Shloka 32
दैव–पुरुषकार-प्रश्नः
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Inquiry: Fate and Human Effort
अश्वमेधादिभिर्यज्ञै: सत्कृत: कोसलाधिप: । महर्षिशापात् सौदास: पुरुषादत्वमागत:
aśvamedhādibhir yajñaiḥ satkṛtaḥ kosalādhipaḥ | maharṣiśāpāt saudāsaḥ puruṣādatvam āgataḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：“（现在举一反例。）即便以马祭（Aśvamedha）等大祭而受人尊崇，拘萨罗之主苏达萨仍因大圣仙的诅咒而堕为食人罗刹。由此可知，外在的祭祀功德与世间荣誉，并不能护佑冒犯圣者者免于重报。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual merit and royal prestige (even from great sacrifices like the Aśvamedha) cannot override the moral and karmic consequences of grave wrongdoing—especially offenses against great sages. Dharma requires inner restraint, humility, and reverence toward the righteous, not merely external piety.
Bhishma cites Saudāsa, the king of Kosala, as an illustrative example: despite being honored through major sacrifices, he became a man-eating being due to a maharshi’s curse (understood in tradition as Vasiṣṭha’s). The example is offered as a contrasting case (viparīta dṛṣṭānta) to emphasize the power of ethical transgression and the weight of a sage’s curse.