Shloka 34
नियोगप्रसङ्गः — The Niyoga Episode: Births of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Pāṇḍu, and Vidura
शप्त्वा च तान् महाभागस्तपस्येव मनो दधे । एवं स शप्तवान् राजन् वसूनष्टी तपोधन:
śaptvā ca tān mahābhāgas tapasy eva mano dadhe | evaṃ sa śaptavān rājan vasūn aṣṭau tapodhanaḥ ||
Setelah mengutuk mereka, resi agung itu menumpukan kembali fikirannya semata-mata kepada tapa (austeriti). Maka, wahai raja, himpunan kekuatan tapa itu telah mengutuk lapan Vasu. (Kisah ini menegaskan bahawa bahkan makhluk ilahi pun tidak terlepas daripada akibat moral apabila melanggar, dan kuasa rohani yang ditempa oleh disiplin—apabila bersatu dengan amarah—boleh menjadi alat pembalasan.)
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral accountability: status—even divine—does not exempt one from consequences. It also shows the potency of tapas (ascetic discipline), which can uphold dharma but, when mixed with anger, can manifest as a severe punitive force.
Vaiśaṃpāyana states that the great ascetic, after pronouncing a curse, returns his mind to austerity. He has cursed the eight Vasus, setting in motion the subsequent events in which the Vasus must face the results of their transgression and seek relief.