Shloka 39
Puruṣaikatva-vyākhyāna: The One Virāṭ Puruṣa and the Many ‘Puruṣas’
Rudra–Brahmā Saṃvāda
एवं तेनापि कौन्तेय वाग्दोषाद् देवताज्ञया । प्राप्ता गतिरथस्तात् तु द्विजशापान्महात्मना
evaṁ tenāpi kaunteya vāgdoṣād devatājñayā | prāptā gatir athas tāta tu dvijaśāpān mahātmanā ||
Wahai putra Kunti, demikian pula raja agung itu—atas titah para dewa—karena cela dalam ucapan, terkena kutuk para dwija (brahmana) dan jatuh ke keadaan yang lebih rendah.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that careless or wrongful speech (vāgdoṣa), especially toward venerable persons like brāhmaṇas, can bring severe karmic consequences; words are ethically potent and can determine one’s gati (destiny).
Bhīṣma cites an illustrative precedent: even a great king, acting under a divine ordinance, committed a verbal offence and consequently suffered a brāhmaṇa’s curse leading to a degraded fate—used to warn the listener (Kaunteya) about restraint and respect in speech.