Shloka 49
Kubera’s Arrival and the Disclosure of Agastya’s Curse
Vaiśaṃpāyana–Janamejaya Narrative
श्रुता मे राक्षसा ये ये त्वया विनिहता रणे | तेषामद्य करिष्यामि तवास्रेणोदकक्रियाम्,'तूने जिन-जिन राक्षसोंको युद्धमें मारा है, उन सबके नाम मैंने सुने हैं। आज तेरे रक्तसे ही मैं उनका तर्पण करूँगा,
śrutā me rākṣasā ye ye tvayā vinihatā raṇe | teṣām adya kariṣyāmi tavāsreṇodakakriyām ||
“Aku telah mendengar nama semua rākṣasa yang telah engkau bunuh di medan perang. Hari ini, dengan darahmu sendiri, akan aku lakukan upacara persembahan air (tarpana) bagi mereka.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how grief and hostility can distort ritual duty: a rite meant to honor the dead (udakakriyā/tarpaṇa) is weaponized through the threat of using an enemy’s blood, underscoring the ethical tension between sacred practice and vengeful intent.
A speaker (reported by Vaiśampāyana) confronts a warrior who has killed many rākṣasas in battle and declares that, having heard of those slain, he will now ‘offer them water’ using the warrior’s blood—an explicit threat of retaliation framed in ritual language.