Mahabharata · 1.166.7–8
॥
Devanāgarī
अमुञ्चन्तं तु पन्थानं तम् ऋषिं नृपसत्तमः ॥
जघान कशया मोहात् तदा राक्षसवन् मुनिम् ॥
कशाप्रहाराभिहतस् ततः स मुनिसत्तमः ॥
तं शशाप नृपश्रेष्ठं वासिष्ठः क्रोधमूर्च्छितः ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
amuñcantaṃ tu panthānaṃ tam ṛṣiṃ nṛpasattamaḥ ||
jaghāna kaśayā mohāt tadā rākṣasavan munim ||
kaśāprahārābhihatas tataḥ sa munisattamaḥ ||
taṃ śaśāpa nṛpaśreṣṭhaṃ vāsiṣṭhaḥ krodhamūrcchitaḥ ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अमुञ्चन्तं तु पन्थानं तम् ऋषिं नृपसत्तमःamuñcantaṃ tu panthānaṃ tam ṛṣiṃ nṛpasattamaḥthat rishi, who would not yield the path, the best of kings
जघान कशया मोहात् तदा राक्षसवत् मुनिम्jaghāna kaśayā mohāt tadā rākṣasavat munimstruck with a whip in his blindness, then, like a rakshasa, the muni;
कशाप्रहाराभिहतः ततः सः मुनिसत्तमःkaśāprahārābhihataḥ tataḥ saḥ munisattamaḥstruck by the whip, then that best of munis,
तं शशाप नृपश्रेष्ठं वासिष्ठः क्रोधमूर्च्छितःtaṃ śaśāpa nṛpaśreṣṭhaṃ vāsiṣṭhaḥ krodhamūrcchitaḥcursed that best of kings, the son of Vasishtha, overcome with anger:
राक्षसवन्rākṣasavanoriginal form "rākṣasavan", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कशाप्रहाराभिहतस्kaśāprahārābhihatasoriginal form "kaśāprahārābhihatas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सsaoriginal form "sa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
"That rishi, who would not yield the path, the best of kings, in his blindness struck with a whip, like a rakshasa, the muni; and struck by the whip, that best of munis, the son of Vasishtha, overcome with anger, cursed that best of kings."
Version
ec568f0f8480 · published Jul 12, 2026, 5:29:43 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here pride drives the king to a sacrilegious blow against a saint. The words "like a rakshasa" are significant: raising a whip against an ascetic, the king himself became like a demon — anger brought the crowned one down to brutality. It is also significant that the holy Shakti, once struck, curses him "overcome with anger": even an ascetic is not wholly free of anger when his honor and dignity are outraged. Here is shown the double power of anger — over the king and over the sage; and the blow of the whip, born of pride, opens the chain of curses and deaths.