Shloka 18
भरद्वाजपुत्रवधः
The Slaying of Bharadvāja’s Son and the Sage’s Lament
परासुश्न सुतो दृष्ट: शप्तश्नेष्ट: सखा मया । ईदृशीमापदं कोजत्र द्वितीयोडनुभविष्यति,मैंने अपने पुत्रकी मृत्यु देखी और प्रिय मित्रको शाप दे दिया। मेरे सिवा संसारमें दूसरा कौन-सा मनुष्य है जो ऐसी विपत्तिका अनुभव करेगा
parāsuśna-suto dṛṣṭaḥ śaptaśneṣṭaḥ sakhā mayā | īdṛśīm āpadaṃ ko 'tra dvitīyo 'nubhaviṣyati ||
Sinabi ni Bharadvāja: “Nakita ko ang pagkamatay ng sarili kong anak, at sa tindi ng aking dalamhati, isinumpa ko ang isang minamahal na kaibigan. Sino pa sa mundong ito, bukod sa akin, ang magtitiis ng ganitong kapahamakan?”
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.