आश्रमेष्व् अग्निहोत्राणि ऋषीणां भावितात्मनाम् ॥
गृहीत्वा प्रक्षिपन्त्य् अप्सु विश्रब्धाः सैनिकास् तयोः ॥
तपोधनैश् च ये शापाः क्रुद्धैर् उक्ता महात्मभिः ॥
नाक्रामन्ति तयोस् ते ऽपि वरदानेन जृम्भतोः ॥
नाक्रामन्ति यदा शापा बाणा मुक्ताः शिलास्व् इव ॥
नियमांस् तदा परित्यज्य व्यद्रवन्त द्विजातयः ॥
āśrameṣv agnihotrāṇi ṛṣīṇāṃ bhāvitātmanām ||
gṛhītvā prakṣipanty apsu viśrabdhāḥ sainikās tayoḥ ||
tapodhanaiś ca ye śāpāḥ kruddhair uktā mahātmabhiḥ ||
nākrāmanti tayos te 'pi varadānena jṛmbhatoḥ ||
nākrāmanti yadā śāpā bāṇā muktāḥ śilāsv iva ||
niyamāṃs tadā parityajya vyadravanta dvijātayaḥ ||
"In the hermitages the agnihotra fires of the seers, pure of soul, were seized by their bold warriors and cast into the waters; and the curses uttered by the enraged great ascetics did not overcome those two, mightily strengthened by the boon; and when the curses failed to overcome them, like arrows shot at rock, then, abandoning their vows, the twice-born scattered in flight."
4599099eb050 · published Jul 12, 2026, 6:01:16 PM UTC
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Here even the curses of the holy are powerless before Brahmā's boon. It is telling that the curses bounce off, "like arrows off rock": the gift of invulnerability temporarily overpowers even spiritual might. Here it is revealed that Providence allows evil to triumph for a time so that its measure may be fulfilled; and the brothers will fall not by force from outside but by their own discord. Thus the scripture shows the utter powerlessness of the righteous before granted invulnerability; and the quenching of the sacred fires signals the darkening of the world.