Mahabharata 3.138.18 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 138, Shloka 18
भरद्वाजपुत्रवधः
The Slaying of Bharadvāja’s Son and the Sage’s Lament
परासुश्न सुतो दृष्ट: शप्तश्नेष्ट: सखा मया । ईदृशीमापदं कोजत्र द्वितीयोडनुभविष्यति
parāsuśna-suto dṛṣṭaḥ śaptaśneṣṭaḥ sakhā mayā | īdṛśīm āpadaṃ ko 'tra dvitīyo 'nubhaviṣyati ||
భరద్వాజుడు అన్నాడు— నేను నా కుమారుని మరణాన్ని చూశాను; దుఃఖావేశంలో ప్రియ మిత్రునికి శాపం ఇచ్చాను. నన్ను తప్ప ఈ లోకంలో ఇలాంటి విపత్తును మరెవరు అనుభవిస్తారు?
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how grief can drive even a sage to harmful speech (a curse), and it implicitly warns about the ethical weight and irreversible consequences of words spoken in anguish.
Bharadvāja speaks of his personal tragedy: he has witnessed his son’s death and, overwhelmed, has cursed a dear friend; he then laments that no one else could face such compounded misfortune.
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