Shloka 40
Brāhmaṇa-māhātmya: Tārkṣya’s instruction on tapas, satya, and svadharma
Chapter 182
युधिष्ठिरो धर्मराज: शापात् त्वां मोक्षयिष्यति । अभिमानस्य घोरस्य पापस्य च नराधिप,“राजन! धर्मराज युधिष्ठिर तुम्हें इस शापसे मुक्त करेंगे। महाराज! जब तुम्हारे इस अभिमान और घोर पापका फल क्षीण हो जायगा, तब तुम्हें फिर तुम्हारे पुण्योंका फल प्राप्त होगा! उस समय मुझे उनकी तपस्याका महान् बल देखकर बड़ा आश्चर्य हुआ
sarpa uvāca | yudhiṣṭhiro dharmarājaḥ śāpāt tvāṁ mokṣayiṣyati | abhimānasya ghorasya pāpasya ca narādhipa |
The serpent said: “Yudhiṣṭhira, the king of righteousness, will release you from this curse. O lord of men, when the consequence of your dreadful pride and sin has been exhausted, you will again obtain the fruits of your merits.”
सर्प उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a powerful person must undergo the ripening of pride-born wrongdoing; when the sinful consequence is exhausted, merit can again bear fruit. Dharma, embodied by Yudhiṣṭhira, becomes the means of release from bondage such as a curse.
A serpent addresses a king under a curse, predicting that Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmarāja) will later free him. The serpent explains the moral logic: the king’s harsh pride and sin must first be worked off, after which his accumulated merits will again yield their results.