वहीं वे गये हैं।! इस प्रकार कौशिकने उन दस्युओंको यथार्थ बात बता दी ।।
tatas te tān samāsādya krūrā jaghnur iti śrutiḥ | tena adharmeṇa mahatā vāgduruktena kauśikaḥ ||
Kemudian para dāsyu itu menyusul mereka dan membunuh mereka dengan kejam—demikianlah tradisi menuturkan. Oleh adharma yang besar itu, yang terjadi karena ucapan yang disalahgunakan, Kauśika pun tersangkut dalam dosa berat.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that speech is ethically potent: even when one states a fact, if one’s words become an instrument for harm (and are uttered without discernment or with harshness), one can incur adharma. Truthfulness is not isolated from compassion and responsibility for consequences.
After Kauśika indicates where the pursued people have gone, the cruel men catch up with them and kill them. The tradition then notes that Kauśika, through this great unrighteous outcome connected with wrongful/ill-used speech, becomes morally tainted by the event.