Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 33
आशीविषदिषं तीक्ष्णं ततस्तीक्ष्णतरो द्विज: । ब्रह्माशीविषदग्धस्य नास्ति कश्चिच्चिकित्सक:
āśīviṣa-viṣaṃ tīkṣṇaṃ tatas tīkṣṇataro dvijaḥ | brahmāśīviṣa-dagdhasya nāsti kaś cic cikitsakaḥ ||
Wika ni Vāyu: “Tunay na matalim at nakamamatay ang lason ng makamandag na ahas; ngunit ang isang brahmana, kapag nag-alab sa poot at pinatibay ng kapangyarihang espirituwal, ay higit pang matalim. Ang sinumang ‘nasunog’ ng kapangyarihang tila-ahas ng brahmana—tinamaan ng sumpa o sugat na espirituwal—ay walang manggagamot sa daigdig na makapagbibigay-lunas.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that spiritual authority and speech, especially when wielded by a brahmin endowed with tapas and learning, can cause harm more irreversible than physical poison. It urges restraint, humility, and careful conduct toward those whose words carry moral and spiritual force, emphasizing that some injuries—like those from a curse or grievous offense—may not admit an easy ‘cure.’
Vāyudeva is speaking and uses a striking comparison: snake-venom is deadly, but the ‘serpent-like’ power of a brahmin is deadlier still. The statement functions as a moral admonition within the Anuśāsana Parva’s didactic discourse, highlighting the gravity of offending or provoking a spiritually potent person and the far-reaching consequences of words and curses.