Shloka 45
Kubera’s Arrival and the Disclosure of Agastya’s Curse
Vaiśaṃpāyana–Janamejaya Narrative
बडिशो< यं त्वया ग्रस्त: कालसूत्रेण लम्बित: । मत्स्यो5म्भसीव स्यूतास्य: कथमद्य भविष्यसि,“कालरूपी डोरेसे लटकाया हुआ बंसीका काँटा तूने निगल लिया है। तेरा मुँह जलकी मछलीके समान उस काँटेमें गुथ गया है, अतः अब तू कैसे जीवन धारण करेगा?
baḍiśo 'yaṃ tvayā grastaḥ kālasūtreṇa lambitaḥ | matsyo 'mbhasīva syūtāsyaḥ katham adya bhaviṣyasi ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Engkau telah menelan mata kail ini, yang tergantung pada tali Waktu. Seperti ikan di air yang mulutnya tersangkut dan terjahit rapat pada mata kail, bagaimana engkau akan bertahan hidup pada hari ini?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the image of a fishhook on the line of Time to stress inevitability and consequence: once one has ‘swallowed’ a fatal error or fallen into the grip of destiny/karma, escape becomes nearly impossible. Ethically, it warns against heedlessness and actions that bind one to suffering.
Vaiśampāyana describes someone as already caught—like a fish whose mouth is trapped on a hook—by the ‘cord of Time.’ The statement functions as a grim assessment: the person’s situation is so bound by fate and consequence that survival seems unlikely.