Shloka 51
तस्यापचक्रे मेधावी तं शशाप स वीर्यवान् । भव भस्मेति चोक्त: स न भस्म समपद्यत,और उनका तिरस्कार करने लगा। तब तपोबल-सम्पन्न ऋषि धनुषाक्षने उसे शाप देते हुए कहा--'अरे, तू जलकर भस्म हो जा।” परंतु उनके कहनेपर भी वह भस्म नहीं हुआ
tasyāpacakre medhāvī taṁ śaśāpa sa vīryavān | bhava bhasmeti coktaḥ sa na bhasma samapadyata |
Seeing him act with contempt, the wise and powerful sage pronounced a curse: “Become ashes!” Yet, even after these words were spoken, the man did not turn to ashes. The episode underscores that mere utterance of a curse does not automatically prevail when other forces—such as prior boons, protections, or the complex workings of karma—stand in the way, and it highlights the ethical gravity of arrogance toward the spiritually accomplished.
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
Disrespect toward the spiritually accomplished is ethically perilous, yet the narrative also suggests that outcomes are governed by a larger moral-causal order: even a sage’s curse may be checked by prior merits, protections, or the intricate balance of karma.
Bharadvaja, described as wise and powerful, reacts to someone’s contemptuous behavior by cursing him to become ashes; surprisingly, the person does not turn to ashes, indicating some countervailing force or condition in the story.