Shloka 18
Adhyāya 174: Karma as an inescapable companion (कर्मानुगमन-उपदेश)
निरयं प्राप्स्यति महत् कृतघ्नोडयमिति प्रभो । तब देवताओंने गौतमको महान् शाप देते हुए कहा--“यह पापी कृतघ्न है और दूसरा पति स्वीकार करनेवाली शूद्रजातीय स्त्रीके पेटसे बहुत दिनोंसे संतान पैदा करता आ रहा है। इस पापके कारण यह घोर नरकमें पड़ेगा” ।।
nirayaṁ prāpsyati mahat kṛtaghno ’yam iti prabho | tataḥ devatābhir gautamako mahān śāpaṁ dadbhiḥ proktaḥ— “eṣa pāpī kṛtaghnaḥ, dvitīya-pati-pratigrahāyāḥ śūdra-jātīyāḥ striyāḥ kukṣau bahu-dinaiḥ santānaṁ janayann āste | asya pāpasya kāraṇād eṣa ghora-narake patiṣyati” || etat prāha purā sarvaṁ nārado mama bhārata ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “O panginoon, ‘ang taong walang utang-na-loob na ito ay mahuhulog sa isang malaking impiyerno.’ Kaya ang mga diyos, sa pagbigkas ng isang makapangyarihang sumpa laban kay Gautamaka, ay nagpahayag: ‘Ang makasalanang ito ay walang pasasalamat; sa mahabang panahon ay nagkakaanak siya sa sinapupunan ng isang babaeng Śūdra na tumanggap ng ikalawang asawa. Dahil sa kasalanang ito, siya’y itatapon sa isang kakila-kilabot na impiyerno.’ Ang lahat ng ito, O Bharata, ay minsang isinalaysay sa akin ni Nārada nang buung-buo.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores that kṛtaghnatā (ingratitude) is a grave ethical fault with severe karmic consequences. It frames moral accountability as extending beyond social standing, emphasizing that betrayal of received good and persistent wrongdoing lead to painful retribution.
Bhishma recounts to Yudhishthira an earlier story he heard from Narada: the gods pronounce a powerful curse on Gautamaka, condemning him as sinful and ungrateful and declaring that, due to his misconduct, he will fall into a dreadful hell.