Shloka 32
दैव–पुरुषकार-प्रश्नः
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Inquiry: Fate and Human Effort
अश्वमेधादिभिर्यज्ञै: सत्कृत: कोसलाधिप: । महर्षिशापात् सौदास: पुरुषादत्वमागत:
aśvamedhādibhir yajñaiḥ satkṛtaḥ kosalādhipaḥ | maharṣiśāpāt saudāsaḥ puruṣādatvam āgataḥ ||
ビーシュマは言った。「（ここに反対の例を挙げよう。）アシュヴァメーダ（Aśvamedha）などの祭祀によって称えられていたにもかかわらず、コーサラの王サウダーサは大聖仙の呪いにより、人喰いの羅刹という境涯に堕ちた。外面的な祭祀の功徳や世の称賛は、聖者を犯した重い報いから人を守らぬのだ。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual merit and royal prestige (even from great sacrifices like the Aśvamedha) cannot override the moral and karmic consequences of grave wrongdoing—especially offenses against great sages. Dharma requires inner restraint, humility, and reverence toward the righteous, not merely external piety.
Bhishma cites Saudāsa, the king of Kosala, as an illustrative example: despite being honored through major sacrifices, he became a man-eating being due to a maharshi’s curse (understood in tradition as Vasiṣṭha’s). The example is offered as a contrasting case (viparīta dṛṣṭānta) to emphasize the power of ethical transgression and the weight of a sage’s curse.