Shloka 24
धृष्टद्युम्नेन समागतक्षत्रियगणगणना
Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s Enumeration of Assembled Kṣatriyas
राजा कल्माषपादो<थयं वीर्यवान् प्रथितो भुवि | स एषो<5स्मिन् वनोद्देशे निवसत्यतिभीषण:,ये भूमण्डलमें विख्यात पराक्रमी राजा कल्माषपाद हैं। ये ही इस वनमें अत्यन्त भीषण रूप धारण करके रहते हैं
rājā kalmāṣapādo 'thāyaṃ vīryavān prathito bhuvi | sa eṣo 'smin vanoddeśe nivasaty atibhīṣaṇaḥ ||
วสิษฐะกล่าวว่า “ผู้นี้คือพระราชากัลมาษปาท ผู้กล้าหาญและเลื่องลือไปทั่วพิภพ ทรงพำนักอยู่ในป่าบริเวณนี้เอง โดยแปลงกายเป็นรูปอันน่าสะพรึงกลัวยิ่ง”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how worldly fame and royal valor can be overshadowed by a terrifying transformation, pointing to the ethical idea that power is fragile and that one’s condition can change drastically due to forces such as curses, wrongdoing, or fate—hence the need for restraint and dharmic conduct.
Vasiṣṭha identifies a fearsome figure living in a forest region as none other than the famous king Kalmāṣapāda, emphasizing both his former renown and his present dreadful state.