Shloka 37
नियोगप्रसङ्गः — The Niyoga Episode: Births of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Pāṇḍu, and Vidura
लेभिरे न च तस्मात् ते प्रसादमृषिसत्तमात् । आपपवात् पुरुषव्याप्र सर्वधर्मविशारदात्,उन्हें शाप देकर उन महाभाग महर्षिने फिर तपस्यामें ही मन लगाया। राजन! तपस्याके धनी ब्रह्मर्षि वसिष्ठका प्रभाव बहुत बड़ा है। इसीलिये उन्होंने क्रोधमें भरकर देवता होनेपर भी उन आठों वसुओंको शाप दे दिया। तदनन्तर हमें शाप मिला है, यह जानकर वे वसु पुनः महामना वसिष्ठके आश्रमपर आये और उन महर्षिको प्रसन्न करनेकी चेष्टा करने लगे। नृपश्रेष्ठी महर्षि आपव समस्त धर्मोके ज्ञानमें निपुण थे। महाराज! उनको प्रसन्न करनेकी पूरी चेष्टा करने-पर भी वे वसु उन मुनिश्रेष्ठसे उनका कृपाप्रसाद न पा सके
vaishampāyana uvāca |
lebhire na ca tasmāt te prasādam ṛṣisattamāt |
āpāpavāt puruṣavyāghra sarvadharmaviśāradāt ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Those Vasus did not obtain favor from that foremost of sages; O tiger among men, they could not win grace from Āpāpava, the knower skilled in all dharmas. (Implied context: Though they tried to appease the great ascetic after being cursed, the sage’s displeasure did not readily subside, underscoring the moral weight of a brahmarṣi’s tapas and the seriousness of transgression.)
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even exalted beings are bound by dharma: wrongdoing brings consequences, and a sage’s displeasure is not easily removed. The verse highlights the ethical gravity of tapas and the principle that grace (prasāda) must be earned through genuine rectification, not merely sought after the fact.
After incurring a curse, the Vasus attempt to approach and appease the great sage (named here as Āpāpava, described as expert in all dharmas). Despite their efforts, they fail to obtain his favorable grace.