Ramayana — Bala Kanda, Sarga 59, Shloka 17
विश्वामित्रस्य शरणागति-प्रशंसा तथा वासिष्ठपुत्र-शापः
Visvamitra grants refuge; the curse upon Vasishta’s sons
ये दूषयन्त्यदुष्टं मां तप उग्रं समास्थितम्।भस्मीभूता दुरात्मानो भविष्यन्ति न संशय:।।1.59.17।।
ye dūṣayanty aduṣṭaṃ māṃ tapa ugraṃ samāsthitam | bhasmībhūtā durātmāno bhaviṣyanti na saṃśayaḥ || 1.59.17 ||
Ta không hề có lỗi, đang an trụ trong khổ hạnh nghiêm khắc; những kẻ tâm ác phỉ báng ta ắt sẽ hóa thành tro bụi—điều ấy không còn nghi ngờ.
Caught by the noose of death this day, they shall be brought to the abode of Yama and for seven hundred births, feed on corpses.
FAQs
The verse dramatizes how truth-claims (satya about one’s blamelessness) can be paired with wrathful retaliation; dharma ideally requires that tapas be governed by compassion and restraint.
Viśvāmitra responds to the insults by declaring his purity and announcing destructive consequences for the revilers.
Ascetic potency (tapas) is foregrounded, but the episode also underscores the crucial virtue of self-mastery in wielding spiritual power.