Shloka 46
Kubera’s Arrival and the Disclosure of Agastya’s Curse
Vaiśaṃpāyana–Janamejaya Narrative
यं चासि प्रस्थितो देशं मन: पूर्व गतं च ते । न तं गन्तासि गन्तासि मार्ग बकहिडिम्बयो:,“जिस देशकी ओर तू प्रस्थित हुआ है और जहाँ तेरा मन पहलेसे ही जा पहुँचा है, वहाँ अब तू न जा सकेगा। तुझे तो बक और हिडिम्बके मार्गपर जाना है,
yaṃ cāsi prasthito deśaṃ manaḥ pūrva-gataṃ ca te | na taṃ gantāsi gantāsi mārgaṃ baka-hiḍimbayoḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “The land toward which you have set out—and where your mind has already gone ahead—there you will not be able to reach. Instead, you are destined to go by the path that leads to Baka and Hiḍimba.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the limits of personal intention: even when one’s resolve and mental focus are fixed on a goal, circumstances (often framed as destiny in epic narrative) can redirect one’s course. Ethically, it prepares the listener for an unavoidable encounter that will test conduct and courage on the journey.
Vaiśampāyana delivers a warning/prophecy: the traveler will not reach the intended destination. Instead, the route will lead toward the sphere associated with Baka and Hiḍimba—figures linked with dangerous rākṣasa episodes—signaling an impending shift in the journey toward peril and confrontation.