Shloka 20
Brahmā’s Curse, Four Births, and the Dharma of Shared Embodiment
Draupadī/Kṛṣṇā
चतुर्थजन्मन्यप्येवं द्वितीये जन्मनि प्रभो / समाप्स्यथान्यगात्वं चेत्येवं शप्ता ह भामिनि
caturthajanmanyapyevaṃ dvitīye janmani prabho / samāpsyathānyagātvaṃ cetyevaṃ śaptā ha bhāmini
“ਹੇ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ, ਚੌਥੇ ਜਨਮ ਵਿੱਚ ਵੀ ਅਤੇ ਦੂਜੇ ਜਨਮ ਵਿੱਚ ਵੀ—ਜੇ ਤੂੰ ‘ਅਨ੍ਯ-ਭਾਵ’ (ਬਦਲਿਆ ਰੂਪ) ਪੂਰਾ ਕਰੇਂ,”—ਇਉਂ ਕਹਿ ਕੇ ਉਸ ਭਾਮਿਨੀ ਨੇ ਸ਼ਾਪ ਦਿੱਤਾ।
Narrator (as quoted speech of a bhāminī, an angry/passionate woman, issuing a curse)
Concept: Rebirth can be structured across multiple lives by powerful intentions/utterances; transformation (‘anyagatva’) is framed as a karmic condition.
Vedantic Theme: Continuity of saṃskāra across births; conditionality of embodied states; agency and consequence intertwined under cosmic law.
Application: Be cautious with vows, threats, and emotionally charged commitments; cultivate clarity before making life-shaping decisions.
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Related Themes: Garuda Purana narrative passages where conditions across births are specified through śāpa/vara (curse/boon)
FAQs
The verse frames destiny across multiple births, implying that consequences—here expressed as a curse—can extend into later incarnations and culminate in a decisive transformation (anyagātva).
By referencing “second” and “fourth” births, it suggests continuity of karmic threads across incarnations, where a specific outcome may ripen later rather than immediately.
Treat speech and anger as karmically weighty: avoid harmful vows/words, practice restraint and reconciliation, and cultivate actions that do not bind future suffering across lifetimes.