Canto 1, Chapter 18

Mahārāja Parīkṣit Cursed by a Brāhmaṇa Boy

Verse 40 (SB 1.18.40)
SB 1.18.40 • मूल श्लोक

विसृज्य तं च पप्रच्छ वत्स कस्माद्धि रोदिषि । केन वा तेऽपकृतमित्युक्त: स न्यवेदयत् ॥ ४० ॥

Transliteration

visṛjya taṁ ca papraccha vatsa kasmād dhi rodiṣi kena vā te ’pakṛtam ity uktaḥ sa nyavedayat

Synonyms (Word-for-Word)

visṛjya — throwing aside; tam — that; ca — also; papraccha — asked; vatsa — my dear son; kasmāt — what for; hi — certainly; rodiṣi — crying; kena — by whom; vā — otherwise; te — they; apakṛtam — misbehaved; iti — thus; uktaḥ — being asked; saḥ — the boy; nyavedayat — informed of everything.

Translation

“He threw the dead snake aside and asked his son why he was crying, whether anyone had done him harm. On hearing this, the son explained to him what had happened.”

Bhaktivedanta Purport

By Śrīla Prabhupāda
The father did not take the dead snake on his neck very seriously. He simply threw it away. Actually there was nothing seriously wrong in Mahārāja Parīkṣit’s act, but the foolish son took it very seriously, and being influenced by Kali he cursed the King and thus ended a chapter of happy history.