Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 51
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
आकाशाददवरनिं प्राप्तस्ततः स पृथिवीपति: । एतदेव पुनश्नोक्त्वा विवेश धरणीतलम्
ākāśād adhaḥ varaṇiṁ prāptas tataḥ sa pṛthivīpatiḥ | etad eva punaś coktvā viveśa dharaṇītalam ||
ಆಗ ಆ ಭೂಪತಿ ರಾಜ ವಸು ಆಕಾಶದಿಂದ ಕೆಳಗೆ ಬಿದ್ದು ಭೂಮಿಯನ್ನು ತಲುಪಿದನು. ನಂತರ ಅದೇ ಅನ್ಯಾಯ ತೀರ್ಪನ್ನು ಮತ್ತೆ ಹೇಳಿ, ಭೂಮಿಯೊಳಗೆ ಮುಳುಗಿ ಪಾತಾಳದಲ್ಲಿ ಲೀನನಾದನು.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s authority depends on dharmic judgment; an unjust decision causes loss of status, and stubbornly repeating the same wrong judgment leads to an even deeper fall.
Bhishma describes a king who first falls from the sky to the earth, and then—after repeating the same pronouncement—sinks further into the earth, illustrating escalating consequences for unethical rulings.