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 |
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: They asked about the marks of the curse and about the wasting disease (yakṣmā) as it affected him. In response, Candra explained to them how, due to the curse that had befallen him, the ailment known as rājayakṣmā came into being—showing how moral transgression and its consequences can manifest as suffering, and how inquiry into causes becomes a step toward understanding and remedy.
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.