Shloka 683
Trita in the Well (Udapāna-kathā) — Balarāma’s Tīrtha Observances
शापस्य लक्षणं चैव यक्ष्माणं च तथा55त्मन: । उनके इस प्रकार पूछनेपर चन्द्रमाने उन सबको उत्तर देते हुए अपनेको प्राप्त हुए शापके कारण राजयक्ष्माकी उत्पत्ति बतलायी
śāpasya lakṣaṇaṃ caiva yakṣmāṇaṃ ca tathātmanāḥ |
Ketika mereka bertanya demikian, Candra menjawab dengan menerangkan tanda-tanda kutuk itu dan penyakit yakṣmā (wasting disease) yang menimpanya; ia pun menjelaskan bahwa karena kutuk yang menimpa dirinya itulah timbul penyakit yang dikenal sebagai rājayakṣmā.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames suffering (here, disease) as arising from a definite cause—specifically the moral and karmic force of a curse—encouraging ethical responsibility and careful inquiry into origins rather than treating affliction as random.
After being questioned about the nature of the curse and the disease affecting him, Candra replies by narrating how the curse he incurred led to the emergence of rājayakṣmā, while Vaiśaṃpāyana serves as the overarching narrator.