FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.16.33

ये मधुच्छन्दसो ज्येष्ठा: कुशलं मेनिरे न तत् । अशपत् तान्मुनि: क्रुद्धो म्‍लेच्छा भवत दुर्जना: ॥ ३३ ॥
ye madhucchandaso jyeṣṭhāḥ
[ye madhuchchandaso jyeshthaah]
kuśalaṁ menire na tat
[kushalam menire na tat]
aśapat tān muniḥ kruddho
[ashapat taan munih kruddho]
mlecchā bhavata durjanāḥ
[mlechchaa bhavata durjanaah]
Word-for-word
ye — those who madhucchandasaḥ — sons of Viśvāmitra, celebrated as the Madhucchandās jyeṣṭhāḥ — eldest kuśalam — very good menire — accepting na — not tat — that (the proposal that he be accepted as the eldest brother) aśapat — cursed tān — all the sons muniḥ — Viśvāmitra Muni kruddhaḥ — being angry mlecchāḥ — disobedient to the Vedic principles bhavata — all of you become durjanāḥ — very bad sons.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ye madhucchandaso jyeṣṭhāḥ
ye
those who
madhucchandasaḥ
sons of Viśvāmitra, celebrated as the Madhucchandās
jyeṣṭhāḥ
eldest
kuśalaṁ menire na tat
kuśalam
very good
menire
accepting
na
not
tat
that (the proposal that he be accepted as the eldest brother)
aśapat tān muniḥ kruddho
aśapat
cursed
tān
all the sons
muniḥ
Viśvāmitra Muni
kruddhaḥ
being angry
mlecchā bhavata durjanāḥ
mlecchāḥ
disobedient to the Vedic principles
bhavata
all of you become
durjanāḥ
very bad sons.
When requested by their father to accept Śunaḥśepha as the eldest son, the elder fifty of the Madhucchandās, the sons of Viśvāmitra, did not agree. Therefore Viśvāmitra, being angry, cursed them. “May all of you bad sons become mlecchas,” he said, “being opposed to the principles of Vedic culture.”
Purport

In Vedic literature there are names like mleccha and yavana. The mlecchas are understood to be those who do not follow the Vedic principles. In former days, the mlecchas were fewer, and Viśvāmitra Muni cursed his sons to become mlecchas. But in the present age, Kali-yuga, there is no need of cursing, for people are automatically mlecchas. This is only the beginning of Kali-yuga, but at the end of Kali-yuga the entire population will consist of mlecchas because no one will follow the Vedic principles. At that time the incarnation Kalki will appear. Mleccha-nivaha-nidhane kalayasi karavālam. He will kill all the mlecchas indiscriminately with his sword.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The elder fifty of the Madhucchandās, the sons of Viśvāmitra, did not agree to accept Śunaḥśepha as their elder brother. Therefore Viśvāmitra, becoming angry, cursed them. "May all of you bad sons become mlecchas," he said. The fifty elder brothers did not think it was good to have Śunaḥśepha as their eldest brother. Viśvāmitra (muniḥ) then cursed them.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The elder Madhucchandās refuse to accept Śunaḥśepha as eldest, and Viśvāmitra curses them to become mlecchas. Disobeying a sage father, even on matters of social order, can produce drastic loss of cultural standing.
Reflection Questions
  • Where am I resisting an elder's social arrangement because it disturbs my rank?
  • What would I lose if my obedience were measured a generation from now?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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