Shloka 10
कौशिकस्य क्रोधविनिवृत्तिः — Kauśika’s Anger Checked by Householder Dharma
एवमुक्क्त्वा तं॑ शपन्तं राजा55ह । विप्र कि यो न ददाति तुभ्यमुताहोस्विद् ब्राह्मण्यमेतत्,'ऐसा कहकर ब्राह्मण देवता शाप देनेको उद्यत हो गये। तब राजाने उनसे कहा --विप्रवर! क्या जो आपको अपना धन न दे, उसको शाप देना ही उचित है? अथवा यही ब्राह्मणोचित कर्म है?”
evam uktvā taṁ śapantaṁ rājāha | vipravara! kiṁ yo na dadāti tubhyam, utāho svid brāhmaṇyam etat? |
Vaiśampāyana said: Having spoken thus, when the brāhmaṇa was poised to pronounce a curse, the king addressed him: “O best of brāhmaṇas, is it right to curse someone merely because he does not give you his wealth? Or is this truly conduct befitting a brāhmaṇa?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse probes dharma by questioning whether the power to curse should be used for personal gain. It contrasts brāhmaṇa ideals—restraint, righteousness, and impartiality—with anger-driven retaliation, implying that spiritual authority must be governed by ethical self-control.
A brāhmaṇa, angered and ready to curse, is confronted by the king, who challenges the legitimacy of cursing someone simply for not giving wealth and asks whether such behavior is truly worthy of a brāhmaṇa.