Shloka 5
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 181 — Svayaṃvara Aftermath: Arjuna–Karna Exchange and Bhīma–Śalya Contest
कथितं ते मया सर्व यथा शप्तः स पार्थिव: । शक्तिना भरतश्रेष्ठ वासिछ्लेन महात्मना,भरतश्रेष्ठ! वसिष्ठपुत्र महात्मा शक्तिसे राजा कल्माषपादको जिस प्रकार शाप प्राप्त हुआ, वह सब प्रसंग मैं आपसे कह चुका हूँ
kathitaṃ te mayā sarvaṃ yathā śaptaḥ sa pārthivaḥ | śaktyā bharataśreṣṭha vasiṣṭhena mahātmanā ||
The Gandharva said: “I have already told you everything—how that king came to be cursed by the great-souled Vasiṣṭha, O best of the Bharatas, through his son Śakti.”
गन्धर्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
Actions that violate dharma can draw grave consequences, and even a king is not beyond moral accountability; the narrative underscores the potency of a ṛṣi’s words and the ethical weight of conduct toward sages.
The Gandharva concludes or summarizes that he has already recounted the entire episode of how the king (Kalmaṣapāda, by context) was cursed by the sage Vasiṣṭha, specifically through Vasiṣṭha’s son Śakti.