Shloka 38
उवाच च स धर्मात्मा शप्ता यूयं धरादय: । अनुसंवत्सरात् सर्वे शापमोक्षमवाप्स्थथ,उस समय धर्मात्मा वसिष्ठने उनसे कहा--“मैंने धर आदि तुम सभी वसुओंको शाप दे दिया है; परंतु तुमलोग तो प्रति वर्ष एक-एक करके सब-के-सब शापसे मुक्त हो जाओगे
uvāca ca sa dharmātmā śaptā yūyaṃ dharādayaḥ | anusaṃvatsarāt sarve śāpamokṣam avāpsyatha ||
Then that righteous sage said: “O Vasus beginning with Dhara, you have indeed been cursed. Yet, year by year, each of you will attain release from this curse, until all are freed.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when a punishment (śāpa) is deserved, dharma can include a measured, compassionate limit: consequences are real, yet a path to release is also provided. The verse highlights proportional justice and eventual restoration.
Vasiṣṭha addresses the Vasus (named here as ‘Dhara and the others’), confirming that they are cursed, but assuring them that they will be freed from the curse in successive years—one by one—until all attain release.