Shloka 40
कल्माषपाद-शाप-कारणम्
Cause of Kalmāṣapāda’s Niyoga under a Curse
तस्मिंस्तथाविधे काले वर्तमाने सुदारुणे । नावश्याय: पपातोर्व्या तत: सस्यानि नारुहन्,ऐसे भयंकर समयमें पृथ्वीपर ओसकी एक बूँदतक न गिरी। परिणाम यह हुआ कि खेती उगती ही नहीं थी
tasmiṁs tathāvidhe kāle vartamāne sudāruṇe | nāvaśyāyaḥ papātorvyā tataḥ sasyāni nāruhan |
วสิษฐะกล่าวว่า—เมื่อกาลอันน่าสะพรึงและกดทับเช่นนั้นมาถึง แม้หยาดน้ำค้างเพียงหยดเดียวก็มิได้ตกต้องแผ่นดิน; ด้วยเหตุนั้นพืชผลจึงไม่งอกขึ้นเลย
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how severe disorder in an age can manifest as ecological collapse: when the sustaining rhythms of nature fail (even dew does not fall), society suffers famine. In Mahābhārata’s ethical frame, such breakdown often signals the consequences of adharma and the need to restore righteous order.
Vasiṣṭha describes a terrifying period of drought: the earth receives no dew at all, and therefore crops fail to sprout. The statement functions as a vivid marker of calamity and scarcity within the surrounding account.